Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crystal Dam Bureau of Reclamation · Aspinall Unit | Dam / hazard | 38.51041, -107.62413 | The bottom dam of the Aspinall Unit and the top of this reach. No boat passage. |
| 2 | USGS 09128000 — Gunnison River below Gunnison Tunnel USGS streamgage | USGS gauge | 38.52915, -107.64895 | The flow that matters for the Black Canyon and the Gorge; read it before you walk in. |
| 3 | East Portal Campground Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP | Campsite | 38.52683, -107.64965 | The one place you can drive to the river inside the national park; steep road, length limit on vehicles. |
| 4 | North Rim Campground Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP | Campsite | 38.58528, -107.70996 | On the rim, not the water — the trailhead for the inner-canyon routes down the north side. |
| 5 | Bobcat Trailhead BLM · Gunnison Gorge NCA | Access / boat ramp | 38.62970, -107.87003 | Rim trailhead; the trail drops roughly 1,000 feet to the river. Coordinate is the parking, not the water. |
| 6 | Duncan Trailhead BLM · Gunnison Gorge NCA | Access / boat ramp | 38.64863, -107.86689 | Rim trailhead into the Gorge. Coordinate is the parking, not the water. |
| 7 | Ute Trailhead BLM · Gunnison Gorge NCA | Access / boat ramp | 38.68231, -107.86406 | The longest of the Gorge rim trails. Coordinate is the parking, not the water. |
| 8 | Sun Cliff Canyon Trailhead BLM · South River Road | Access / boat ramp | 38.76484, -107.88808 | River trailhead on the lower Gunnison below the Gorge. |
| 9 | Cool Rock Canyon Trailhead BLM · South River Road | Access / boat ramp | 38.76734, -107.87519 | River trailhead on the lower Gunnison. |
| 10 | Orchard Boat Ramp Shea Road · Delta County | Access / boat ramp | 38.76808, -107.90315 | Named ramp on the lower river. |
| 11 | Crocodile Rock Trailhead BLM · South River Road | Access / boat ramp | 38.77053, -107.86029 | River trailhead on the lower Gunnison. |
| 12 | Boat ramp on I 30 Lane near Delta Unnamed slipway · OSM 'Interstate Highway 30 Lane' | Access / boat ramp | 38.77173, -107.97282 | Mapped ramp on the county lane west toward Delta; no site name in OSM. |
| 13 | Birthday Canyon Trailhead BLM · South River Road | Access / boat ramp | 38.77615, -107.85283 | River trailhead on the lower Gunnison. |
| 14 | Cottonwood Grove Campground BLM · South River Road | Campsite | 38.77904, -107.85298 | Campground on the lower river with a ramp at the same site. |
| 15 | Boat ramp at Cottonwood Grove Unnamed slipway · OSM 'South River Road' | Access / boat ramp | 38.77915, -107.85366 | The ramp beside the Cottonwood Grove campground. |
| 16 | West River Trailhead BLM · West River Trail | Access / boat ramp | 38.78090, -107.83674 | River trailhead on the lower Gunnison. |
| 17 | Boat ramp on BLM Road 5092 Unnamed slipway · OSM 'BLM 5092' | Access / boat ramp | 38.78371, -107.83808 | Mapped ramp on the BLM road above Delta. |
Gauge: USGS 09128000 — Gunnison River below Gunnison Tunnel, CO. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Kokanee Salmon, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout
Regulations: cpw.state.co.us/rules-and-regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park: East Portal road access and the canyon hike-in routes.
Gunnison Tunnel and the Chukar Trail: the top of the gorge float, boats packed in.
Bobcat, Duncan and Ute trails: BLM hiking access into the Gunnison Gorge.
Pleasure Park at the North Fork confluence: the standard gorge takeout and a ramp.
Austin and Escalante: lower river accesses toward Delta.
Blue Mesa, Morrow Point and Crystal reservoirs: Curecanti access upstream.
April and May: pre-runoff fishing, then rising water; salmonflies begin in the lower canyon.
June: salmonflies move upstream, high water, the most famous weeks of the year.
July through September: prime float and wade season, caddis and terrestrials, warm days and cold nights.
October and November: blue-winged olives and streamers for big browns, very few people.