Grand Canyon camping on both rims.

All 4 Grand Canyon campgrounds, compared.

The short version: pick Mather if you want to camp in Grand Canyon Village or you're coming after October 18, when it's the only campground left open. Pick Desert View for a smaller campground at the east end of the South Rim if you can book ahead. Pick North Rim Campground for the side of the park only 10% of visitors see, as long as you can go without lodging, showers, water, or a dump station this year. If you need full hookups, there's no in-park option while Trailer Village is closed. Every figure below comes from the NPS camping pages, the NPS campground records, the North Rim status page, and the Recreation.gov listing, checked September 10, 2026. The RV column is the maximum vehicle length each source gives. Fees are per night.

How to book.

The NPS campgrounds book on Recreation.gov or at (877) 444-6777, up to six months ahead, and NPS says every campground in the park is booked well in advance. At Mather, most sites are reservation only from March 1 through November 30, but 15 first-come, first-served sites go on sale at 8 am. Desert View is reservation only, with no walk-up sites and no wait list, though you can make a same-day reservation online or by phone.

North Rim in 2026. The NPS North Rim status page says North Rim Campground reopened June 1, 2026, with reservations on Recreation.gov through October 15. Aramark runs it this season, and NPS warns that fees and reservation policies may differ from its own campgrounds, so check the price on the Recreation.gov listing before you book. Overnight lodging isn't available on the North Rim this season. The two rim villages are a five-hour drive apart, per NPS, and North Rim roads close to all vehicles from December 1 to May 14; Grand Canyon road closures has the dates.

Trailer Village is closed. NPS lists Trailer Village RV Park as closed until further notice because of Stage 4 water restrictions, and its lodging page says park concessions, Trailer Village included, halted overnight stays on August 31, 2026. NPS gives no reopening date. Delaware North runs it and normally takes reservations up to 13 months ahead. Check with Delaware North before you plan around it.

Mather and Desert View family sites are $30 a night, or $15 with a Senior or Access pass. Mather also has group sites for 7 to 50 people, a horse camp, and hiker/biker sites for people arriving on foot or by bike. Desert View has no group sites.

RVs: where your rig fits.

No NPS campground in the park has RV hookups, and with Trailer Village closed, there are no full hookups in the park right now. Mather fits motorhomes and fifth wheels up to 30 feet, most of its RV spaces are pull-through, and it has a free dump station. Its generators run 7 to 9 am and 6 to 8 pm, and not in Pine Loop. Desert View allows 30 feet combined, with trailers no longer than 20 feet, and has no dump station, showers, or laundromat.

North Rim Campground is best for tents and smaller RVs. The NPS campground bulletin gives a 40-foot maximum, but Recreation.gov says the forested sites can't take large or high-profile RVs, or rigs with a number of pop-outs or awnings. Site limits there are the combined length of the RV or trailer and its tow vehicle. For 2026 there's no gray or black water dumping, so pack all liquids in and out. Showers and laundry are closed, and portable toilets are spread through the campground. Once you're parked, the Cape Royal Scenic Road and the Widforss and North Kaibab trailheads are limited to vehicles 22 feet or shorter, though the Widforss Trail and the North Kaibab Trail are both closed in 2026.

Plan your water. NPS says Mather and Desert View are both dry camping only until further notice, because of Stage 4 water restrictions, and their water spigots are off. On the North Rim there's no potable water, so bring all you need or buy it at the Aramark General Store next to the campground, open 9 am to 4 pm daily through October 15.

Trailer Village is closed and not listed.

Fire, water, and camp rules for 2026.

No fires. NPS says no fires are allowed on the South Rim or in the inner canyon right now, and Stage 2 fire restrictions stay in place on the North Rim for the whole 2026 season. That means no wood or charcoal fires at all, including campfires and charcoal barbecues. Stoves and lanterns that turn on and off are allowed on ground cleared of anything flammable for 3 feet. Outdoor smoking is banned too, except inside an enclosed vehicle.

Stay limits differ. Mather and Desert View allow 14 days in a row and 30 days a year. North Rim allows 7 days in a row and 30 a year. Family sites at Mather hold 6 people, 3 tents, and 2 vehicles. Desert View sites hold 6 people with 2 tents and 2 vehicles, or 1 vehicle with an RV or trailer. North Rim's numbered sites hold 6 people, 3 tents, and 2 vehicles, and its group sites take up to 25 people. At North Rim, check-in is noon, checkout is 11 am, quiet hours run 10 pm to 6 am, and generators run 7 to 9 am and 6 to 8 pm, never in the tent-only area.

Pets must be leashed and can't go below the rim, on shuttle buses, or into buildings.

