This was Friday and the goal was to be in Trinidad, Colorado by the late afternoon. We had time to do a bit of exploring along the way from Montrose to Trinidad. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is very close to Montrose and we thought it would be worth a look. We were there in 2016 but only to camp nearby and drive above the canyon, as described here and here. However the Park was closed due to recent wildfires. We continued on Highway 50 and I realized that a small corner of the Park was accessible about 20 miles from Montrose.

The location known as Cimarron used to be a major hub for sheep and cattle transportation and, later, for tourists. There is a Visitor Center here but it wasn’t open.

We looked around outside and read about the train cars that are here.

We took a short drive from that location to the canyon.

There is a restored engine and cars on a bridge over the Cimarron River which runs into the Gunnison just around the corner.

I had not realized that one of the important aspects of the narrow gauge railroad is that the cars are much more maneuverably around bends in the track.

When you look east from the location of the train this is the view. This is the 468-foot tall Morrow Point Dam.

This photo is a view of the north side of the river below the dam. If you enlarge it you will see a ladder that is right next to the large tree in the center. Just to the left of the ladder, circled in red, is an instrument used to measure movements in the earth. It is described below.

We walked over the bridge to a trail on the north side of the river.

There were plenty of interesting plants to photograph, but I have shared only one here. This is poison ivy.

View of the Gunnison River just downstream from the Dam.

UhOh. I can tell already that Day 4 is a three blog post day. Enjoy!