Black Canyon of the Gunnison: Oak Flat Loop Trail

We participated in two hikes in our day at the South Rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

We wanted to hike the Oak Flat Loop Trail because it's the one hiking trail that goes down into the canyon a bit (though there are wilderness routes one can obtain a wilderness permit for "extremely difficult hiking" to the bottom of the canyon).

The trailhead for the Oak Flat Loop Trail is near the South Rim Visitor Center.

We followed Ash's advice and hiked this loop trail in a counterclockwise direction and were pleased with that choice.

The national park's web page states that this loop trail is 2 miles in length and labels the trail "strenuous."

It's always difficult to describe how difficult a hike is and peoples' descriptions will often vary greatly. I'd say this hike is more "moderate" than "strenuous" (as does Trailhead Traveler in "6 Best Day Hikes in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park"), but it does have significant elevation change and the trail is very narrow and steep in some places.

The site also states: "The Oak Flat Loop Trail ... offers variety to the hiker who would like to explore below the rim without taking on the challenge of hiking to the river. Parents should be aware that the trail is narrow in places and traverses some steep slopes."

There are a few places on the trail where you either walk across the wood board or, in most of these cases, walk down and back up the area the board traverses.

Although the trail takes one below the rim, the trail is always closer to the top of the canyon than to the bottom of the canyon.

Much of the trail is shaded.

Sometimes there's enough vegetation to not see the canyon, but most of the trail is filled with incredible views of the canyon.

There are portions of the trail with great vantage points for looking at the Gunnison River.

Even back at the top, the views are impressive.

The wild flowers add to the aesthetic appeal.

It's easy to be completely consumed by the grandeur of the Black Canyon, but there are lots of interesting other things to see as well.

The long-term effects of water seepage on this rock made it very interesting.

The Oak Flat Loop Trail features one incredible view after another.