While admission to places like the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone National Parks is far less than a day at WDW, the cost to get to these remote areas can often be far more expensive than getting to a major theme park. As far as crowds, there are crowds EVERYWHERE. read more
In summary, some amusement parks are in remote locations due to a particular location resulting in uniqueness, available land resulting in inexpensive cost of land, creative ideas in the origin to help make the amusement park come to life, target demographic area (e.g., rural populations), etc. read more
There is a reason why many theme parks close for the winter. Finally, as other have pointed out, geographically, this isn’t the ideal location. The weather being one reason, and the proximity to WDW being a second. read more