Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
This workshop brings you to breathtaking views of a narrow canyon with dark, steep walls—so steep that sunlight and moonlight barely visit its bottom. We will explore its South Rim under a crescent and first-quarter moon, photographing sheer rock face culminating in the distant rush of water below.
Workshop Details
Main Workshop
June 8-13, 2024 — Completed
This is a 5-night, 6-day workshop. Your adventure begins on the morning of June 8 and ends after a final slideshow on the afternoon of June 13.
$2,495 + applicable taxes. Register below.
Skill level
All Levels. Open to all who have an understanding of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras.
Group size
14, with 2 instructors — 7:1 ratio
NPS website
Add-On: North Rim Hiking
June 13-15, 2024 — Completed
This is a 2-night optional add-on available only to attendees of the main workshop. Your adventure begins on the afternoon of June 13, and ends after breakfast on June 15.
Stay with us in a lodge on the North Rim, where we’ll hike to spectacular views of the Milky Way over Black Canyon.
More information below.
$1,195 + applicable taxes.
Group size
7, with 2 instructors — 4:1 ratio
Our workshop mission is to explore every U.S. national park. As with all our Passport Series locations, it may be years (if ever) before we return to any specific park. If you have a dream of making epic long exposures at night at Black Canyon, we hope you join us.
Workshop Leaders
Registration
This event has passed. Thanks for your interest!
| • Deposit of $600 is required to reserve your spot at the workshop. |
| • Balance of $1,895 is due on March 20, 2024. → Pay balance here. |
| • You may choose the “Pay in Full” ticket if you desire to pay all at once. |
| • Last day for a cancellation request is March 19, 2024. (see cancellation and refund policy) |
| • The workshop fee does not include lodging, food, airfare, Black Canyon of the Gunnison entrance fees, transportation to Montrose, Colorado, or to our nightly shoot locations. |
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison Experience
It’s unfortunate (or is it?) that Black Canyon of the Gunnison is one of the lesser-visited national parks. Fortunately for you, our visit to this hidden gem will feature shooting from the rim of one of the steepest canyons you’ll ever see—up to 2,722 feet.
Because it’s so narrow, there are some parts of the canyon floor that see less than an hour of daylight. The name is derived from both this lack of light and the darker rock of the canyon walls. The fast-moving Gunnison River descends on average 96 feet per mile within the park.
The exposed rock is some of the oldest to be seen. In places it is decorated with veins such as the Painted Wall, where some claim to see patterns such as dragons frozen in the cliff face.
Unlike other, much larger canyons, it’s comparatively easy and quick to navigate Black Canyon and find many views for panoramas, dark sky photography and stargazing. Its windy, twisty edges make it easy to find a variety of views of the lands above and below this giant fissure.
We will spend the early part of the workshop making blue hour blends with some Milky Way and a crescent moon, and later in the week, we’ll move toward working with the quarter moon filling the canyon floor with more angled light.
It’s also quite possible we will find ourselves on the canyon floor without a hike, if the weather permits.
The North Rim Hiking Add-On Experience
Haven’t had enough of Black Canyon? The main portion of the workshop will be an easygoing exploration of the South Rim. But across the canyon sits the North Rim—just as beautiful, but harder to reach, with a few hiking trails that lead to spectacular south-facing views of the canyon.
For this add-on, join us for 2 nights on the North Rim, where we’ve rented out a hunting lodge with stunning views of the mountains, where we can relax with coffee in the morning before exploring in the afternoon and hiking to shoot at night. Lodging is included in the price of this add-on.
Note: This optional add-on is available only to workshop attendees. You will receive a link to purchase a ticket (if desired) after registering for the main workshop, and once we finalize pricing.
What You Should Know
Night photography experience is not necessary, but participants must have at least basic photo skills, know their cameras well, and be comfortable shooting raw in manual mode with a DSLR or high-end mirrorless camera.
If you would like to attend this workshop but are unsure whether you have adequate night photography skills, we can offer pre-workshop tutoring to get you ready for your adventure with us. Alternatively or additionally, a few of us have written books that may be productive pre-workshop reads.
What You Will Learn
We hope to push you to step outside your comfort zone—to test the limits of what you and your camera can do.
TOPICS COVERED WILL INCLUDE:
blue hour and black hour blends
star points
star trails
basic vertoramas and panoramas
and more …
Night Conditions
Logistics & General Info
Travel
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own transportation.
