The Koubsky Family Adventure: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Before heading to national parks in Colorado, I had only heard of Rocky Mountain and Mesa Verde. Black Canyon of the Gunnison was a place definitely worthy of hearing about! Located in western Colorado, this park surprised us with its beauty and history.

Our first view of the canyon

In the kids' Junior Ranger books they were asked to create a story about how the Black Canyon was made. Here are a couple of possibilities:

Once upon a time there was a group of aliens looking for more space and they used their super telescope and looked at Earth. They thought it would be perfect except they were afraid that there would be smart creatures. So they got an idea: They would use their lasers to make a steep gash in the Earth. They failed a lot making all the canyons then they finally did it, but then smart creatures called humans evolved. So they poured water in the gash and lived under the water and that is how the Black Canyon of the Gunnison was made.

By Karson

The family upon arrival at Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Once a husband and wife lived together. Then one day the wife died. The man in his grief decided to dig the deepest grave ever for his wife, so he began to dig. He dug for a long time, but when it got really deep it started to cave inwards. He realized then that to ensure it would always be the deepest he would have to dig forever. To do this he asked God to turn him into a river to continue his work. So when you look into the canyon you can still see him digging away to ensure his wife's grave will always be the deepest.

By Kane