Curecanti National Recreation Area by Boat from Morrow Point

The pictures shown on this page were taken in July 2011 on the Morrow Point Boat Tour, a service that was offered by the Curecanti National Recreation Area. A large pontoon boat floated slowly through the canyon, allowing the participants extraordinary views of Morrow Point Resevoir. A newspaper article about the Morrow Point Boat Tour explains why it is no longer being offered. You can find that article by clicking here.

One of the amazing features we photographed is what is called the Curecanti Needle. A 700 ft spire, it is shown in the picture on the top of this page, as well as photo 11 and several others below. In the 1880's, the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad carved a narrow gage rail line through the Gunnison River Valley. It operated until the 1940's. The company's logo included their tracks going past this landmark. The Curecanti Needle became famous wherever the railroad advertized. The construction of the Morrow Point Dam on the Gunnison River several miles west of the spire in the 1960's insured that the old railroad bed was under water. But the spire can still be seen, rising from the water.

More photos of Curecanti National Recreation Area can be found on my Curecanti National Recreation Area page.

All the pictures in Salt and Light Nature are the copyright property of photographer David Dennis. You may download these photographs for personal use only. You may post these pictures on your web site if you include a link to this page on the page on which the picture appears. For questions about other uses, contact us.