Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area is a protected landscape in west-central Colorado near Montrose, managed by the Bureau of Land Management within the National Landscape Conservation System. Covering 62,844 acres along the Gunnison Gorge, most of it was established by federal legislation in 1999, with its boundaries expanded to their present size in 2003. Closely connected to the broader Gunnison canyon country, it preserves a large expanse of rugged public land. In 2024, it also gained recognition as Colorado’s eleventh International Dark Sky Park, reflecting both the quality of its night skies and its broader conservation importance.