Let's Go Camping: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

I planned this trip around Black Canyon and the wildflower festival in Crested Butte. Unfortunately, most of the classes had been filled up in town and were crazy expensive to begin with, but I don't think that impacted our experience.

Day 1: Prepping for Adventure and Unexpected Discoveries

I'm feeling much more prepared this time around compared to Wyoming, having spent yesterday doing all my shopping, packing, and food prep. It also helped that I didn't have to wake up super early since my friend, Corey, had to work a half-day from home, which gave me ample time to pack her things in the car. Despite a slightly later start than anticipated, with stops for gas, coffee, and lunch, our five-hour drive turned into over six. But oh, the adventures we had!

I didn't check our route before we left, so we came across a couple of surprises. The first was Paonia State Park! I've been on a mission to visit all the state parks (it was supposed to be last year, but oh well) and collect their stamps. However, Paonia is really out there and doesn't have a visitor center, so I'll need to head to Sweitzer Lake in order to get it. Future road trip, anyone? The park itself wasn't something we could explore much; it only had campsites and a boat ramp. But we drove where we could, admiring the beauty of the lake.

In addition to the state park, we stumbled upon the Crystal River Fish Hatchery. Fish hatcheries aren't on my to-do list, but they have a stamp section in my state park passport, so why not, right? Unfortunately, no pets were allowed, so Maple didn't get to say hello to the rainbow trout. The staff let us roam freely, but they didn't have any food for us to feed the trout, so we just explored and read a few of the signs. The active trout jumping out of the water for bugs was quite a sight!

It was close to 5 pm when we finally arrived at Black Canyon. There was much anticipation pulling up to our campsite, but it was kind of a letdown. The site was super basic and a little cramped. I think in the future I will reserve a site and list more people so we have more space. But it had a table, a fire pit, and space to set up our tents, even if there was little privacy between sites. It was big enough that we were able to set up our three and four-person tents, albeit with no wiggle room. Yes, I know our tents are excessive, but we were both trying them out and breaking them in. Honestly, if you can set up a larger tent yourself, the extra space is super nice. A three-person tent for Maple and me might be the next move, but I'll wait for a sale or a more stable job before making that purchase.

Dinner time came, and Corey is a huge fan of sweet potatoes, so our meal that night was sweet potato hash with eggs. I cooked most of it ahead of time, so it mainly involved reheating the hash and then steaming the egg after it was hot enough. It wasn't bad, but I still thought it was lackluster. Definitely a meal better eaten fresh. We were pretty tired by the time night fell, so we skipped dessert and called it a night.

Day 2: Hiking Adventures and Overlook Views

Maple and I have a morning ritual: she gets very lovey-dovey and will purr nonstop, so we spend five or ten minutes just loving on each other. When she was done, though, she decided it was bathroom time and peed right next to the litter box. Sigh. She hasn't used that litter box at all for the last two trips. I wonder if I should even bother bringing it. The face she made was priceless, squinting at me as if I had peed instead of her, so how could I be mad?

The original plan for today was to visit Crested Butte and see all the wildflowers because the festival ran through the weekend. But because of a bridge collapse, we were looking at another 3.5-hour trip—each way—and that didn't appeal to us at all. Shout out to Corey for being so chill with last-minute plan changes!

Instead, we made today the day to explore and hike around Black Canyon. Black Canyon doesn't have many trails, and most require a permit to backpack down to the river, some of which have class 3 or 4 scrambling routes. Even if I was crazy enough to attempt rock climbing with Maple in tow, we stuck to some basic trails, like the visitor center—a quick 1-mile jaunt each way.

So, how did Maple do? There was significant improvement from our first hike in Boulder, but she was still pretty stressed out about 3/4 of the way to the visitor center. At the first overlook, we spent a while talking to other campers and visitors who wanted pictures or to pet Maple. I'm all for people interaction, and everyone was very respectful of our space and asked before approaching. Remember folks, consent is important even when it comes to pets!

With a little complaining about the heat and the bouncing on the backpack, Maple, Corey, and I made it to the visitor center. I'm a collector by nature, so I like to grab a mug, a waterproof sticker, and a geological survey keychain whenever I visit somewhere new as proof I was there. Sadly, I couldn't go in because they don't allow pets inside. Maple got some pets from a park ranger and the park manager, which put me at ease because a little part of me worried I might get scolded. It helps that Maple is so tiny, adorable, and distinctive!

She was already complaining on the way to the visitor center, so I tried something new to help calm her down: lickable treats. I let her eat one on the way back, giving her a lick every hundred feet or so, and she seemed to settle down. I ran out before we got back, so her upset meows had to be tolerated. I don't know what bothered her more, the heat or the bouncing. Either way, there was nowhere to go except forward.

