Gunnison
03. Crystal Dam to Chukar Trail (Black Canyon)
| Difficulty | IV-V(V+) |
| Length | 14.4 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 51 fpm |
| Gauge | Gunnison River Below Gunnison Tunnel, Co |
| Flow Rate as of 45 minutes | 303 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | January 23, 2024 |
River Description
The Black Canyon is a classic Colorado run through a spectacular chasm. The technical difficulty is dependent on the amount of portaging you plan to do. Class V+ drops are there for 'The Next Generation' . Fit mortals with strong shoulders can tone it down to V-. Make no mistake, the run has a solid class V adventure factor, so go in prepared. The canyon is very deep and committing with strenuous portaging and Prehistoric Level poison ivy; don't forget about the poison ivy. For a place that gets about an hour of sunlight a day, it has produced some of the healthiest poison ivy on the planet. At any rate, if you like being in deep remote canyons and enjoy high adventure, then this run is for you. Most of the drops are boulder-style and of the highest quality, at least the ones that are runnable. Many rapids in the canyon completely sieve out and require strenuous portaging. In 1997, Chuck Kern, a world-class paddler, drowned in an unseen undercut while attempting to run part of the section that's commonly portaged. A short description of the accident can be read here. Luckily, most of the portages are no-brainers; it's either a sweet drop or certain death. This run is usually done in two days but can easily be done in one long day if you know what you are doing, and if you are training for the Iron Man. A person spending the night in the canyon will be rewarded with a beautiful sandy beach and one of the best camping experiences ever. Day 1 Shortly after the put-in, the river moves through class III boulder-slalom type rapids. Be on the lookout for the first major drop Day Wrecker, which can sneak up on a paddler. This drop comes just after a sharp right-hand turn and is one of the few drops that will require careful consideration. The line is down a thin slot on the far left and into a powerful hole (this hole can't be seen from the scout on the right bank). Next, whether
...River Features
Put In
Day Wrecker
Tripple Drop
Ball Crusher
18 Footer
Hell Portage
Beach Camp
Next Generation
Sieve City/Closet
Great Falls
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportI wrote this + 15 years ago. Over time, others have added a couple pictures and added to the description. There was some pushback that I sandbagged the description, so I revised it to provide more scarry language. There is stuff in there like 'how will your buddies get your broken body out of there?'. Dead ends with sieves. Excruciating portaging. Killer poison ivy. Every 5 or so years I check back in, to refresh my memory, before I run it again. Now I see another comment that I sandbagged it. I guess I still sandbagged it.
SOOO... the previous comments are 100 percent accurate. This is V+++, Notthing less. No IV's none. No human has any right to be in there. The drops you can run are junk. If you survive those, its just a portage fest. The Golden Whitewater Park is a much better place to spend your time; then you can have brunch after. If you are done with life, the Back Canyon is a spectacular way to end it. Do not go in there unless you have a death wish. The scenery also sucks. It’s just a bunch of black rock. Spiders, spiders, and more spiders (call out to the authors of CCR2).
I relinquish control. The previous commenter can feel free to give his own gory details. You are right, I did spend a lot of time on this.... many years ago...It’s all yours, Nate. You can use what content you want, except the pictures. Go take your own, if you survive. I have my notes saved for myself. Next Generation.... I hereby pass the torch....
I hope somebody took some value from my description. It was a pleasure contributing to AW,
Matthew Hopkins
I want to iterate the comment from Nick David 11 years ago. By all standards this is a Class V run and the description is misleading. Sieves are endless in the Black Canyon, portages are mandatory and arduous and any rescue would have to come from the air as the walls are sheer. I am positive consensus amongst the state is this is for seasoned class V+ boaters.
This video captures the nature of the run well:
I would edit the post but someone has spent a lot of time on it and the beta is high quality.
Best video of this run I've been able to find: https://vimeo.com/36298473
Jumping off of the bottom spout of Next Generation
Bryan Ownen and Keith Kirchner enjoying a fall paddle in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River. AW's work to quantify recreational flow needs throughout the Gunnison River Basin will help us protect boatable flows, even as water in the Southern Rockies becomes increasingly scarce. Photo: Chris Menges
Onramp
The description posted here is deceptive to say the least. I ran the Black Canyon last year at a medium/low level, and nothing about this run is Class IV in nature. Until the relative flatwater near the end, there are numerous class V rapids, and the portage is very strenuous, it took our group quite a bit longer than what the description indicates. In addition these rapids are some of the most most sieved out pieces of shit I have ever seen. This is a true multi-day class V run, and while not as difficult as the stuff in the high sierra, it definitely deserves a V+ rating when taking the remote nature into account.
This is the put in for the Black Canyon at East Portal.
Well put.
Here's where you ferry across to river left to continue the portage. The river left portage takes about 30 minutes. There is an optional camp down here if you are ready to call it a day.
Although you might be sleeping on rock, you won't want to be any other place at this point.
This rapid is around mile 2.5. Make sure to scout this one. Identified by a sharp right turn in the river, followed by a left turn. Go slow up until this point and eddy out early. Many sieves in this one. There's a large hole to the river left of the large rock in the center of the picture.
Looking downstream at the main portage, as seen from the 18 footer. The line is way up on the slope, tight to the cliff wall. It is an extremely strenuous portage and takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours with a loaded boat. Take your time and try not to slip and get hurt. Your feet and legs are your biggest asset in this canyon!
This is the rapid described in CRC as being a 'solid V above the 18 footer'. Not readily seen from the river right scout is a MAJOR sieve/cave on river right. Check this one out good and don't be too far right on the third drop or you might be surfed into the sieve.
One of the class V- rapids near the Narrows. Note that at this level, nothing was 'mandatory'. You can scout/portage pretty much all the hard stuff. However, this run is not recommended for class IV boaters nor for folks out of shape.