Below the rim. Camping inside the canyon needs a backcountry permit: $10 to apply plus $15 per person per night below the rim (see the NPS backcountry permit page). Flash flooding on August 29, 2026, closed all of Phantom Ranch, including Bright Angel Campground and the cabins, along with Cottonwood Campground and the whole North Kaibab Trail, and NPS gives no reopening estimate. Tuweep needs its own advance permit, bought before your trip.

Camping and the crowd calendar.

Mather is open every month, so this calendar is mostly about the South Rim. July is the peak, and from April through October visits never fall below 81% of July. NPS says South Rim campgrounds are often full in summer. The seasonal campgrounds close as the park quiets down: North Rim Campground's reservations end October 15, Desert View's last night is October 18, and North Rim roads close December 1. November averages 62% of July's visits and December 56%, with January and February at 32% and 34%. Winter nights are cold, with average lows of 18°F to 21°F. If an easier booking matters more than warmth, November is our pick: Mather is open, visits drop to 62% of July, and the average high is 53°F.

Month-by-month tradeoffs are on the best time to visit Grand Canyon page.

Outside the park.

NPS lists campgrounds just outside the park. Near the South Rim, the Forest Service runs Tusayan Montane Campground, at-large camping is allowed in the national forest at least a quarter mile from Highway 64, and Grand Canyon Camper Village in Tusayan is a commercial campground with hookups, per the NPS South Rim campgrounds page. Near the North Rim, the Forest Service runs DeMotte Campground, 7 miles north of the park boundary. We don't track their seasons or prices.

Common questions.

How much does it cost to camp at the Grand Canyon?

NPS family sites at Mather and Desert View are $30 a night, or $15 with a Senior or Access pass. Aramark sets North Rim Campground's 2026 fees, and NPS says they may differ, so check Recreation.gov. Trailer Village normally charges $80 to $85 a night plus taxes and fees, but NPS lists it as closed. Backcountry permits and the park entrance fee are separate.

How far in advance can you book a Grand Canyon campsite?

Up to six months ahead for the NPS campgrounds, on Recreation.gov. NPS doesn't publish an advance window for the Aramark-run North Rim Campground in 2026, only that reservations run through October 15. Trailer Village normally books up to 13 months ahead, but it's closed as of August 31, 2026.

Can you camp at the bottom of the Grand Canyon?

Only with a backcountry permit, and not at Bright Angel Campground right now. Flash flooding on August 29, 2026, closed Phantom Ranch, including Bright Angel Campground, and Cottonwood Campground, and NPS gives no reopening estimate. Permits cost $10 to apply plus $15 per person per night below the rim.

Is there camping with electricity at the Grand Canyon?

Not inside the park right now. Trailer Village RV Park is the only campground with hookups, and NPS lists it as closed as of August 31, 2026, because of Stage 4 water restrictions. NPS campgrounds have no hookups. Outside the park, NPS lists Grand Canyon Camper Village in Tusayan as a commercial campground with hookups.

Where these facts come from

The campground list, the six-month window, the booked-well-in-advance and summer-capacity notes, Desert View's 2026 dates, the rim-to-rim drive time, the 10% North Rim share, and the Tusayan Montane and DeMotte forest campgrounds come from the NPS Grand Canyon camping page; dispersed camping and Grand Canyon Camper Village from the NPS South Rim campgrounds page. North Rim Campground's reopening, Aramark operation, no-lodging season, water, General Store hours, Stage 2 fire rules, and the August 29 inner-canyon closures come from the NPS North Rim status page; its 40-foot limit, site capacities, stay limit, and generator hours from the NPS campground bulletin; its 2026 services, check-in, quiet hours, site-length rule, and the 22-foot road limit from the Recreation.gov listing. Mather, Desert View, and Trailer Village sites, fees, lengths, booking rules, dump stations, water and fire restrictions, the Trailer Village closure, the South Rim fire ban, pets, and campground coordinates come from the NPS API campground records. Dry camping at Mather and Desert View and the Trailer Village closure also appear on the NPS South Rim operations update, and the August 31, 2026 lodging halt on the NPS lodging page. Backcountry permit fees come from the NPS backcountry permit page, North Rim winter road dates from the NPS North Rim directions page, and the Tuweep permit rule from the NPS Tuweep page. Visit shares are five-year monthly means (2021 to 2025) of recreation visits from NPS Visitor Use Statistics, as a percentage of July. Temperatures are NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals. Crowd numbers are five-year monthly means (2021 to 2025) of recreation visits from the NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package on NPS IRMA Stats. Independent site, not affiliated with the National Park Service.