![]() Venture north of Morrowpoint Reservoir on Colorado 92 to peer off the Black Canyon’s zig-zagging rim. In winter, birders can spy bald eagles and American dippers, which dunk into the Gunnison River for treats. Brown creepers and nuthatches peruse the bark for bugs. Lined with cottonwoods, the Neversink trail holds a great blue heron rookery and is home to robins, red-winged black birds, woodpeckers, yellow warblers, and hummingbirds. Listen to the birdsįrom the woodlands to the sagebrush scrub and riparian zones, Curecanti offers habitat for a range of feathered creatures. ![]() You’ll be surrounded by water but don’t forget to take a filter to remove viruses, bacteria, sediment and more from the water before consuming it.įorewarning: The approach to this paddle trip is not for the faint of heart but the rewards are unforgettable. Choose one of the six campsites (Hermit’s Rest and Curecanti Creek have vault toilets) to arrange a water-side shelter on the sandy crescents. Take a multiday paddle on Morrow Point ReservoirĪt the Pine Creek trailhead, 29 miles west of Gunnison, park your rig and then hike your watercraft and overnight gear 1 mile down 232 stairs to the glassy Morrow Point Reservoir, which connects Blue Mesa Reservoir to Crystal Reservoir.īefore you paddle westward, fill out a free, backcountry use permit at the trailhead. 5-mile of swift current, the 11-mile stretch of water is calm and dwarfed by the 1,800-foot high magnificent walls of the Black Canyon. Here are a handful of ways to enjoy Curecanti: At the Pine Creek trailhead, 29 miles west of Gunnison, you hike your rig and gear 1 mile down 232 stairs to the glassy, refreshing edge of the Morrow Point Reservoir, which connects Blue Mesa Reservoir to Crystal Reservoir. Visitors can explore historic exhibits, hike, fish, wind surf, sail, beach lounge and stay at hundreds of campsites, many of which can be reserved. In fact, the longest section of the Black Canyon resides in Curecanti: 19 miles, which is five miles more than the section of the gorge that’s designated as a national park. The number of visitors here pales in comparison to the state’s more popular spots: 900,000 annual travelers venture through this giant recreation area compared to Rocky Mountain National Park’s 4.7 million.īeyond hoodoos and glistening water, this 43,000-acre gem is chock-full of high-desert trails and deep ravines. Having grown up in the region, I’m amazed by the amount of water below and how refreshing it is.Ĭurecanti National Recreation Area offers a unique opportunity for paddlers and boaters to find rejuvenation and solitude alongside bird watchers and hikers. From the high point, I can see the San Juan Mountains, which poke above the mesa like shark fins piercing the surface of the sea. The 4-mile route meanders into a small glen and up to a mesa beneath the volcanic rock. I understand why this singletrack trail is named after the 30-million-year-old formation Dillon Pinnacles. A few minutes into my trail run, an imposing queue of 600-foot hoodoos comes into view, filling the horizon of the water’s northern shore. Below me, the rich navy body of Blue Mesa glitters beneath a cirque of snow-capped desert peaks. We pieced our camp together, preparing for pork chop dinners and adventured around our camp site - carefully with much caution for mountain lion, bears, deer and other critters wandering the forest with us.My feet crunch atop tiny pebbles as I move through the hillside of rolling sagebrush. We found a really sweet campsite with exceptional views of the river and tall canyon walls surrounding us. For more information on locating these campsites - click here. There are two options of camping back here - Ponderosa Campsite or even a few miles deeper Soap Creek Campsite where we ended up camping. We head west on 50 and turned off for Soap Creek road the entrance to the campsites. Normally I shy away from dirt roads for more than 5 miles if I am far from home but after asking a few questions about this particular dirt road she informed me that the road is stable enough for people to take trailers 7+ miles back. ![]() This turned out to be a huge success and a grand idea - the park ranger pointed me in the direction of Ponderosa Camp site (about 7.0+ miles on a dirt road). Camp site idea #2 didn't seem to please us as there was very little tree cover direct sunlight beat down on us, getting a bit frustrated I decided to head into the park's welcome center and ask for suggestions.
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