Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park: Warner Point Nature Trail (Blog Hike #821)

Trail: Warner Point Nature Trail
Hike Location: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Geographic Location: east of Montrose, CO (38.56284, -107.74097)
Length: 1.7 miles
Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: July 2020
Overview: An out-and-back to Warner Point and its Black Canyon views.
Park Information: https://www.nps.gov/blca/index.htm
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=825283
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video:

Directions to the trailhead: From Montrose, take US 50 east 7.6 miles to SR 347 and turn left on SR 347.  SR 347 dead-ends at the park in 5.2 miles.  Enter the park, and follow the main park road to its end at the High Point parking lot, where the Warner Point Nature Trail begins.

The hike: For my introduction to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, see the previous hike.  This hike features the Warner Point Nature Trail, which is the longest of the numerous short nature trails on the canyon's south rim.  While the view from Warner Point is not my favorite canyon view, there are no bad Black Canyon views, and the hike to Warner Point traverses a rolling narrow finger ridge with its own interesting sites.

Trailhead at High Point

            From the High Point parking lot at the end of South Rim Road, the Warner Point Nature Trail starts at a brown road sign that says, very precisely, "Warner Point Nature Trail 1373 Yards."  Numbered posts correspond to an interpretive guide that was available for purchase at the trailhead on my visit.  The interpretive guide tells about the pinyon pines and juniper trees that grow along this trail, and it also tells about Mark Warner, the Montrose minister for whom this trail and point are named.  I found the guide very informative and well worth the small investment.

View south off of Vernal Mesa

            The Warner Point Nature Trail heads out a narrow finger ridge with Black Canyon views emerging on the right and views south off of Vernal Mesa appearing on the left.  The trail descends moderately to reach the lowest point on this finger ridge just past 0.2 miles.  The difference between the highest and lowest elevations on this hike is only about 160 vertical feet, but the significant amount of up and down makes this hike more challenging than you might expect for a ridgetop walk.

Hiking out the finger ridge

            As you climb the next knob, you pass the knarled trunks of several fallen pinyon pine trees.  The interpretive guide describes this hardy pine tree's unique features that allow it to live for hundreds of years in this harsh environment.  Near 0.7 miles, the rugged and rocky Warner Route to the bottom of the canyon exits left.  Stay right to keep heading to Warner Point.

View from Warner Point

            Just past 0.8 miles, you reach the unprotected rocky outcrop that is Warner Point.  The canyon is not as sheer here as it is a few miles upstream, but it still appears as a deep rocky crevasse.  Also, some horizontal pink veins of pegmatite course through the dark gneiss rock here.  The pegmatite gives this view shades of the canyon's famous Painted Wall, which is the tallest cliff in Colorado.  The trail ends at Warner Point, so after taking in the view your only choice is to retrace your steps to the trailhead to complete the hike.  My steps back to the trailhead were hurried by a moderate rain shower, an unusual event in western Colorado's semiarid environment.

View of Painted Wall from Cedar Point (not on this hike)