The Gunnison River is located 28 miles south of Grand Junction, Colorado. This leisurely 31-mile route through the Escalante and Dominguez Canyons offers hiking and great photography opportunties. The Gunnison is ideal for beginning and intermediate canoeists, providing lots of fun with various class I+ rapids along its course. Expect to paddle beside high walls of beautiful red sandstone and shale deposited during the age of the dinosaurs.
Interesting side trips into deep box canyons will leave you awed by the immensity of geologic time and the silence of the wilderness. Massive cottonwood trees stand on the river bends supporting huge nests of blue herons, hawks and eagles. Hiking can include one of Colorado’s Wilderness Areas, the spectacular Dominguez Canyon, complete with a 40-foot waterfall, secluded swimming holes and numerous ancient Indian petroglyphs.
Get there: Fly into Walker Field, in Grand Junction or Denver International Airport in Denver. The put-in is about 12 miles north (15 minutes) of Delta, CO and 28 miles south (35-40 minutes) of Grand Junction, CO. You can rent a canoe from Cenntennial Canoe Outfitters or take one of their guided trips from May to September.
Route Beta: Of the eight different river sections, the Gunnison is Cenntennial Canoe Outfitters most popular route for beginner and advanced canoeists. Put in at the Escalante Canyon Bridge. The route features high red sandstone canyons and and gentle to intermediate class I+ rapids. The highlight of the 32-mile trip is Dominguez Canyon—it features great wildlife (desert sheep), petroglyphs, waterfall and a pool cut into the granite.
Why go? The only way to see this canyon is by boat. The scenery is spectacular with established campsites along the way. The put-in and take out are easy to find and not far from the towns of Grand Junction and Delta, CO.
Watch out for… This river section is pristine and patrolled by the Montrose & Grand Junction BLM River Rangers. All human waste must be packed out and campfires require a fire pan—no ground fires allowed.
