Best time to go
Lines can get long from May through October, especially on holiday weekends. Give your arrival extra breathing room then; the booth is a poor place to arrive on a tight schedule.
Overview
About South Rim Entrance Station
Why stop
- Buy an annual park pass or upgrade one here in season.
Heads up
- Holiday-weekend lines can slow the drive into the South Rim.
Map
Where it is
Loading the Black Canyon of the Gunnison map
Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
Best time to go
3 active Black Canyon of the Gunnison alerts
- ClosureSouth Rim Campground Partially Closed After 2025 FireSouth Rim Campground is open with only 25 non-electric sites available; some campground areas remain closed to all access because of effects from the 2025 South Rim Fire and the resulting safety and…Official details
- ClosureTomichi Route Closed; Gunnison Route Has Burned-Area HazardsDo not enter the closed Tomichi Route or other closed or burned areas; the Gunnison Route remains hazardous because of effects from the 2025 South Rim Fire.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison Tour Guide
Your drive to South Rim Entrance Station, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this area
Rim Rock Trail from South Rim Campground0:00 / 0:22
“Rim Rock Trail is coming up, with its campground entrance near Loop C of South Rim Campground. It's a useful walk to the visitor center, following the rim past Tomichi Point with glimpses of the river below.”
Plays on the road 0.4 mi from South Rim Entrance Station in the Parkwolf Black Canyon of the Gunnison Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A River Locked into Its Route
- South Rim Visitor Center and Gunnison Point
- Peregrines Above the Gorge
- Air Mattresses in the Canyon
- 23 audio storiesacross Black Canyon of the Gunnison’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, Red-tailed Hawk, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 13 trails, 29 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about South Rim Entrance Station
The entry checkpointThe South Rim Entrance Station is a small vehicle fee booth on CO-347, seven miles north of US…
The South Rim Entrance Station is a small vehicle fee booth on CO-347, seven miles north of US 50. You pass through it on the way into the park, so think of it as an arrival checkpoint rather than a sightseeing stop. If you have a digital pass, bring a printed copy to show at the booth.
Buy or upgrade a passAnnual passes are sold here in season, and pass upgrades are handled at the entrance station.
Annual passes are sold here in season, and pass upgrades are handled at the entrance station. If that is the reason you are stopping, check current availability before setting out.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Black Canyon of the Gunnison
49 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
67 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
11 sightingsRed-tailed HawkMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
10 sightingsCooper's HawkMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
66 sightingsCollared LizardMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
163 sightingsFence LizardMost seen around 10 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
