Heard of this place from a guy while getting gas. Decided to check it out. He said it was more beautiful than the Grand Canyon. A bold statement, we thought. I wouldn't say more, but it is beautiful. The black canyon walls really are stunning and very steep. The park was open to drive through. It takes about 2-3 hours to drive end to end. The ranger was about to close but saw we just wanted water for our bottles and he kept the center open for us. Very kind staff. The campground was open too but not for any services. Being in a self contained van, it was fine. Best of all, it wasn't the season opening yet so we were able to camp for free! Woke up to light snow just adding to the beauty.
The campsites on the South Rim do take reservations, so I would recommend reserving ahead of time—especially during the summer. The campsites are well-maintained, private, easily accessible, and family friendly. The campers around were all respectful, which made for a great community of campers!
High (8,200) and deep—dramatic landscape carved by Gunnison River. Wonderful hiking trail along the rim and interesting plant community of the high plateau. Be prepared for any type of weather. We had a wild thunder, lightning and wind storm with violent downdrafts—typical for this country. Absence of light pollution means awesome night skies!
Campground Campground host very friendly. Absolutely wonderful ranger-led hikes and talks in the amphitheater each evening.
Fill your RV tank with water before arriving at camp. Water available for filling bottles and cooking not tanks. Absolutely wonderful ranger-led hikes and talks everyday. Deer come right through the campground. Pit toilets available. RV sites are a bit on level so bring blocks to level your rig. Very friendly camp host and a wonderful experience for us.
this place was great! I reserved it 3 months in advance, so am not sure if it filled up later on. I tent camped and there was plenty of room for my 2-person tent and enough room if I hadn’t been solo. The walk to get water was close as were the restrooms. It was my first time camping where I needed a bear box and the one provided was huge—I’d call it a bear locker. 😃 It was a quiet campsite and BCGNP is a dark sky park so the stars were amazing at night.
Beautiful campground! The view of the stars at night are worth the trip! can’t wait to go back
Friendly camp host let us switch to a better/more secluded spot than the one we reserved. Ranger talk right across the street. Rim trail trailhead really close. Toilets so clean, "I would even poop in these!" was uttered.
Our family camped at Black Canyon last July and LOVED IT. I wish we would have stayed more than just a few days. We had deer around our campsite (we had to have our dog on a leash because at that time of year the deer have babies and get fiesty. The deer at our campsite didn’t mind our dog and just seemed curious.) The views on our hikes were breathtaking and we even saw a little bear! There are hikes for all ages, many as you drive around the top are short walks to the edge to look at the views. I also recommend going to the visitors center while you are there.
Small campsites, hard to find room for a large tent, and not much vehicle room, but beautiful grounds. Lots of room for kids to play around the sites. Beautiful night skies