Yep. That’s a mouthful. It was one of the most undeveloped national parks I’ve been to, which helped make it special. Drinking water is even trucked in!
Two things stand out. The first, unsurprisingly, is the canyon. It’s called black because, well, it’s black. Well mostly. As the sun catches it at different angles, its colors change like a chameleon. We could just make out the Gunnison River below, deemed too dangerous to raft.
Saydee wasn’t impressed.
The second stand out was the impact of wild fire. On July 10th, 2025, just over a year ago, a lightning strike started a fire. The result destroyed about 75% of the campsites, so we were very lucky to get one. I was sure I could still smell the burn. The wiping out of surface vegetation increases the risk of mudslides, and just before our visit, the road to the bottom of the canyon was closed due to one. The burned remains of trees were spooky but not morbid. Life was already returning all around them. Fire is a part of the natural cycle – it just doesn’t play well with manmade structures!
I was happy that our site gave Arvan some shade. Even though it was tight, there was space between us and our neighbors. It rained a lot that night, which helped me sleep, but I’m not sure the tent campers were all so lucky.
The Adventures of the Cajunlimeys 