Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area | Saturday, April 4, 2026
It’s been a rough week since I’ve been battling a bad cold that started right after our hike down the Ribbon Trail last Sunday. I spent a lot of this past week sleeping and resting when I wasn’t working and didn’t seem to be getting any better. I rarely get sick, but when I do it usually hits me pretty hard. Finally, on Friday I was starting to feel better and thought I would be able to get out for a local hike on Saturday morning to help me get back into the swing of things before we leave for Arizona on Wednesday. I’m just glad that I got sick this past week and not right before or during our upcoming Grand Canyon trip that’s starting next week! I thought I was feeling pretty good when left home bright and early on Saturday morning and made my way over to the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area just outside of Olathe.
I drove up to the Ute Trailhead just before the sun came up and started hiking south along the Red Rocks – Nighthorse Trail. Although I have hiked parts of the Rim Trail before when visiting highpoints along the ridge, I am now interested in hiking the entire length and figured I could do it in a couple different loops combined with the Sidewinder Trail below.
The Gunnison Gorge at sunrise.
Gunnison Gorge Rim View
Gunnison Gorge Rim
There was a nice view of the Sneffels Range beyond the sandstone of the ridge.
Looking back along the ridge the direction I had just come from.
The Gunnison River down below.
Red Rocks – Nighthorse Trail
I was planning to hike all the way to the Duncan Trailhead and then loop back on the Sidewinder Trail, which would have made a loop of about 9 miles, but I quickly found out that I wasn’t recovered from the cold as much as I thought, and the hike started to get a bit rough for me- especially during the uphill sections. When I reached the Dinosaur Trailhead I abandoned my initial plans and cut the loop short by a few miles. It was slow going with a lot of rests all the way back to my vehicle and I didn’t take any more photos along the way. I returned home to rest again for the remainder of the weekend and hoped that I would be better for our hike down the Bright Angel Trail on Thursday morning!
>> Red Rocks – Nighthorse Trail & Sidewinder Loop Photo Gallery