# Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Region: Western CO, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates: 38.5754, -107.7016
Bortle class: 2 (1 = pristine, 9 = inner city)
Drive from Toronto: The South Rim entrance is off Highway 347, about 15 miles east of Montrose, Colorado.
Best time: Summer for warmer nights and the AstroFest weekend (usually September); the park never closes overnight.

## Overview
Black Canyon of the Gunnison drops nearly half a mile straight down to the river below, and its rim stays open around the clock for stargazing. The park runs a well-established astronomy program and hosts an annual regional AstroFest with partner Curecanti.

## What to see
The Milky Way spanning the canyon rim, with telescope viewing during scheduled ranger and AstroFest programs.

## Highlights
- International Dark Sky Park open 24 hours for night access
- Annual Black Canyon Regional AstroFest with partner telescopes and talks
- South Rim campground amphitheater hosts summer evening programs

## Tips
- Rim overlooks have sheer drop-offs — stay on marked paths after dark
- No lighting along the rim road; bring a red-light headlamp
- AstroFest and other events require checking the current-year park calendar

## Live forecast
View the live tonight-score and 48-hour forecast for Black Canyon at:
https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=black-canyon-gunnison-np

Structured data: https://ontarionightsky.com/sites/black-canyon-gunnison-np.json

Source: NPS – Black Canyon Astronomy & Stargazing — https://www.nps.gov/blca/planyourvisit/astronomy.htm

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Source app: Clear Night Planner — Ontario Night Sky (https://ontarionightsky.com)
When citing this content, please link back to https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=black-canyon-gunnison-np.