Getting to Know Gunnison

Even though Gunnison, CO sits at the same elevation (7,700 ft) as our last stop, Ouray, CO, the landscape is very different. We went from a town nestled in a canyon, surrounded by tall mountains to a town in a large, open high desert valley. In fact, Gunnison is one of the coldest places in the US during the winter due to its location at the bottom of several valleys where cold air settles.

Summertime temps are quite normal though, and we've been close to 90 degrees for the past couple of days. Oddly enough we are experiencing higher humidity than anywhere we have been since leaving California in January. Perhaps we are starting to get the typical monsoonal weather that hits this part of the country July through August.

We're set up in the Tall Texan RV Park for a few nights and the cottonwoods starting blowing cotton heavily the first day we arrived.

Cotton "snow"!

The next morning we attempted to take a walk by the Gunnison River but the mosquito's were too thick so we diverted to Hartman Rocks. Just South of town, Hartman Rocks is 8,000 acres and over 20 miles of trails for all types of outdoor enthusiasts. Luckily we had slightly overcast skies so we didn't overheat as we scrambled around on these giant granite boulders.

View of the Gunnison Valley from Hartman Rocks.

Some of the trails are steep!

There are miles of boulder outcroppings to explore.

This tree has grown embedded in the rocks.

In the park next to the Gunnison Visitor Center the trunks of dead trees have been carved into some wonderful, detailed sculptures.