The Morrow Point Boat Tour is a 1½ hour round trip excursion on the Morrow Point Reservoir in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. The boat tour is provided by the National Park Service for a nominal fee ($24 for adults) and reservations are required. They make 2 trips a day, one at 10:00 AM and another at 12:30 PM. The boat tour is accessed from the Pine Creek trailhead at mile marker 130 on US Hwy 50. After a couple of short switchbacks you will arrive at the parking lot.

After parking, descend 230+ stairs into the canyon and take a leisurely 3/4 mile stroll along the Gunnison to reach the Morrow Point boat dock.

The trail to the boat dock is all that is left of the rail bed of the Denver and Rio Grande narrow gauge railroad. The tracks were removed in 1949, and most of the rail bed has been submerged by the reservoirs in the Black Canyon.

There were two park rangers on the tour. Ranger Ed drove the boat and Ranger Curt did all the talking, giving an excellent presentation. I learned a lot of geologic and human history about the Black Canyon and surrounding areas.

There is one waterfall on the tour, Chipeta Falls, named after the scond wife of Chief Ouray of the Uncompahgre Utes. Aside from the sheer canyon walls, the most significant geological feature on the tour is the 700 ft granite spire called the Curecanti Needle.

The return trip presents the opportunity for lots of photos, questions, and taking in any sites that may have been missed on the outbound part of the trip. It's a good time to eat the lunch you may or may not have brought.