NPS · Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park · Montrose, CO

Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground

A camping trip to the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park makes for a beautiful getaway for sightseeing, stargazing, and hiking. The park protects the most dramatic section of the Gunnison River Canyon; no other canyon in North America combines the narrow opening, sheer walls, and startling depths of Black Canyon.

Reservable · Recreation.gov 89 sites Dark sky From $6 per night 65 ft max Electric hookupsPets okFires ok

More like this: electric hookups in Colorado · reservable in Colorado · big rigs in Colorado · pets allowed in Colorado · dark sky in Colorado

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗

Photos courtesy of NPS Photo (Victoria Stauffenberg), NPS · Recreation.gov

4fires
active

High Mesa Piles Rx (prescribed burn) · 24 mi away · 324 acres

3 more within 50 miles

Incident details ↓

Site mix

Standard, no hookups		62
Standard with electric		22
Host/management		5

Most sites here open on Recreation.gov six months ahead, at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sold out is not final: cancellations come back into the pool, most of them two to three days out. How to catch one

Site guide

Will my RV fit

Towing a trailerRear or front mounted accessoriesi

Tow vehicle length, ftTrailer length, ft

The longest site here provides 65 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter.

Have the trailer VIN? It carries the trailer length.

84 sites in 3 loops. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

Site	Loop	Type	Entry	Fits, ft	Surface	Shade	Power	Water / sewer	People / vehicles	Fires
A001	Loop A	Standard		42	Gravel	Full	No	No / –	8 / 2	Yes
A002	Loop A	Standard		35	Gravel	Full	No	No / –	8 / 2	Yes
A003	Loop A	Standard		29	Gravel	Full	No	No / –	8 / 2	Yes
A004	Loop A	Standard		43	Gravel	Full	No	No / –	8 / 2	Yes
A005	Loop A	Standard		28	Gravel	None	No	No / –	8 / 2	Yes
A006	Loop A	Standard		42	Gravel	Full	No	No / –	8 / 2	Yes
A007	Loop A	Standard	Back-in	29	Gravel	Full	No	No / –	8 / 2	Yes
A008	Loop A	Standard	Pull-through	50	Gravel	Full	No	No / –	8 / 2	Yes
A009	Loop A	Standard	Back-in	35	Gravel	Full	No	No / –	8 / 2	Yes
A010	Loop A	Standard	Pull-through	32	Gravel	Full	No	No / –	8 / 2	Yes

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 1:00 PM, checkout 11:00 AM.

Amenities & rules

Hookups	Electric, water
Max vehicle length	65 ft
Equipment	RVs & trailers, Tents
Pets	Allowed
Campfires	Allowed, subject to restrictions
Fees	There is an additional $6 electricity attribute fee for Standard Electric sites.
Dark sky	Inside Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park, a certified International Dark Sky Park
Accessibility	Sites A021, B001 are listed accessible

Campsites are open year round, but drinking water is only available mid-May through mid-October. Electric hookups are in Loop B and available year around.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →

The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison, less than a mile from the campground at 8,151 feet, station USC00050754 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 20 inches a year.

Getting there

The park is located approximately 250 miles (402 km) southwest of Denver. The South Rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is 15 miles (24 km) east of Montrose, CO, via U.S. Hwy 50 and CO Hwy 347.

Nearest town	Montrose, Colorado
Coordinates	38.5506° N, 107.6867° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

Prescribed
High Mesa Piles Rx
24 mi from the campground · 324 acres
Prescribed
Transfer Rd Rx
26 mi from the campground · 139 acres
Wildfire
Gold Mountain
34 mi from the campground · 39,747 acres · 92% contained
Wildfire
Elk
35 mi from the campground · 7,257 acres · 90% contained

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

Outdoor gear	Sportsman's Warehouse ↗	12.2 mi
Dump station	Dump station ↗	28.5 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Video

Campsite Review | South Rim Campground | Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Worth a stop

Visit the Cimarron Canyon Rail Exhibit to see railcars and the last remaining railroad trestle on the Black Canyon of the Gunnison route. Head upstream to Curecanti National Recreation Area to enjoy water recreation on Colorado's largest reservoir.

