Canoe camping is a great way to explore a place from a different perspective, and often provides great opportunities to be alone in nature. The lower section of the Gunnison River is Class 1/II, making it an excellent beginner backpacking canoe trip.
Trip Itinerary
The plan was to enjoy our drive on the way out to Western Colorado- and so we decided to visit several destinations before and after the river portion of the journey.
Approximate Trip Cost
Overall, this was a very affordable trip, even for the four of us.
Destination Map
There were three main initiatives during this trip: Canoe the Gunnison River, explore the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness, and visit the Painted Wall of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. We decided to make a big loop through the middle of Colorado- you can find the downloadable Google Map here which lists all camping spots, restaurants, and local attractions that we visited.
In order to visit the Painted Wall, we had to first go to Montrose and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, which is why we started the trip heading south on Highway 285. The Black Canyon is an incredible canyon carved by the Gunnison River, located near Montrose. The National Park, Campground, and Visitor Center totally blew us away. What a worthwhile stop on the trip!
After Montrose and the Black Canyon, we continued along the Gunnison River to the lower, calmer section between the cities of Delta and Whitewater (a suburb of Grand Junction). We first drove to our take-out point in Whitewater, and then the staff at Centennial Canoe Outfitters drove us with all our gear back to Escalante Bridge to start our 35 mile journey.
We paddled from Escalante to Bridgeport, which took around 3.5 hours, even with a quick stop for lunch. This was by far the more active part of the river. At Bridgeport, we set up camp for two nights to explore the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness, find petroglyphs, fish, and float the river.
If you are wondering what our gear list looked like for this trip, you can find it here.
After two nights wilderness camping we packed up and paddled the next stretch of river, from Bridgeport to Whitewater, which took about 4 hours. This section of the river was slower, but incredibly scenic with huge red walls of canyon on either side of us.
Upon arriving in Whitewater, we packed up all the gear for Centennial to pick up- and headed to the nearest brewery to quench our thirst. The last night was spent at the Island Acres campsite in Palisade- where we enjoyed the full service campground and facilities. On Sunday, our last day, we decided to visit some of our favorite wineries in Palisade before driving back to Denver.
Helpful Links
Excellent service, great advice, and affordable gear. Thank you to Brooke and Dave for making our trip a success.
BLM Wilderness area in the heart of Dominguez Canyon. Plan to leave no trace and enjoy the beautiful nature here.
An incredible destination and/or stop for our Colorado road trip. Also a certified dark skys region, so you can see the milky way at night over the canyon.
Connected to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, this area covers Blue Mesa Reservoir, which is a haven for motorized and non-motorized boating, fishing, and enjoying the water.
Where we stayed our last night in Palisade, a full services campground.
Buy a day or an annual pass to try your hand at the rod.
Happy Adventures!
Stephanie