The Gunnison Valley is located
some 200 miles southwest of Denver. and the town of
Gunnison lies at the confluence of the Gunnison River and
Tomichi Creek. North of the valley are the Elk Mountains
To the east is the Sawatch Range and, to the west, is the
superb Curecanti National Recreation Area, which contains
the Black Canyon of the Gunnison -- the major outdoor
attraction of the area.
Crested Butte Snow
Report
January 7, 2011
|
|
new snow:
over 24 hrs. & 72hrs.
|
snow
depth
base & top
|
lifts
operating
|
trails or % of terrain open
|
Crested Butte Mtn Resort |
|
|
|
0" - 2" |
59" - 62" |
15 of 16 |
100 of 121 |
| |
|
|
|
Crested Butte History:
The town, 30 miles north of
Gunnison, boomed when a rich vein of coal was discovered
under the little logging village. By the mid 1890s,
Crested Butte had 1,000 residents and more than a dozen
saloons. It was a company town which survived in that
state until the Big Mine closed in 1953. Doom was
forecast for the town but then skiing took over when the
Crested Butte Ski Resort came to life on the 12,000-foot
mountain. The historic downtown has been well preserved
and the ski area is growing with modern condo and hotel
accommodations.
Another feature of the recreation area is
the Blue Mesa. The Ute Indians, who inhabited the
area for hundreds of years, were disturbed by ranchers
who settled the valley in the mid-1870s. A few years
later, gold and silver deposits were found and mining
boomed for a while. The Denver and Rio Grande, and Denver
South Park and Pacific built railroad lines into the
valley in the early 1900s.
The Black Canyon of the
Gunnison
The Curecanti National Recreation
Area is filled with superb scenery. The Black
Canyon has been dammed, creating three reservoirs
which have altered the original appearance of the canyon
but have not ruined its beauty. The deepest part of the
canyon -- an awesome and somber chasm, 12 miles long --
has been preserved as a national monument. It is found by
driving along the south and north rim roads which both
offer great views.
South Rim Drive leads to the visitor
center with views across the canyon of Painted
Wall, the highest of the canyon cliffs.
North Rim Drive has excellent views
as well. To get to the south rim of the canyon, take
Highway 50 from Gunnison to the town of Montrose, turn
north (right) and drive another six miles to the Monument
boundary. The north rim is reached from Highway 92 which
joins Hwy. 50 at the Blue Mesa Reservoir. A
backroad leads south to the rim. This road is closed in
winter months. The hiking trails to the bottom of the
canyon are very steep and strenuous.
Tomichi Trail descends 1,800 feet.
It takes about an hour to walk down the trail and another
three hours to walk back up to the trailhead. Warner
Point Trail is longer, taking 2.5 hours to make the
descent and another five hours to return up the trail.
Better to stop at the frequent rim viewpoints unless
you're in very good shape.
