How to Camp in The Grand Canyon Part 1: Overview

This article explains what you need to do to camp in the Grand Canyon National Park. We discuss the options, costs, and what permits (if any) are necessary. Of course, we would love if you took one of our camping tours, but if you're interested in doing it on your own, we hope this information is useful.

There are three ways to camp in the Grand Canyon National Park:

• Campgrounds.
• Designated Sites.
• At Large Camping.

These categories coincide with the amount of use an area gets. High-use areas require camping in campgrounds, medium-use areas require camping in designated sites, and low-use areas allow 'at large' camping.

The difference between a campground and a designated site is the lack of facilities. Designated sites will seldom have drinking water or toilets available. 'At large' camping means you can set up camp anywhere within the permitted use area (keeping in mind the leave no trace principles).

Campgrounds in the National Park include: campgrounds on the rim, and campgrounds below the rim. Differences are explained in Part 2!