Thinking of doing a little camping in Zion National Park? If you are, there are three designated campgrounds, two that might seem overly populous, but that's the draw of Zion Canyon. The other requires a bit of a drive, but you'll find solitude at the end of the road.
A campsite at Watchman Campground, Zion National Park / NPS file
South and Watchman campgrounds are in Zion Canyon. Both are located near the park's south entrance at Springdale. This part of the park is desert. There are few trees to provide relief from the heat. Some campsites get shade for part of the day, but many get no shade at all. Summer temperatures exceed 95°F (35°C) and lows rarely dip below 65°F (18°C); staying cool is a challenge. Remember these temperatures and the possibility of a sunny campsite when planning. The Virgin River runs along the edge of each campground; there are a few riverside campsites.
All three campgrounds require reservations through recreation.gov.
South Campground offers 117 sites and is closed for the 2024 season for rehabilitation (improving drains and assessing or removing non-native or potentially hazardous trees.
Watchman Campground offers 176 sites (69 tent-only), including 7 standard accessible sites and 2 accessible group sites out of a total 6 group sites. All group sites are tent-only, no RVs/trailers. This campground is open year-round and reservations may be made 6 months in advance through recreation.gov. While there are no full hook-ups, there are 95 sites with electric hookups (30 amp with a few 50 amp).
Standard sites are $35 per night, standard electric sites are $45 per night, group sites for 9-12 people are $50 per night, group sites for 13-25 people are $90 per night, and group sites for 26-40 people are $130 per night.
For Zion Canyon campgrounds, all campsites are drive-up and allow a maximum of two vehicles. Only one RV or trailer is allowed. Any RV including motorhomes, cabover campers and camper vans, or any trailer including 5th wheels, pop-up campers, and cargo or boat trailers are vehicles and count toward the limit. Each campground has overflow parking for excess vehicles. Each campsite allows a maximum of six people and two large tents or three small tents (1-3 persons); plan accordingly. Check out time is 11 a.m.
Each campsite has a picnic table and fire pit with attached grill. South and Watchman campgrounds offer flush toilets. There are pit toilets at Lava Point Campground.
See this page for information about bringing pets into the park.
The small town of Springdale is adjacent to Zion Canyon; pay showers, a small market, firewood, laundromats, a limited medical clinic, and restaurants are available. Springdale can be reached from the campgrounds by car, foot, bicycle, or free shuttle (April through October).
From March through mid-November, the park-wide camping limit is 14 nights. An additional 30 nights is permitted the rest of the year. These limits apply to all park campgrounds.
The Lava Point Campground is a little over an hour’s drive from the South Entrance to Zion Canyon on the Kolob Terrace Road. The campground offers 6 primitive sites with pit toilets and trash cans but no water for $25 per night and is typically open May through September. Reservations are available on a 2-week rolling schedule and must be made in advance through recreation.gov.
There are no campgrounds in Kolob Canyons, though there are some nice backcountry campsites.
If you can’t snag a campsite at any of the three park campgrounds, there are other campgrounds within the surrounding area.
Zion Canyon Visitors Bureau Camping Information
East Zion Tourism Council Camping Information
St. George Area Visitor Bureau Accommodations Information
BLM, St. George Field Office Camping PDF
Kane County, Utah, Camping Information
If you really want to get away from it all and enjoy total solitude, you can camp out in the backcountry of Zion National Park. You'll need a wilderness permit to do so. Click here for more information on obtaining a permit, backcountry trails and campsites, and other information regarding backpacking.