Once we got back to the campsite, we hopped in the car and started making our way to the overlooks on the main road. There are 11 stops on the south rim, and we were determined to do all of them. We had already seen two on our hike earlier, so we thought we could do the last nine no problem. But it was in the high 90s, and all of it was exposed to the sun. By the end, we were lagging and skipped a few of the longer ones. Maple joined us for the first few, but she was looking worn out, and I left her in the car after our first few stops. Don't worry, I left the car running with the A/C on so she didn't overheat. My car does surprisingly well in the heat thanks to the tinted windows and my cargo box shielding the top.

We were only out for two and a half hours, but the heat sapped our desire, and we resolved to check out Sunset View at sunset because why not? Besides, a lot of the overlooks shared the same view, just from different angles. My two favorites were Painted Wall View and Dragon Point. Painted Wall is the tallest cliff in Colorado and one of the tallest in the country. It dwarfs the Eiffel Tower and Empire State Building! Dragon Point was beautiful because you get to see the river winding its way through the last section of the canyon.

Once we got back to camp, I let Maple free-roam with her harness and leash on. She seemed wiped in the car, but once she was outside, she perked right back up. I am very careful watching where she travels because she hasn't been learning her recall all that well (and I 've been inconsistent with her training at home, so I only have myself to blame). Particularly, I made sure to keep her away from the car, the road, and the thick brush where she would get tangled up in.  One of the rangers came by, and I was so sure I was going to be scolded, but she nearly squealed, and let her hold Maple. I wonder if getting people to hold her will help with socialization?

I was ready for a nap, but we both decided we needed some quiet time. I brought my laptop to work on some letters, Corey brought a book to catch up on some reading, and I don't remember being so relaxed and tranquil while camping.

We hit up the visitor center again, and I got my mug, sticker, and keychain. Then we went off to see the sunset. The view was incredible! We stayed there longer than at any other overlook, and I let Maple down on her leash to roam around. There was also a puppy that she got to meet. They were both very curious about each other, but the puppy was a lot more excited than Maple was, and I heard her hiss for the first time. It was a relief because the last thing I want is for her to assume every dog is friendly. And I always ask because sometimes overexcited dogs can get nippy or start snapping when they play.

Dinner tonight was gnocchi and tomatoes in a foil packet, and I was extremely pleased with how that turned out. Foil packet meals are such a win for camping because they require no effort except for starting the fire. Maple had some wet food as a reward for being so awesome today, and I put her in the tent for some alone time while we let the fire burn down. I cannot get over how much she loves the tent!

The ranger had told us earlier that the collapsed bridge is open every morning from 6:30 to 8:30, so we decided that Crested Butte was back on! And of course, because we needed to be up early, we put too much firewood on, and it burned until well after 11 pm. But the sunset was worth it!

Day 3: Unexpected Discoveries and Final Adventures

We got up early to break down camp and head out on our way. Without my usual morning coffee, I was really feeling it by the time we got to the bridge. Fortunately, Gunnison was only a little further ahead and had a lot of cute shops that we, unfortunately, didn't have time to check out. If you've been, give me some recommendations for next time!

Another surprise on the way to Crested Butte: another fish hatchery, Roaring Judy! Obviously, we had to stop. They were so friendly compared to the last one! We had a tour guide showing us where they collect the spawn, explaining the lifecycle of the Kokanee salmon, and giving us a whole Folger's canister full of food to feed the fish. We also saw a black mink, which is apparently common in the area because the location used to be a mink farm.

We drove through Crested Butte and up into the Gunnison National Forest to hike around Lake Irwin. What a beautiful area! It was definitely packed, though—we may have snagged the last spot. We chose it because it was short enough that Maple wouldn't get too moody but hopefully had some places for her to wander around. The hike was great, but we did have a situation arise. We met a woman and her dog maybe 10 minutes into the hike, with her dog unleashed. Honestly, I didn't think anything of it and even introduced Maple to the dog, Bonnie. However, when we tried walking away, she followed us and didn't respond to her owner's commands. But then her owner just walked away! Like, what the hell?!

I'll give Bonnie some credit—she wasn't jumping on us, but she was very interested in Maple, who was having none of it after a few minutes. Corey had to restrain Bonnie by the collar so that I could get some pictures of Maple in the wildflowers. Bonnie then proceeded to follow us around the entire lake, a little more than two miles. I was so aggravated! Corey felt partially responsible for the dog's well-being, and my love for all furry critters was sympathetic, but ultimately it was the owner's fault. We came across a campground manager who was able to take Bonnie with him, which came as a relief.

After grabbing some lunch in Crested Butte, we beelined it all the way home, saving nearly two hours of driving thanks to the help of the ranger. Maple was conked out hard. It really was a great trip, and I think Maple enjoyed herself a lot!

Have you been to these places? Want to give us some tips for next time? Let us know in the comments!