Recreation Opportunities in
Hiking
Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area is home to breathtaking hiking trails, many within the Gunnison Gorge Wilderness Area. Starting from the top of the rim, many of the trails descend down into the Gorge, providing sweeping vistas of the steep black granite cliffs in the valley below. Expect the trails that take you into the Gorge to be fairly strenuous - if you are hiking into the Gorge, you will gain roughly 1,000 feet of elevation on your way out.
Our Favorite Trails
Blackridge Trail
View Maps and Driving directions
Boating
The Gunnison Gorge boasts one of the most sought after sections of river in Colorado, known for its beauty and challenging whitewater. The Gunnison River offers a technical and remote whitewater experience for advanced rafters, kayakers, and canoeists.
Expect high releases of 2,000 to 10,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) in late May and early June (check current flows here). Summer flows can range from 300 cfs in low water years to 2,000+ cfs during big water years. At flows below 800 cfs, the Gorge is highly technical and is not recommended for rafts over 12 feet in length. Flows over 5,000 cfs make the Gorge extremely dangerous for boating. Rescue is very difficult in the Gorge. If in doubt, SCOUT!
To access the put-in, boaters must hike ~1 mile down the Chukar Trail. Consider using a guiding service to help with the logistics and shuttle for the trip.
Please refer the BLM’s river guide for more detailed information and regulations on boating in the gorge.
View Map
Fishing
Gunnison Gorge is known for its Gold Medal trout fishery. The Gunnison River within the NCA contains over 300 pounds of fish per acre and 10,000 brown trout per mile! Great fishing can be found year round, but the giant stonefly hatch in June is particularly valued by anglers.
A state fishing license from Colorado Parks and Wildlife is required. Other regulations include:
Artificial lures and flies only
Anglers can keep 4 brown trout of any size
All rainbow trout must be immediately returned to the river
If you have any questions specifically regarding fishing within Gunnison Gorge NCA, please contact the Uncompahgre Field Office.
Biking and Motor Sports
In 2009 and 2010, the BLM partnered with Bicycle Colorado, Singletrack Trails, Inc., local trail user groups, and the Western Colorado Conservation Corps to design and build the Sidewinder Trail. Running 20 miles one-way through pinyon-juniper forest and semi-desert shrub, this is one of the longest trails in the Gunnison Gorge. By linking to other routes, trail enthusiasts can enjoy sections of Sidewinder without committing to its entire length. Depending on which routes are linked, a number of loop options of various lengths are possible. For those on two wheels--whether on a mountain bike or motorcycle--Sidewinder is a challenging expert-level trail with a number of technical sections. “Unrelenting” is a common description.
GGNCA offers two designated “play areas” where crosscountry motorcycle, ATV, and mountain bike riding is permitted. Motorized and mechanized travel in all other NCA areas is limited to designated, signed routes. Elephant Skin, Flat Top and Peach Valley staging areas provide access to large expanses of adobe hills and arroyos, as well as pinyon-juniper uplands along the NCA’s west side, offering scenic settings and 95+ miles of challenging single track and primitive dirt road trail systems for a multitude of mountain biking, hiking, horseback and off-highway vehicle (OHV) riding adventures.