National parks are a popular and fun destination for families, but for those with children, the idea of visiting a park with drop-offs, sheer cliffs, and deep canyons, like Black Canyon National park, can be unsettling.
Black Canyon National Park is a kid-friendly location as it is easy to explore and learn without straying near dangerous cliff edges. Trails and overlooks are guarded by rails and walls, and the park has educational programs for children. The park is small, but families will find enough activities for a one-day visit.
Read on for more information about how we have enjoyed Black Canyon National Park with our kids.
What to Do in Black Canyon with Kids
When visiting Black Canyon with kids, you might be worried that exploring the park is dangerous. While there are strenuous, dangerous hikes into the canyon, and some people enjoy rock climbing on the sheer walls, there are also plenty of safe kid-friendly activities available. Because we enjoyed our visits to Black Canyon so much, and because there are so many activities to do there, I wrote a more detailed list of our favorite activities, which you can read here.
South Rim Drive
The south rim drive is the main road through the park. It runs along the south rim of the park for 7 miles and has stops at 12 overlooks and the visitor center. The overlooks are located along the rim of the canyon and provide great views into the canyon from several directions. Most of the overlooks are located at the end of short hikes, which are perfect places for kids to stretch their legs and enjoy walking without being long enough for them to get bored or tired. Every visit to Black Canyon should include a drive along South Rim Drive as it’s the best way to see and experience the scenery and majesty of this place.
Rim Rock Nature Trail
Kids will enjoy walking down the Rim Rock Nature Trail, a relatively flat walk along the rim of the canyon. You will be close enough to statch views of the cliff edge but not so close that you will be clutching your kid’s hands the whole way. There are a few areas you might want to be cautious of, but overall this is a nice, easy, safe trail. The trail is about one mile from the campground to the visitor center. If you park at the visitor center, it will be 2 miles round trip.
Cedar Point Nature Trail
This trail is the perfect option for those who don’t have time for the longer Rim Rock trail or who want to learn more about the plants of the region. The trail is less than a mile round trip and ends at a canyon overlook. This is one of the overlooks along the South Rim Drive, so if you do that, you will have this trial on your itinerary already. The trail is a little different from the other overlook trails in that it has signage and information telling more about the plants in the area.
Junior Ranger Program
No family national park visit is complete without doing a Junior Ranger program. Available at over 200 National Park Service sites, this program is educational and fun. Children complete booklets while exploring and learning about the park. Once they are finished, they return the booklet, have a “swearing-in” session, and earn a Junior Ranger badge. These badges are all different, so as children earn them they begin building a collection of souvenirs from their travels. Best of all, this program is free (in most parks)!
Explore the Visitor Center
The visitor center at Black Canyon is small compared to many we have seen. Don’t expect large musuem-quality displays or interactive exhibits. Instead, the tiny visitor center here seems made for small children. Drawers full of hands-on materials like replica animal scat (Yay! We can play with poop!) are fun to explore.
Go Snowshoeing
In the winter, much of the park is closed because of snow. The road is open as far as the visitor center, however. The most popular winter activity in the park is snowshoeing. Rangers lead snowshoe tours during the winter, and you don’t have to have your own snowshoes to attend! You do need to dress for the weather, including snow boots, and because snowshoeing is physically strenuous, this is probably not an ideal activity for very young children.
Should I Visit the North or the South Rim?
Many people wonder if they should visit the north rim or the south rim. If you are visiting with kids, I recommend sticking to the south rim for the most activities and amenities. The north rim is a beautiful drive and has some of the best overlooks of the canyon, but the drive is long and slow, and there aren’t as many out-of-the-car activities. If you do decide to visit the north rim, don’t try to do both sides in one day.
Other Things to Do in the Black Canyon Area
After you have enjoyed Black Canyon itself, consider spending some time in the surrounding area. If you are spending a few days in the Black Canyon area, you will probably want other activities to fill your time. Black Canyon is a small park and, unless you are very adventurous, you will likely only need one day to explore the park itself. Here are some of the other activities we enjoyed in the Black Canyon area:
- Marrow Point Dam/Cimmeron Canyon
- Curecante National Recreation Area
- Explore Montrose
- Go Fishing at Silver Jack Reservoir
- Go Shopping in Gunnison or Crested Butte
How Many Days Should You Spend in Black Canyon?
When we visited Black Canyon with our kids, we found enough to keep us busy for a whole day. If you are traveling through the area, you can easily set aside a few hours, an afternoon, or a whole day for the park. If you want to visit both the north and the south rims of the canyon, it makes sense to take one day for each portion of your visit, as the drive between the sides is long and most kids won’t enjoy spending the whole day in the car.
If you are coming to the Western Slope for a weekend or a week, consider spending one day in Black Canyon and using other days for nearby activities. There are several other National Park Service sites near Montrose and Black Canyon where you can find other activities to keep you busy.