Black Canyon of the Gunnison
The 2025 Wildfires
The fires that kept us away began on July 10, 2025, triggered by a series of dry lightning strikes during a period of extreme heat and record-low humidity.
The South Rim Fire eventually scorched over 4,200 acres.
While brave firefighters saved the iconic log-cabin-style Visitor Center, the fire unfortunately destroyed several park buildings, including the maintenance warehouse and portions of the South Rim Campground.
Because the fire was so intense, the South Rim—the park's most popular side—remains in a state of "suppression repair" and safety assessment, meaning those famous overlooks and trails will look very different for a few years as the landscape heals.
The Power of the Gunnison
The canyon was carved over two million years by the Gunnison River. While the Grand Canyon is famous for its width, the Black Canyon is famous for its verticality. The river drops an average of 43 feet per mile, at its steepest point, it drops a staggering 240 feet in a single mile. This high-speed "scouring" action is what allowed the river to cut through some of the oldest exposed rock on Earth (nearly 2 billion years old!).
Looking Forward to the Return
The North Rim actually reopened fairly quickly (by July 30, 2025), but the South Rim, where most families go for those "Painted Wall" views, is taking a bit longer to recover.