0.3 mi
South Rim Visitor Center ↗Visitor center
2.7 mi
North Rim Ranger Station ↗Visitor center
9.5 mi
Flat Top Ohv Staging Area ↗OHV / range
11.3 mi
Eagle Valley Trailhead ↗Trailhead
11.3 mi
Bobcat Trailhead ↗Trailhead
11.4 mi
Gunnison Gorge Wilderness Day Use ↗Day use

Show all 7

11.5 mi
Peach Valley Ohv Staging Area ↗OHV / range

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

This campground sits inside Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests.

in
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests ↗
National Forest · Forest Service · 3,153,199 acres
1.6 mi
Black Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness ↗
Wilderness · National Park Service · 15,599 acres
6.4 mi
Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area ↗
National Conservation Area · Bureau of Land Management · 65,053 acres

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

Other campgrounds nearby

NPS · CO

East Portal Campground

Reservable2.6 mi

NPS · CO

Black Canyon Of The Gunnison North Rim Campground

Partly reservable2.7 mi

Cottonwood Grove Campground

First-come18 mi

Cabin and lookout rentals nearby

FS · CO

Jackson Guard Station

Cabin rental24.92895689812464 mi

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

D & Rg Narrow Gauge TrestleStructure · Cimarron · 8.3 mi
Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Boxcar No. 3132Structure · Cimarron · 10.1 mi
Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Caboose No. 0577Structure · Cimarron · 10.1 mi

Natural features

Perched on the South Rim of the Black Canyon, this campground is surrounded by scrub oak forests and sits atop ancient hard rocks. Deer, grouse, bears, and bobcats are known to frequent the area.

Recreation

Take one of many spectacular hiking trails such as the Oak Flat Loop Trail and watch for birds like the black-billed magpie. In summer, catch an evening educational program in the campground amphitheater. Winter activities include snowshoeing on Rim Rock Trail or go cross country skiing on South Rim Drive (South Rim Campground is first-come, first-served in winter).

Guidebooks for Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park and Colorado

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Your Guide to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Michael Oswald, 2012
Find at Bookshop.org
Best Tent Camping: Colorado
Kim Lipker and Johnny Molloy, 2018
Find at Bookshop.org
Camping Colorado
Melinda Crow, 2012
Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground?

Sites at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground are reservable on Recreation.gov. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

How much does it cost to camp at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground?

There is an additional $6 electricity attribute fee for Standard Electric sites.

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground?

Check-in 1:00 PM, checkout 11:00 AM.

Source: Recreation.gov

How many sites does Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground have?

89 sites, including 62 standard sites without power and 22 standard sites with power.

Source: Recreation.gov

Will my RV fit at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground?

The longest site here provides 65 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter. The sidebar tool checks a trailer or motorhome length against every site.

Source: Will my RV fit

Does Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground have hookups?

Yes, electric and water hookups at some sites.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are pets allowed at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground?

Yes, pets are allowed at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

Can I have a campfire at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground?

Fires are allowed in the provided rings under normal conditions. As of 2026-10-15, there are 4 active fires within 50 miles, so check current restrictions before you light one.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there accessible sites at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground?

Sites A021 and B001 are listed accessible on Recreation.gov. What that covers (a paved pad, an accessible table, a nearby accessible restroom) is on each site's booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

Is Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground good for stargazing?

Yes. Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground sits inside Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park, a certified International Dark Sky Park.

Source: DarkSky International

What is there to do at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground?

Take one of many spectacular hiking trails such as the Oak Flat Loop Trail and watch for birds like the black-billed magpie. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Black Canyon Of The Gunnison South Rim Campground?

Montrose, Colorado. Visit the Cimarron Canyon Rail Exhibit to see railcars and the last remaining railroad trestle on the Black Canyon of the Gunnison route.

Source: Getting there