North Rim Chasm View Nature Trail

Just a few minutes outside of the North Rim Campground, the North Rim Chasm View Nature Trail—distinguished from the Chasm View on the south rim—leads hikers down a short trail to an overlook of cliffs that tower over the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and the Gunnison River. Perhaps one of the more well-known viewpoints in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, many of the photos that best capture the character of the canyon are shot from Chasm View on the north rim.

Certainly, visitors who choose to stay at the North Rim Campground will make regular use of the viewpoint at sunrise and sunset. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is perhaps one of the most striking canyons in the southwestern canyon lands, and the drama of its appearance is on display at the Chasm overlook. In contrast to the Grand Canyon, several hundred miles south and downhill from the Gunnison and averaging 16 miles wide over its 230-mile length, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison is little more than 1,000 feet wide in places, meaning that a car alarm on the south rim can awaken cranky campers on the north rim. Despite its narrow width, the canyon still plummets over 4,000 feet to the floor and the Gunnison River. This striking geology is on display at the Chasm View Nature Trail and overlook.

Chasm View is an interpretive trail—if you can get your hands on a pamphlet.