Nearby Airports:
Montrose (MTJ) — in Montrose
Grand Junction (GJT) — 1 hours, 15 minutes from Montrose
Denver (DEN) — 5 hours
Rental Car
You will need a rental car.
There is no need for four-wheel-drive for the main portion of the workshop.
If you are interested in carpooling or sharing a rental car, let us know and we will try to connect you with another attendee looking for the same.
Lodging & Food
Montrose is well-appointed with restaurants and hotels. It is a tourist town that is full of people who love the outdoors.
Lodging
You are not required to stay at the official workshop lodging, though doing so does make it easier to meet with the group each morning.
Info and group code will be sent at some point after registering, once our lodging partner is ready to begin taking reservations.
If you are interested in sharing a room, let us know and we will try to connect you with someone like-minded in the group.
Food
Montrose has dozens of food options.
We encourage eating two meals per day—a good breakfast and a great late lunch.
When on the night shoots, you may wish to bring snack food or a sandwich and plenty of water.
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own meals and accommodations.
Weather
Expect daytime highs in the 80s F, lows in the 50s.
Recommended Attire
Shorts and short-sleeve shirts for daytime, light pants and long-sleeve shirts for night.
A sweatshirt and medium-weight jacket will likely be useful, and a base layer might not be a waste of packing space. Layers are good.
Comfortable and protective shoes are recommended for getting around. There won’t be long hikes, but we will be on trails, so quality trail shoes or hiking boots would be optimal.
Exertion Level
The exertion level of this workshop is Easy to Moderate. (See more about our classifications.)
No vigorous activity will be required during the workshop, but please consider your physical abilities prior to registering. There won’t be any super long hikes, but there will be trails involved at altitude, and you should be comfortable carrying your own equipment over uneven ground in the dark.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison ranges between 8,000 and 8,770 feet in elevation. Montrose is at 5,800 feet elevation, but when we go into the park each day, we ascend to at least 8,000 feet. Altitude sickness can become a concern at over 8,000 feet, and some people can experience it at elevations as low as 6,000. If you are generally sensitive to high elevations, or if you are coming from a sea-level region, we advise arriving in the area a day or two early to acclimate by going on some short hikes at altitude. We also advise staying well hydrated.
Note: To ensure the safety of individuals and the group, the workshop leaders may use their discretion to limit an attendee from engaging in a vigorous activity on-site should that person's physical health or ability be in question. If you are unsure about your ability to meet the physical demands of this workshop, we will be happy to discuss your concerns one-on-one before you register. You are also, of course, welcome to attend a workshop and sit out any physical activity that makes you uncomfortable. In such cases, we can provide you with ideas for alternative shoot locations for that time.
Considerations
IMPORTANT: We encourage reading our FAQs section for more information about skill and gear requirements, and other information that pertains to all our workshops.
If you have questions, please contact us—we're happy to talk it over with you.
more than just a giant rift in the earth …
“Black Canyon is hard and unrelenting. It’s got edges, and they are sharp.”
The Grand Canyon did not really impress me, but Black Canyon of the Gunnison does. It has something to do with perspective and scale. Making a scale-descriptive photo of the Grand Canyon is like trying to truly understand the distance of a light year—impossible to me.
Black Canyon, on the other hand, is a canyon you can wrap your head, and your lenses, around. It’s not longer than about 40 miles. And it’s narrow from rim to rim. And the walls are visually interesting with large veins or pale pink rock in darker, almost black, ancient stone. Where the Grand Canyon is soft like sandstone, Black Canyon is hard and unrelenting. It’s got edges, and they are sharp.
And let me tell you, when you stand on the edge, you know it’s a long way down, as those canyon walls are nearly vertical.
Black Canyon is also the first canyon I have camped at. One sub-freezing night I slept at the campsite on the South Rim and woke to a glorious, crisp sunrise. And it was either the altitude or the splendor, but I had trouble catching my breath. It is simply beautiful. And quiet. And dark at night.
The South Rim is compact, allowing you to bounce between locations easily. Its fjord-like edges are twisty and windy and offer lots of view in many directions. What’s above the rim is also wonderful: towering peaks of the nearby Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison national forests.
My first visit to Black Canyon was reflective, full of wonder and deeply enjoyable. I look forward to showing you what I loved about it and discovering what you find enjoyable.
