North Rim Campground is a 13-site camping area on the remote North Rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The campground, with a single loop in a piñon pine and juniper woodland on top of Chasm View Wall, is small and cramped with little spacing between sites. It’s popular in the shoulder seasons—April and May and September and October—when rock climbers visit the park. All campsites are on a first-come first-served basis, so plan on a morning arrival in spring and fall. Each site has a picnic table and fire grate. The campground, at 7,783 feet, has vault toilets, bear-proof trash receptacles, and water from late May to mid-September. Water is trucked to the campground, so fill your bottles and RV tank before visiting to save water. Protect your campsite from bears by practicing safe food storage, putting all food and scented products in your vehicle.
Pro Tips
The campground is on the North Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park southwest of Crawford. Reach the campground by driving south from Crawford on Colorado 92 for a couple miles. Turn right or west on Black Canyon Road (signed for the national park) on the south side of Crawford Reservoir and drive 11 miles on the paved and gravel road to the North Rim. At a Y-junction, go right to the ranger station and campground. The gravel road is closed in winter and may be muddy after storms.All sites are first-come first-served; no reservations accepted. Most campsites are for tents although small RVs and trailers shorter than 35 feet will find back-in and pull-through sites. Generator use is allowed on a limited basis, but is discouraged since most campers are in tents. Campers can stay no more than 14 consecutive days in a 30-day period, with a maximum of eight people and two vehicles per site. Fires are allowed in grates, but wood collecting is prohibited. Buy firewood in Crawford.The North Rim of the Black Canyon is remote and off-the-beaten track. After stopping at the North Rim Ranger Station by the campground, drive out the North Rim Road and stop at six spectacular overlooks. The Narrows Overlook, one of the best, looks into the narrowest part of the gorge.Three good hiking trails are on the North Rim. The popular 0.3-mile Chasm View Nature Trail, beginning in the campground, makes a loop along the canyon rim. Longer hikes are seven-mile round-trip North Vista Trail and five-mile round-trip Deadhorse Trail.Recommended season(s): April to mid-November.
—Stewart M. Green
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