Rock Climbing in the Black Canyon
Climbing Colorado’s Best Multipitch Routes
Join us for a day of guided rock climbing in Colorado’s Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park! With the tallest cliffs in Colorado, the Black Canyon is a stunning natural phenomenon with dramatic landscapes and world class rock climbing. Climb spectacular and committing multipitch routes on Colorado’s tallest cliffs and uniquely challenging, adventurous climbing. Skyward Mountaineering specializes in guided Black Canyon rock climbing, from moderate multipitch routes to committing Grade IV and V big walls. Our AMGA certified Rock Guides bring extensive local knowledge of the canyon and will choose the best routes that match your climbing ability and goals.
Pricing: From $399/person/day
Location: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is in SW Colorado with routes up to 2,000 ft tall.
Prerequisites: Climbers must have previous outdoor multipitch rock climbing experience. Even the easier routes have a significant level of commitment, climbers should be comfortable following sustained, long pitches during a full day.
Trip Description: Multipitch rock climbing with Grade III to Grade V routes. Most routes are 5.10 and above, though there are several excellent 5.9 multipitch routes in the canyon as well.
Group Size: All trips are private bookings with up to 2 climbers per guide. Groups with more climbers will have a second guide.
Schedule: 6-8 hours car-to-car for shorter routes and 10-12 hours for longer routes. The best climbing seasons are April - June and September - November with climbing on shady aspects possible during July and August.
Multipitch Rock Climbing in the Black Canyon
Unlike most climbing areas, an approach to a Black Canyon route begins with a steep descent rather than an uphill hike. Most of these descents require at least a couple of rappels, making routes more committing than your average crag. Multipitch efficiency and solid climbing movement is a must, our guides are expert climbers with a wealth of experience guiding in the Black Canyon who can help you build the skills and confidence to climb in the Black Canyon.
Moderate Black Canyon Routes
Lauren’s Arete (5.8+, III): A long, moderate route following an exposed ridge with more of an alpine climbing feel and short cruxes.
Maiden Voyage (5.9-, III-): A classic moderate Black Canyon route featuring lower angle crack climbing of all sizes. A great introduction to the canyon and can be combined with King Me (5.10-, II) for additional pitches on the exit.
Casually-Off Route (5.9, III-): A fun and varied route that combines quality climbing with some challenging route-finding. A moderate multipitch adventure with a short approach.
Ground Control to Major Tom (5.9-, III): One of the South Rim’s classic moderate routes. Long and complex, but mostly easier slabby climbing with a short crux at the end of the day. A rewarding objective for climbers looking for an adventure.
Intermediate Black Canyon Routes
Blackjack (5.9+, III): A sustained, physical crack climbing route on the South Rim. Best suited to climbers comfortable with some wide crack climbing technique and multipitch efficiency.
Russian Arete (5.9+, III+): A classic, long route featuring mostly moderate crack climbing and face climbing. This route encounters some easy but loose terrain midway making for an alpine climbing style adventure over a long day.
Journey Home (5.10a, III+): A longer, sustained multipitch route with sustained crack climbing and big exposure right away on pitch one.
Escape Artist (5.10a, III): A technical Black Canyon route combining crack climbing and the wild Vector Traverse, with epic exposure. An excellent next step up for climbers and plenty of morning shade makes this a good option in warmer conditions.
Advanced Black Canyon Routes
Scenic Cruise (5.10+, IV): A crown jewel in the Black Canyon with long, sustained 5.9 and 5.10 climbing. The route combines challenging crack climbing with exposed slab climbing for a full-on adventure.
Comic 2.0 (5.11-, III): One of the best multipitch routes in Colorado! Sustained, excellent crack climbing, pitch after pitch.
Midsummer Night’s Dream (5.11-, III): A classic route with a short crux, this is a great route to break into 5.11 climbing. Excellent 5.10 crack climbing above keeps the fun level high.
Atlantis (5.11, IV): A demanding, long route with technical face climbing and great exposure.
Astro Dog (5.11+, V): One of the canyon's more challenging popular routes. Most of the climbing is 5.10+/11- with a distinct but short crux. We commonly utilize a bivy on this route at a very comfortable ledge midway up the route.
Plan Your Black Canyon Climbing Trip
Build Your Skills For Climbing in the Black Canyon
Due to the committing nature of the routes in the Black Canyon, it is not a place to learn the fundamentals of multipitch climbing on the fly. Skyward Mountaineering offers private climbing instruction and custom training days to help you prepare for the movement technique and multipitch transition efficiency skills you’ll need to climb long multipitch routes in the Black Canyon.
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Private training can be tailored to your current experience and the Black Canyon objective you have in mind. We'll select appropriate nearby climbing areas in Grand Junction where you can practice the specific skills you'll need, progressing from individual techniques to complete multipitch systems and longer routes. Hiring a guide for rock climbing in Grand Junction is a convenient way to pair a trip to the area with skill development and multipitch climbing application.
