Two National Parks · 101 miles apart
Black Canyon Of The Gunnison or Arches
Arches drew 1,511,740 recreation visits in 2025, 6.0 times the 250,086 at Black Canyon Of The Gunnison, so crowds are the largest difference. Black Canyon Of The Gunnison has 3 campgrounds to 1 at Arches. On the rest they match, since both charge $30 per private vehicle and neither uses timed entry. The two parks are 101 miles apart in a straight line.
| Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park | Arches National Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Designation | National Park | National Park |
| States | Colorado | Utah |
| Recreation visits, 2025 | 250,086 | 1,511,740 |
| Entrance fee, private vehicle | $30 (Private Vehicle) | $30 (Private Vehicle) |
| Timed entry reservation | No | No |
| Campgrounds | 3 | 1 |
| International Dark Sky Park | Yes | Yes |
| Bird species, NPSpecies | 174 | 188 |
| Hours or season | Open all day, every day | Open all day, every day |
Black Canyon Of The Gunnison visits by yearArches visits by year
Fees, hours, campgrounds and timed entry from the NPS API. Visits from the NPS Visitor Use Statistics system. Dark sky status from DarkSky International. Bird counts from the NPSpecies inventory. Data refreshed October 14, 2026. Other pairs.