The North Rim Campground at Grand Canyon National Park, a Traveler favorite/Kurt Repanshek
While it can be fairly easy to name a poor campground in the National Park System, pointing to some of the best can be a challenge. But the North Rim Campground at Grand Canyon National Park is one of the best in our opinion.
Why?
The campground is set within a towering forest of Ponderosa pines; sites are spread decently apart; three restrooms, while somewhat small for all the campers that 90 sites can hold, are generally clean; coin-operated showers (six minutes for $1.50) and laundry facilities are a short walk away; there's a general store there for anything you forgot; and you're within reach of some great hikes as well as the Grand Canyon Lodge, where you can splurge on a meal in one of the most picturesque settings in the park system.
There are a dozen "tent only" sites, five handicapped sites, and 78 RV/tent sites (though no hook-ups). Water spigots are well-positioned so you never need to walk too far to quench your thirst or fill the kettle for dinner. Each site offers a picnic table and fire ring.
The campground is at an elevation of 8,200 feet, which explains both the relatively short season (May 15-Oct 31) and the enjoyable summer temperatures. During a recent stay, while the South Rim thermometers were reading around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, we were enjoying highs in the low-to-mid 80s.
The Grand Canyon Lodge complex, which includes the North Rim Visitor Center, a saloon, and gift shop, is a mile down the road. You can, of course, hike the Transept Canyon Trail from the campground to reach the lodge (3 miles roundtrip).
Rates for 2015 ranged from $18-$25 per night. As with anything else, location means everything. "Sites 11, 14, 15, 16 and 18 provide a prime view of the canyon and are considered premium sites," notes recreation.gov, where you can make a campsite reservation.
Support Essential Coverage of Essential Places
Comments
All I hear are kids yelling...no thanks
Point Sublime, down a long dirt road, offers a primitive campsite on the North Rim that is, truly, sublime. Camped there twice and both times were there alone. Saw a thunderstorm in the distance. Sublime indeed.
Great memories of our stay in a cabin near the Lodge in 2012, and the day we enjoyed hiking the Transept Canyon Trail to this campground with two backpacks full of dirty laundry, and strolling back with clean clothes. I love the North Rim and hope to see it again some day.
While this sounds cheap and convenient, it looks like everyone is right on top of each other while I would prefer to be secluded.
Well, anonymous, if you want to be secluded and away from the normal noise of families then choosing a family campground isn't your best bet. Try the back country. Odds are you won't find a family campground without the sounds of kids.
Personally, my days of parenting and grandparenting are far enough advanced that I no longer welcome the noise of yelling kids either, but my body can no longer handle the rigors of back couintry, so I make my compromise decisions accordingly, and adjust.
The surrounding Kaibab National Forest is a superb place for dispersed camping. No campground. (But no water, either.) Just be careful with fire and don't follow the lead of Utah and Arizona natives. Leave a clean campsite instead of a pile of beer cans and bullet casings.
Of course, it's a bit of a drive to the Canyon.
Is that dirt road accessible by RV/motorhome or by 4X4 only ? Thanks in advance.
No dirt road to the campground, Robert. Pavement all the way.