Last Updated on October 19, 2023 by Jill
This post may contain affiliate links. This means I will make a commission at no extra cost to you should you click through and make a purchase. Read the full disclosure here
Black Canyon and A Friend Meet Up. We are leaving the Mesa Verde area to head farther into Colorado.
Today we are heading to the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park. We were on the road this morning by 830am. A shorter drive today with us arriving around noon. We had read about a BLM (Bureau of Land Management) road that was supposed to have some good campsites for free. Unfortunately, they were all horribly unlevel. The other campsites in the area were either full or closed. So, we decided to eat a quick sandwich park the camper in a space for the afternoon only, and then take the car to the canyon. Then we would head out and find another campsite.
Black Canyon
The park is absolutely beautiful. It is amazing how deep it is and how narrow a lot of the interior of the canyon is. One of the really neat things is you can stand at the top of the canyon and hear the rushing of the water from the Gunnison river below. They also have permits that you can apply for to go down into the canyon and walk down by the river. Those have been put on hold for now due to COVID. Something that makes this canyon so unique is the deep black color and then the brilliant pink streaks and stripes throughout the canyon.
We stopped in the visitor center and one of the rangers was telling a gentleman in the line in front of us some of the must-sees and his favorite spots. He was right, we checked them out and they were remarkable. His favorite was painted walls and also said to stop at rock point, devils lookout, and dragon point.
After finishing up we got back to the motorhome and headed out down the road. We found a great little spot. The Lakefront Campground on the Blue Mesa Reservoir was only $16.00 for electricity and water, and access to a dump station. We ended up staying here for an additional 2 days to get some work done. Our last night there we had a campfire and sat out and watched the stars. This area is also part of the dark skies program and we were able to see the milky way. It was beautiful.
A Friend Meet Up
On Friday we headed out towards Colorado Springs. I have a best friend who lives in Denver and we are going to meet up with them in Castle Rock for lunch. On our way into Colorado Springs, we went through the Garden of the Gods which was a beautiful spot. The campgrounds were pretty full due to labor day weekend. So, we opted to stay a couple of nights in the Bass Pro Shop parking lot. It is free and they have security as well so that is an added bonus. There were over 15 other RV’s there as well. We checked out a local pub the first night had some great food and beer. Daves favorite was one called Sad Panda.
The next day headed into Castle Rock to meet Shannon and Matt at Zabbricci. Fantastic food. It is an Italian restaurant, we had their risotto balls and pizza both delicious. Give them a try if you are in the town. The town was very quaint.
Headed back to the RV after running a few errands. Tomorrow we head out to see a Volcano.
Cheers,
Jill
