Black Canyon Explosive Sunset

Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a relatively new National Park, having been established in 1999, but the canyon you see is some of the some of the steepest cliffs, oldest rock, and craggiest spires in North America dating back nearly 2 billion years! Pegmatite dikes create the horizontal lines you see in the Painted Wall, the tallest cliff in Colorado at 2,250'. The steepness of this gorge reduces sunlight in some parts to only 33 minutes per day, hence the name Black Canyon. I felt extremely fortunate to visit on an evening where the sun and clouds conspired to put on a colorful light show to contrast the bleak gorge below.