Visiting the Grand Canyon is a bucket list for many people. Most everyone has seen pictures of this natural wonder However, there are no pictures that can do this natural beauty justice. To be able to stand on the edge of the rim of the Grand Canyon, and look down at the Colorado River is an amazing experience. Grand Canyon Rv camping is a great way to experience this. Be sure to read our tips before packing up your RV for the Grand Canyon.
The National Park Service makes RV camping at the Grand Canyon an easy, and enjoyable experience. However, it is vital that you plan early, and be properly prepared. So let us help you make this a memorable trip to one of the seven wonders of the world.
We focus here on RV camping and visiting the south rim of the National Park. To learn more about the north rim be sure to visit the NPS website.
Grand Canyon National Park Location
The Grand Canyon National Park’s south rim is located 60 miles north of Williams, Arizona (via route 64 from Interstate 40) and 80 miles northwest of Flagstaff (via route 180).
The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is located on the Arizona side of the Canyon.
The South Rim has an airport and rail service and is a 60-minute drive from Interstate 40 and the town of Williams, Arizona – and 90 minutes from Flagstaff, Arizona, also on Interstate 40.
A larger city with a major airport, Phoenix, Arizona, is also south of Grand Canyon and is approximately a four-hour drive.
The North Rim of the park is more remote and harder to get to.
The North Rim is located on the Utah side of the Grand Canyon and the entrance station is 30 miles south of Jacob Lake on Highway 67.
Facts About the Grand Canyon National Park
- The Grand Canyon is one of the most visited national parks in the United States.
- Grand Canyon N.P Entrance fees:
- Auto – $35
- Motorcycle- $30
- Individual – $20
- An estimated 5.9 million people visit the Grand Canyon a year, making it the second most popular national park following just behind the Great Smoky Mountains
- Visiting the North Rim and South Rim on the same day is harder than you think. Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim and the lodge on the North Rim are only about 10 miles apart. However, to drive between them through the park, over the Colorado River, and loop around the canyon, you have to travel 215 miles or about 5 hours.
Grand Canyon RV Camping
The south rim of the Grand Canyon is home to the National Park location. Here you will find the Grand Canyon N.P. visitor center, a number of hiking trails into the canyon, the desert view tower, and the National Park hop-on hop-off shuttle system. Below you will find everything you will need to know in order to enjoy your Grand Canyon RV camping adventure.
Grand Canyon Rv Camping at Trailer Village
The Trailer Village RV Park is the only RV park with full hookups and it’s incredibly close to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. The RV Park offers paved pull-through sites perfect for vehicles up to 50 feet long. In addition, it is open year-round for visitors.
This is not a particularly scenic campground. There’s a lot of concrete and not a lot of grass. However, overall the campground’s convenience outweighs the lack of scenery.
There are not many formal amenities within this park. There is no pool, no playground, and no activities. However, you are there for the grand spectacle of the canyon itself, which provides plenty to explore.
If you are looking to camp here we recommend making reservations as early as possible. Fortunately, the park accepts reservations up to 13 months in advance. Reservations can be made by clicking here.
Market Plaza at the Grand Canyon National Park
Although the RV park has limited amenities you can find everything you need at the nearby Market Plaza.
The market plaza is conveniently located. Here you can shop for just about everything you need to make your Grand Canyon trip more comfortable. Canyon Village Market offers groceries and souvenirs, along with camping & hiking gear. The deli offers quick and easy meal options. Market Plaza is also home to the only bank and post office located in Grand Canyon National Park.
South Rim Shuttle Bus
The blue loop route provides transportation between the Visitor Center Plaza, lodges, restaurants, campgrounds, the Backcountry Information Center, and the Market Plaza. There is a stop at the entrance to trailer Village Park.
Many of the amazing Canyon views are a short walk from the stops along this route. This is the most convenient way to get around the South Rim while you are Grand Canyon Rv camping
Must Do Activities While Grand Canyon RV Camping
Hike the Bright Angel Trail
The Bright Angel Trail offers wonderful views all along the trail making it very easy to lose track of how far down you have hiked. Additionally, the steepness of the trail is very misleading on the way down. Therefore, you should plan on taking twice as long to hike up as it took to hike down.
Even though the Bright Angel has water along the trail, you need to carry your own water. A common mistake is not carrying water or not carrying enough water.
We hike to the mile-and-a-half rest stop and decided to return to the top. From the rim, this looks like an easy hike. However, it is deceiving. We found the three mile round trip hike to be more than enough to enjoy what the Grand Canyon had to offer.
National Park Service Junior Ranger Program
The National Park Service Junior Ranger Program is a great way to learn about the Grand Canyon. You can pick up the free JR Ranger activity book at any of the NPS visitor centers.
This free program is a great way to keep kids engaged while visiting the National Park.
Learn all about the free program on our Junior Ranger post.
Be Sure to Enjoy the Night Sky
The Grand Canyon N.P. has been recognized as one of the best places on Earth for gazing at the unpolluted sky. Thankfully the Park Service has worked hard and has been successful, to limit light pollution inside the park.
This allows you to see all that the night sky has to offer.
As we stood on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, on a cloudless August night, we witnessed an amazing night sky. There were far more visible stars than we had ever seen. In addition, we witnessed numerous shooting stars streak across the sky.
To be able to see, with the naked eye, the Milky Way stretches across the sky, above the Grand Canyon, is truly indescribable.
Our Grand Canyon Rv Camping Experience
Visiting the Grand Canyon National Park was the highlight of our first cross-country RV road trip.
We left our home a little over a week before pulling into the Trailer Village RV Park. Like so many others we had seen pictures of this magnificent location. However, pictures can do no justice to being able to stand on the rim of this massive canyon and take in all the beauty.
We did hike the angel trail down to the first rest area and stopped for a picnic lunch. Being able to have a picnic in the Grand Canyon is something we will never forget.
The RV park was very clean and well-maintained. It has full hookups, but not many other amenities. However, with all the National Park has to offer we spent very little time at the RV park.
After this trip, we fell in love with the National Park Service, and have included National Park Service sites in all of our RV travels.
We love to hear from our followers. Please leave a comment below.
Have you ever visited the Grand Canyon National Park? If so, did you visit the South Rim, North Rim, or both? How was your experience? Do you have any tips to share for others planning on visiting, or camping, at the Grand Canyon?
