The Gunnison River, a tributary of the Colorado River, is shown highlighted on a map of the western United States
The Gunnison River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approxiamtely 180 mi (290 km) long, in the U.S. state of Colorado.
It rises in west central Colorado, in eastern Gunnison County, formed by the confluence of Taylor and Slate rivers in the Almont, Crystal, Blue Mesa, and Morrow Point reservoirs in Curecanti National Recreation Area . It flows southwest, west, and northwest through Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, past the town of Delta, where it is joined by the North Fork of the Gunnison River and joins the Colorado at Grand Junction.
Part of the river's water is diverted to irrigate the Uncompahgre Valley via the 5 mi (8 km) long Gunnison Tunnel , which was built between 1905 and 1909.
