Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Is a Dupe for Grand Canyon

Many travelers want to find dupes of the most famous parks that offer similar attributes with fewer crowds, especially this summer due to recent layoffs and hiring freezes at the National Parks Service. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is a good dupe for the Grand Canyon, according to RVshare, offering similar scenery and activities.

If you’re concerned about the number of people that descend upon national parks each summer—especially as the parks face staffing shortages driven by the recent layoffs and hiring freezes—you may want to shift your trip to more underrated, less crowded destinations. And RVshare has a few data-backed suggestions.

The RV rental platform created a list of “crowd-free destination dupes” by analyzing geographic similarities (looking at landscape, rock formations, waterways, and unique natural features), visitor data, trail and space availability, and local insights and travel reports. From there, it matched some of the most popular national parks, including Grand Canyon National Park, with parks that offer a “comparable yet quieter experience.”

So instead of visiting the Grand Canyon, a park that had nearly 5 million visitors in 2024, consider making your way to western Colorado, home to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

In 2024, there were just 335,262 recorded visitors, but the park’s steep cliffs, spires, gorges, and hiking trails are similar to those you’d find in Arizona. And instead of the Colorado River winding through the canyons, you have the Gunnison River, which, over millions of years, carved through volcanic deposits and rock to form the area we see today.

The similarities don’t end there, though. Both parks are split up into two main areas. Like the Grand Canyon, the Black Canyon’s South Rim is easy to access, and therefore more popular, while the remote North Rim remains quieter. Instead of the Desert View Drive, the scenic road that begins near Grand Canyon Village, Colorado visitors can drive the South Rim Road. The seven-mile route has several viewpoints (like Gunnison Point and Painted Wall) and short hikes you can tackle on a day trip.

The parks are also incredible for stargazing. In September 2015, the Black Canyon was certified as an International Dark Sky Park, a title the Grand Canyon received in June 2019. There are no closing hours at the Colorado park, so visitors can make their way to Chasm View Overlook, Dragon Point Overlook, or Sunset View Overlook on the South Rim; or Chasm View Nature Trail or Kneeling Camel Overlook on the North Rim to get a glimpse of the majestic night sky.

To discover more national park “dupes” and learn more about RVshare’s methodology, head to pages.rvshare.com.