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Stay close to home and develop the skills for climbing long multipitch routes in the Black Canyon by training with Skyward Mountaineering guides around Boulder and Golden. We offer instructional rock climbing in Boulder Canyon, where the granite closely mimics the gneiss in the Black Canyon and there is a variety of movement styles with crack climbing and slabby face climbing. Clear Creek Canyon is also a great spot to learn techniques closer to Denver with more technical face climbing.
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Our rock climbing courses are a great way to develop fundamental skills such as crack climbing or how to lead trad climbing with a structured progression. Skyward's rock climbing courses in Grand Junction provide a clear pathway toward Black Canyon climbing. Depending on your experience, training may begin with a Crack Climbing course in Escalante Canyon or Intro to Trad and Multipitch course in Unaweep Canyon.
Why Choose Skyward Mountaineering
Climbing in the Black Canyon requires more than fitness and climbing strength (though those factors are helpful too), climbers must have a solid lead climbing head for the runouts, exposure, route-finding challenges, and complex trad climbing. Our local guides have extensive personal and professional experience climbing in the Black Canyon and understand the systems, route selection, and climbing techniques required to climb efficiently and safely.
Our guides are AMGA certified Rock Guides, bringing professional training and a high standard of technical competence to every objective. We don't simply select a route based on its grade, we consider your experience, climbing style, technical ability, and goals when choosing an objective.
Skyward also offers a level of preparation that goes beyond the guided climb itself. If you're working toward your first Black Canyon route or a more ambitious objective, we can build private training days around the skills you'll need.
FAQs For Rock Climbing In The Black Canyon
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Yes, due to the technical nature, length, and commitment level of routes in the Black Canyon, participants must have prior outdoor rock climbing experience. Climbers should be comfortable following multi-pitch trad routes and have good overall fitness for a full day of rock climbing.
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is best suited for intermediate to advanced climbers due to the complexity of the routes. The routes are all approached from above making them more committing than other multi-pitch areas. With that said, the Black Canyon is also one of the best long trad climbing destinations in Colorado and should be on every climber’s tick list! If you’re newer to rock climbing and want to climb in the Black Canyon, there are several easily accessible crags nearby on the West Slope that we use for prep days to help climbers develop the skills to confidently climb in the Black Canyon.
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The bulk of the climbing in the Black is 5.10 and above, though there are also several really fun and classic 5.9’s as well. Most of the routes combine crack climbing and face climbing - routes are often a combination of physical and delicate, requiring climbers to have a wide variety of climbing experience and abilities. The climbing is typically vertical to less than vertical, if a steep section exists it is often short in nature.
The Black Canyon has a reputation for hard and scary climbing, all guarded by poison ivy…Yes, there are routes that fall into this category, but the folklore is also designed to keep away the crowds and in reality there are numerous safe, Type I Fun routes that our guides and clients always have a blast on.
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All approaches in the Black Canyon start on top of the rim, making for a unique top-down approach which is very different from the typical hike up to the climb and then rappel to get back down. For routes in the Black, we typically put all the equipment on our harness and in a tiny on-route pack thereby eliminating the need for a large pack to be left at the base of the route.
Depending on the intended route and the gully used for the descent, the approach may involve 3rd - 4th class scrambling and/or rappels. Most approaches are around 30 minutes to 1 hour long, and egress back to the car can be as easy as a flat 5 minute walk along the rim!
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The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is defined steep canyon walls primarily composed of Precambrian gneiss, schist, and pegmatite, much of it more than 1.7 billion years old. Over millions of years, the Gunnison River carved deeply into the rock, creating the narrow, steep sided canyon. The result is exceptionally exposed terrain with long, continuous cracks, dihedrals, sharp crimps and slabby faces, features that make the Black Canyon a challenging and rewarding destination for traditional multipitch climbing. The dark, metamorphic walls and extreme vertical relief aren't simply scenic features; they are the geological foundation of what makes climbing here so distinctive.
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No, we do not require climbers have experience leading trad routes, our guides will lead each pitch during a standard guided trip in the Black Canyon. As a climber on the team though, you should have previous experience with multipitch rock climbing in order to move efficiently over the longer routes. If you would like to lead pitches, we require a prep day with our guides to assess your rock climbing movement, anchors, and technical lead systems.
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Black Canyon climbing demands more than simply being able to climb the grade of the route. Long routes, sustained exposure, traditional protection, the remote, committing nature all reward climbers who are prepared. If you're not yet ready for a Black Canyon climbing objective, Skyward Mountaineering can build a custom preparation day (or series of days) around the skills you'll need. We can work on multipitch systems, crack climbing, rappelling, and efficient movement on long routes at nearby climbing areas in Grand Junction or Boulder before taking those skills into the canyon. This progression allows you to arrive at the Black Canyon confident, efficient, and ready to focus on the climbing rather than learning systems in the moment, on the wall.