2016 Summer Mountain Trip Part 21; Colorado State Route 347, South Rim Road, and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
After leaving Colorado National Monument via Monument Road and Colorado State Route 347 I made turn eastward on US Route 50 in Grand Junction. My next destination was to the southeast at the end of Colorado State Route 347 at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. This article serves as the 21st entry in the 2016 Summer Mountain Trip Series. Part 20 covers Colorado National Monument and Rim Rock Drive. 2016 Summer Mountain Trip Part 20; Colorado National Monument and Rim Rock Drive The south entrance of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (I'll be short handing to "Black Canyon" so it doesn't take to write from hereon in) is accessed by via the 5.2 mile long CO 347. CO 347 begins east of Montrose and makes a fast ascent northward to the south entrance of Black Canyon near Jones Summit. The route that ultimately became CO 347 was added to the State Highway System in 1939 but can be seen as a locally maintained road on the 1939 Rand McNally Hig...