These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
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Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado is a spectacular place with towering canyon walls and dramatic scenery. To get to some of the best views here, you’ll have to hike into the canyon’s heart, which requires a permit and is very strenuous. That being said, there are several trails along the rims that provide awesome views of the canyon. Among these trails, the North Vista Trail to Exclamation Point is, in our opinion, the best hike in the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park. This is because it has some of the most beautiful viewpoints with minimal effort. Since it is located on the North Rim, which is less trafficked, this trail is also less busy than others in the park.
North Vista Trail
38°35’12.4″N 107°42’18.6″W
Small lot on the side of the road.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park charges a fee to enter. You can also use the America the Beautiful passes. For more information, check out their website.
Vault toilet at the trailhead.
Leave your pet at home. They are not allowed on the trail!
In the winter, The North Rim Road is closed to vehicles. The road will reopen in Spring each year, with the exact date dependent upon weather conditions.
2.9 mi R.T.
364 ft
Easy
1 – 2 hours
The best times to visit this trail are May through October. If you go in the summer, go early. This trail gets very warm.
The hike to Exclamation Point starts at the North Vista Trail trailhead. The trailhead is located at the Ranger Station at the North Rim of the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park. If you’re visiting the more popular South Rim, you won’t be able to access this hike without having to drive for about 1.5 – 2 hours to get there.
To get to the North Rim, from Crawford, CO, head south on Highway 92. After about 3 miles, turn west on Black Canyon Road and follow signs to the park. The last 7 miles of the road are not paved. However, the roads are usually in good condition and doable for most vehicles. In the winter and early spring, these roads are closed to vehicles.
Exclamation Point was the first hike that we did when visiting Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park. Since it is located on the more primitive side of the park, we made sure to pack enough water and food for our day of adventure. Please make sure you bring everything you need with you including water, medicine, food, GPS tracker, etc. There is no visitor center, or restaurant, and limited to no reception here. As for water, there are water fill-up stations available in the campground and at the ranger station in the summer months ONLY. Since all of the water on the North Rim is trucked in, the park asked that you use the water stations sparingly or bring your own. Check out our gear recommendation below.
After leaving the ranger station, we started our hike from the trailhead for the North Vista trail. This trail is quite flat, with a few small hills here and there. The first part of the North Vista trail to Exclamation Point in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park winds through an open field of Juniper and Sagebrush. The trail then ducked under the tree covers. Even with the tree covers, the North Vista trail to Exclamation Point doesn’t have that much shade. So, it can get very warm, especially during the summer. Make sure to bring tons of water, sunscreen, and a hat.
Soon enough, we started to get glimpses of the canyon along the trail. From a distance, the canyon walls look quite impressive. We couldn’t wait to get closer to them. The North Vista Trail to Exclamation Point in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Parkis well maintained so it was very easy for us to follow. Around ¾ mile or the halfway point to Exclamation Point, we could see that the trail was leading closer to the canyon rim. There is a small sign that says “Overlook” with a short trail taking us to the edge of the canyon. This overlook is quite spectacular. It sits on the edge of the canyon. From here, we had our first views of the impressive walls and the gorge below.
After taking in the view at the first overlook of the Exclamation Point in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, we continued on our way for more beautiful scenery. This next section of the trail follows through trees as it climbs gradually. Not long after, we reached an intersection. There is a sign here pointing toward Exclamation Point. You’ll want to make a left here. If you go straight, you’ll continue on the North Vista trail toward Green Mountain. This is a longer and steeper hike. If you still want to hike more after you get to Exclamation Point, you can check out that trail.
Once we made a left, the trail traced along the ridgeline and opened up to stunning views. At this point, the trail turns into a loop, following along the canyon rim. We recommend going counterclockwise, but you can go whichever way you want. As we hiked along the loop, we took our time checking out all the amazing viewpoints. Photos or videos don’t do this place justice. It’s pretty crazy looking down the bottom of the gorge while realizing how tall these impressive canyon walls are. By the way, there are no railings here and you can get to the edge of the rim. So, make sure to watch your steps, especially if you have children, so they don’t trip and fall down the canyon.
After finishing the lookout loop on from the Exclamation Point in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, we retraced our steps back through the North Vista trail to the parking lot. Since it was very warm that day, we didn’t do the longer trail to Green Mountain. However, we will hike to Green Mountain on our next visit.
If you love canyons like this, check out Chiricahua National Monument. That place is beautiful. For slot canyon, check out Buckskin Gulch! It’s so beautiful. Since you’re near Ouray, Colorado, check out Box Canyon Falls! It’s a waterfall inside a canyon! We highly recommend it!
Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to check out the related posts below for more inspiration on your upcoming adventures. While at it, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel! We’ll love you forever!
These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
If you tend to have foot blisters on hikes, get this! We use this all the time.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
It's always good to bring a GPS tracker with you. We use the Garmin inReach.
This is Vy's favorite hiking bag! It has tons of room for snacks and water!
Our favorite biodegradable, eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen!
This is our go-to camera for all of our adventures. It comes with us everywhere!
Compact GoPro pole that extends to 25", perfect to bring on your adventure.
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Hi! We are Dustin & Vy, the proud creators of Live That Adventure. We created this website because we wanted to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest. On here, you’ll find everything from hiking, canyoneering, kayaking, and snorkeling to adventure and travel tips, gear reviews, and bucket list items such as bungee jumping or wing walking. We’ll show you the ropes so you can do them too!
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