Established Camping
South Rim Campground — Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
About
National Park Service
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Overview
A camping trip to the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park makes for a beautiful getaway for sightseeing, stargazing, and hiking. The park protects the most dramatic section of the Gunnison River Canyon; no other canyon in North America combines the narrow opening, sheer walls, and startling depths of Black Canyon.
Recreation
Take one of many spectacular hiking trails such as the Oak Flat Loop Trail and watch for birds like the black-billed magpie. In summer, catch an evening educational program in the campground amphitheater.______ Winter activities include snowshoeing on Rim Rock Trail or go cross country skiing on South Rim Drive (South Rim Campground is first-come, first-served in winter).
Facilities
Campsites are open year round, but drinking water is only available mid-May through mid-October. Electric hookups are in Loop B and available year around.
Natural Features
Perched on the South Rim of the Black Canyon, this campground is surrounded by scrub oak forests and sits atop ancient hard rocks. Deer, grouse, bears, and bobcats are known to frequent the area.
Nearby Attractions
Visit the Cimarron Canyon Rail Exhibit to see railcars and the last remaining railroad trestle on the Black Canyon of the Gunnison route. Head upstream to Curecanti National Recreation Area to enjoy water recreation on Colorado's largest reservoir.
Fee Info
There is an additional $6 electricity attribute fee for Standard Electric sites.
Reservation Info
In the summer, loops A and B may be reserved through recreation.gov. In the Spring, Fall, and Winter, all sites are first-come, first-served. Loop C is always first-come, first-served.
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
Stay Connected
- WiFiGood
- VerizonAvailable
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
Features
For Campers
- Market
- Trash
- Firewood Available
- Drinking Water
- Electric Hookups
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Sanitary Dump
- Water Hookups
- Pull-Through Sites
- Big Rig Friendly
Great location, dark sky
Spent 3 nights at the South Rim campground in Black Canyon of the Gunnison Np. Great location for exploring the park. Just a Mike from the visitors center, and just off the rim drive. This is a dark sky park. Took photos of the stars. Our site was right on the road, so we couldn’t use our slide out.
- (7) View All
Convenient location, standard NP site
We stayed here mid-summer. We had site A9 and it was a pretty snug spot, as is typical with national park campgrounds. The bathrooms/ pit toilets were pretty clean. This location is great for if you're planning to do any inter-canyon travel as it's close to the entry points. We did the Gunnison route and started early, so we were happy to have a close spot. It's a bit noisy because of how close sites are to one another, and there's not a ton of shade, but that's pretty typical for this part of the western slope. Bring a shade tent or shelter!
Nice National Park Campsite
A well put together and nice national park campsite. Picnic tables and bear boxes at each site. A little rocky but able to drive tent stakes. Seems to have a bit of a wasp problem at the moment. Dark sky is no joke - awesome stars and night view of the Canyon within walking distance.
Location
South Rim Campground — Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is located in Colorado
Directions
The park is located approximately 250 miles (402 km) southwest of Denver. The South Rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is 15 miles (24 km) east of Montrose, CO, via U.S. Hwy 50 and CO Hwy 347.
Coordinates
38.5505556 N
107.6866667 W