Blue Creek Canyon

Blue Creek Canyon is a narrow, steep-walled canyon in western Colorado's Gunnison County, between Fitzpatrick Mesa and Blue Mesa. U.S. Highway 50 runs through it, and Gunnison County Road 867 meets the highway near the canyon's middle, where Little Blue Creek and Big Blue Creek join to form Blue Creek. The stream then flows north briefly before turning northwest to Morrow Point Reservoir at Curecanti Needle. The canyon is significant for both its geology and transportation challenges: metamorphic walls are cut by pegmatite dikes with large feldspar and pink quartz crystals, while a narrow, winding 3.8-mile highway segment has required major safety improvements since 2021.

Colorado · United States