About ten miles east of Montrose, the highway intersects SH 347. This highway provides access to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Highway 50 then passes over Cerro Summit, about , descends to the small community of Cimarron on the Cimarron River and ascends again to Blue Mesa Summit, , before dropping into Blue Creek Canyon. north of the stream crossing, where Blue Creek empties into the Gunnison River, is the Curecanti Needle, a striking rock formation that is the symbol of the now defunct Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad. The needle is now accessible only by boat since the abandoned railroad line was flooded by Morrow Point Lake, formed by the completion of the Crystal Dam in 1976. U.S. Highway 50 rises again over a third low pass before reaching State Highway 92. A short distance north of the intersection, highway 92 crosses the Blue Mesa Dam which forms Blue Mesa Reservoir, the largest body of water in the state of Colorado. Highway 50 crosses the reservoir at Middle Bridge, intersects State Highway 149 near the east end of the reservoir and continues into the town of Gunnison, home of Western Colorado University.
