With sheer walls towering over 2,000 vertical feet above the Gunnison River, there's no easy way to visit the bottom of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison; every possible hiking route is a steep, rugged scramble. But the rewards are plentiful to those who venture into its guarded depths - awaiting at the bottom are incredible views of the sheer and imposing 1.8-billion-year old rock walls, idyllic riverside campsites, as well as fantastic trout fishing.
In September and October I visited the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park three times and did three different hikes down to the Gunnison River. The first trip was an overnight backpack trip down the Gunnison Route from the South Rim, the second was another overnighter down Slide Draw from the North Rim, and the third was a hike down S.O.B. Draw from the North Rim while camped at the campground there for a couple nights. Here are some photos from those visits!