"Several western canyons exceed the Black Canyon in overall
size," Wallace Hansen wrote after studying the geology of the region
for several years. "Some are longer, some are deeper, some are
narrower, and a few have walls as steep. But no other canyon in North
America combines its depth, narrowness, sheerness, and somber countenance of
the black canyon of the Gunnison." And it is largely because of this
unique combination of geologic features that the Black Canyon has been
preserved in its wild state. (Text from National Park Service brochure)