Curecanti National Recreation Area and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

We spent the night in Canon (pronounced "canyon") City on US 50 west of Pueblo, CO. The motel has been used by many movie production crews. Signs on the doors of some rooms named a movie star that had slept in the room. Some names we saw: Goldie Hawn, John Belushi, and Jack Elam.



From Canon City, US 50 winds through the Curecanti National Recreation Area. The Blue Mesa Reservoir is formed by the dammed up Gunnison River. The picture to the right is of the Dillon Pinnacles on Blue Mesa Reservoir.




After leaving the Curecanti National Recreation Area, we took a turn north onto Colorado state road 347 to visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. We drove the truck down a 16% grade to get to the bottom. The next day we went back and drove along the rim of the canyon. It is called Black Canyon because its sides are so steep that the sun does not reach some parts of it. It was not navigated until 1901.