Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground

We stayed here the end of September weather was beautiful, but I am sure it is hot in the summer, little shade. The altitude was 8,500 ft which we had some trouble adjusting to it.

There are 3 loops, one loop has electric, one loop is reservations and one is first come first serve. We were there off season so all of them were first come first serve.

There were vault toilets. We have a cell booster so we could text and make calls. No dump station, but there is one water station at each loop.

I'm so glad I decided to make the trip to Black Canyon of the Gunnison. What an amazing park! I look forward to returning and exploring other areas.

The campground itself was nice but fully packed. Of course I was visiting in the summer and on a weekend no less so I didn't expect solitude. The sites are pretty small but bushes around them offer some visual privacy.

Loops A and B are for reservations, while loop C is first come first served. I was lucky to arrive at around 10AM on Friday and get a spot in C. The other loops were fully reserved. By afternoon loop C was totally full. Seems like a lot of one nighters though as all my neighbors left Saturday morning. Of course new people promptly arrived.

The park service summer programs are cool and the amphitheater is just a short stroll. This summer there is an astronomy program with presentations on things like black holes and constellations and volunteers with telescopes you could peer through. The stars here are outstanding.

The campground currently has restrictions on pets. I guess the lady deer here are aggressive and don't like dogs and dog walkers hehehe. There are a lot of deer! So cute to see baby Bambi in your campsite.

The campground has vault toilets and limited water supplies that are trucked in. I suggest bring your own water. There are bear boxes and picnic tables.

Loop C is the oldest and the sites are small with pretty tight parking. Think twice before bringing your big ol RV in here. It really isnt the place. Most sites have pull over parking spots along the side of the road through the campground. When I was there someone put their slides out and blocked the one lane small road. If you have a bigger rig I suggest making a reservation for the other loops, I think loop B has electric.

No cell service at all in the campground but you might get service on the park roads or the road out of the park towards Montrose.

Oh and btw Montrose is actually a really cool town. I went into town to get some stuff done and went to the farmers market and other downtown shops. So cute!

The spots in Loop B combine the best of all worlds: reservable so you can get a site that fits (some are quite small), with electric service, decent separation and privacy via Gambel oak hedges, and wildlife aplenty. There is a 1-mile trail from the campground to the visitor center and a 3-mile loop that can be completed from the campground on the Rim Rock, Oak Flat, and Uplands trails. Be sure to drive the scenic drive and visit every overlook -- some require a fair bit of walking to get out to the points, but it's worth it to see different perspectives on this very unique geological feature.

Our favorite part of the park was the very dark skies at new moon. Views of the Milky Way and other stars were incredible, and the campground is dark just like the rest of the park so there's no need to venture far from home to take in the night skies.

The biggest ding on the campground is that sites tend to be very unlevel, and larger rigs may have trouble getting into spaces and getting level. We saw several Class As with their wheels in the air in an effort to level up, and we never quite got level even using all our blocks. There is no cell service on AT&T in the campground, but we were pleasantly surprised to find we had 6-8 over the air TV stations including ABC, NBC, ION, CW, and several PBS stations. Our visit of 10 days was way too long to see the park but with Montrose just 15 miles away we got a lot of errands done. The City Market on the south side of town by the WalMart is a real standout for groceries!

We came not expecting to find a spot and were pleasantly surprised. Loop C had many openings, even on weekends. Dry camping. Variety of campers from large to small. Some were probably too large for the site but it worked. Certain times of the year (now) you cannot walk your dog in the campground because of mule deer fawning season. Apparently mom's become very protective. We had a doe in our campground most days and saw a doe with twins but had no problem. Everyone camping was respectful and quiet. Campsites are along main road into park but it was only noisy during day and early evening.
Watch where you are parking with afternoon sun if it's hot. Nights were spectacular as it is a Dark Sky Site

We stayed here during early July for three nights to enjoy this beautiful campground and hike along the canyon trail. The rate was $14 per night with our America the Beautiful Senior Pass, this included Electric hookup in Loop B, site #5. The camp site was level and included table, fire ring, with water and vaulted toilets nearby. On multiple occasions we had deer wander through our camp site, this was definately a wonderful experience. We also enjoyed our hikes along the Black Canyon with a great trail system. We will definately return again.

What a treasure! The night sky is magnificent; so many stars. We lucked out that someone had cancelled. Our 22 ft motorhome fit perfectly. It is rustic but for the cost and the scenery, it can’t be beat.

It was hot so we had to use AC. Didn’t check out the bathroom no cell service.

Fabulous talk by the ranger.

We were tent camping and I strongly suggest that for this campground. Big RVs can fit in some of the reservable sites but smaller rigs will have the pick of available sites. The skies were huge and filled with stars until the smoke from the fires moved in. Plenty of deer to watch but beware of the does with fawns in the summer. There are alot of sites crammed in but divided very well with short gamble oaks and shrubs so visual privacy isn't an issue but hopefully your neighbor isn't a chainsaw snorer. Might stay here again but would probably look outside the park or try to score a site on the East Portal.

We have a 23 ft camper and got a first come first serve spot in loop c. The other loops take reservations and were full the entire time we were there. Loop B has electric hookups and both A and B have bigger sites. There are a few sites in loop c for a trailer similar to ours but most work best for tents or pickup campers. Many huge RV’s drove thru and I wish they would post a sign because there were no spots to accommodate them. We arrived fairly early and waited for others to vacate our spot. That is a good idea even if you have a smaller RV. Many of the tent sites were still open later in the day. The campground was fine and we regularly saw deer and chipmunks. You can see the canyon if you take a trail down the hill and with a short drive, there are many beautiful overlooks. Drive to East Portal also but don’t take your trailer! It’s lovely down by the river.

Campground is suitable for small to medium sized rigs. Potable water in each loop. Watch for wildlife, deer abundant in the campground area. Bear crossed entrance road around 3pm. Hiking from campground at Loop C. Midday seems best for picture taking when shadows are minimized. Be sure to take the East Portal scenic drive. The primitive trail up the river is worth the effort. Take hiking sticks.

Overall, an amazing experience. As always the NPS made sure the park and its facilities were clean and functional. The park itself we highly recommend if you're nearby. Get there right after checkout to get the best spot if you don't have a reservation -- it fills up every night and there really aren't a lot of spaces.

The sites in loops A and C lend themselves more to tent and van campers (as they lack power), and the narrow widths and overhead brambles reflect that. It took us three tries in three different sites before we found one that would work for our 21' TT with a modest slideout.

Being a national property, it was exempt from the Colorado state fire ban. With the tight site proximity, evening fire time got distressingly smoky -- a definite negative for us. Aside from that and the occasional generator (we use solar exclusively when off shore power), it was good experience.

Cell service was nonexistent to faint. For some reason, in the morning we were able to nab 2 bars of LTE, and then it went dark the rest of the day.