Painted Wall Cliff

Painted Wall is the tallest sheer cliff within Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in western Colorado and is commonly cited as the highest cliff in the state, rising roughly 2,250 feet (686 meters) from the canyon floor.

The cliff presents steep, vertical faces with streaked, varicolored rock that visitors observe from several rim overlooks. Views from the North Rim are the most direct; rim trails and overlooks on both rims provide vantage points for photography and observation. The feature is also known to technical climbers for multi-pitch routes on its exposed walls.

The canyon and its cliffs were formed by long-term downcutting by the Gunnison River combined with regional uplift. The exposed rock of the Painted Wall is very old Precambrian metamorphic rock that was revealed as the river incised the canyon over millions of years.

The Painted Wall sits inside Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in western Colorado. It is adjacent to the Gunnison River within the narrow, steep-sided canyon managed by the National Park Service.

• Height: Rises about 2,250 feet (686 meters) of exposed rock above the canyon floor.
• Viewing: Best viewed from rim overlooks on the North Rim which provide the closest and most direct perspectives.

The Painted Wall is in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado. Access is via the South Rim or North Rim roads and overlooks; the nearest towns are Montrose (south) and Gunnison. Follow park signage to official viewpoints and trails.

• Visit late in the afternoon for the wall's best warm tones when the sun drops low in the sky.
• Allow time to walk the rim trail and use binoculars-rock climbers and bighorn sheep are common sights on clear days.
• Do not attempt to descend the wall; its cliffs are among the park's steepest and most dangerous.