Two National Parks · 101 miles apart
Mesa Verde or Black Canyon Of The Gunnison
Mesa Verde had 463,130 recreation visits in 2025 and Black Canyon Of The Gunnison had 250,086. Black Canyon Of The Gunnison has 3 campgrounds to 1 at Mesa Verde. 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.
| Mesa Verde National Park | Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Designation | National Park | National Park |
| States | Colorado | Colorado |
| Recreation visits, 2025 | 463,130 | 250,086 |
| Entrance fee, private vehicle | $30 (Private Vehicle) | $30 (Private Vehicle) |
| Timed entry reservation | No | No |
| Campgrounds | 1 | 3 |
| International Dark Sky Park | Yes | Yes |
| Bird species, NPSpecies | 207 | 174 |
| Hours or season | Open all day, every day | Open all day, every day |
Mesa Verde visits by yearBlack Canyon Of The Gunnison 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.