Winter in Colorado is a most amazing season. Everything changes under our annual blanket of ice and snow. I love adventuring and exploring all over Colorado, and seeing how it changes with the change of seasons. A couple of winters ago, we planned a January outing to Gunnison, Colorado. Unfortunately, there was so much snow that we couldn’t get to the Gunnison valley and we had to postpone it until March. That sounds a little like this year–only we’re getting all this crazy snow in March and can’t get up to the mountains to enjoy it.
Once we got to Gunnison, it was well worth the wait. Gunnison is just a short drive from the charming ski town of Crested Butte, so if you’re a winter sports fan, you’ll find first-class skiing and snowboarding. And being in the heart of the West Elk Mountains, there’s no shortage of other winter sports as well. We found several beautiful trails to snow shoe while we were there. One of our favorite parts of exploring this area was following the Gunnison River through town, through the Curecanti National Recreation Area, and all the way to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
It has been many years since we have been to Black Canyon of the Gunnison and this was our first winter trip. One of the advantages of winter, besides its beauty, was that it felt like we had the park to ourselves. It seems there are few visitors in the winter months. We were able to hike a short way along the canyon rim, and are looking forward to visiting again in summer to do more hiking, especially in the inner canyon. The national park and recreation area are only two of Gunnison, Colorado’s many scenic wonders no matter which season of the year you choose to visit.
These are a few of my favorite images from our trip, and many of them can be found for purchase in my online art gallery by clicking on the image.
