Which one to choose in Colorado
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park vs Mesa Verde National Park
Two parks in Colorado. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park has no online ticket listed; Mesa Verde National Park has 7 tickets and tours to book. The table and the two notes below put them side by side; the full pages have what to see, the ticket and the timing for each.
Colorado, United States
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a gorge of extraordinary depth, narrowness and gloom cut through a high plateau in western Colorado, and it is one of the least visited of the great national parks of the American West, being far from any city: the nearest town, Montrose, which has a small airport, is fifteen miles and about twenty-five minutes from the entrance, Grand Junction is an hour and a half to the north-west, and Denver five hours away across the Rockies. A car is essential, and the entrance fee, per vehicle, is valid for a week. The canyon has two rims, which are within shouting distance of each other and more than two hours apart by road.
Read the full guide →
Colorado, United States
Mesa Verde is in the south-west corner of Colorado, its entrance ten miles east of Cortez and thirty-five west of Durango, and what needs to be understood before anything else is that the cliff dwellings for which people come cannot simply be walked into. Cliff Palace, Balcony House and, on Wetherill Mesa, Long House are entered only on tours led by park rangers, of about an hour each, with tickets sold exclusively on the federal recreation booking site, released fourteen days ahead at eight in the morning Mountain Time, costing a few dollars and gone within minutes for the summer months; these tours run only from about May to late October. They involve ladders, the one into Balcony House is ten metres tall and the exit is a crawl through a short tunnel, which delights children and troubles some adults.
Read the full guide →