Ground tents
Watchman has non-electric tent sites, including walk-in sites. Its separate group sites are also tent-only. Choose the exact site category before booking.
Choose your camping setup
Start with how you sleep, then choose a campground and the right site category.
Vans, trailers and RVs
Use a compatible vehicle site at Watchman or South. Watchman’s electric sites offer power but no full hookups; generators are prohibited there.
Lava Point and wilderness
Lava Point has six primitive tent sites and no potable water. Overnight backpacking uses a separate Wilderness Permit, not a campground booking.
Find your campground
See Zion campgrounds beside the park’s roads. Numbers match the comparison below; confirm your approach before traveling.
- Campground · numbers match the comparison
- Selected park roads
- Zion Canyon: seasonal shuttle restrictions
- Park boundary
Compare All 3 Zion Campgrounds
Compare locations, site types, dated operating seasons, facilities and published fees. Check the linked booking page for your site and travel year.
| Location | Campground | 2026 season | Tents & vehicles | Published campsite fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. WatchmanDirections to Watchman CampgroundWatchman Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | Year-round | Tent-compatible sitesRV or trailer max: 40 ftTrailer max: 40 ft | $35 (non-electric) / $45 (electric); group sites $50-$130 | |
2. SouthDirections to South CampgroundSouth Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | No 2026 season listed | Tent-compatible sitesRV or trailer max: 40 ftTrailer max: 40 ft | $35 | |
3. Lava PointDirections to Lava Point CampgroundLava Point Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | about May 1 – about Sep 30 | Tents onlyRV or trailer max: No RV sites | $25 |
- Zion boundary
- Reviewed park roads
- This campground
What does camping cost?
Compare the price and charging unit for your setup. The booking total depends on the selected site, travel year and applicable fees.
Watchman standard sites
$35 per non-electric campsite per night or $45 per electric campsite per night. These are site categories, not a universal tent/RV tariff.
Watchman groups
$50, $90 or $130 per group campsite per night, depending on the site category and occupancy.
Other campgrounds
South standard sites: $35 per campsite per night. Lava Point tent sites: $25 per campsite per night. The park entrance fee is separate.
Which Campgrounds Are Open by Month
Read across each row for the 2026 season. Operating dates do not show campsite availability.
Scheduled all monthScheduled part of monthNo scheduled season
| Monthly context | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WeatherAvg high / low · °FZion National Park, UT · 1991-2020 | 54°30° low | 58°34° low | 66°39° low | 73°44° low | 84°53° low | 95°62° low | 100°70° low | 98°69° low | 91°61° low | 78°49° low | 64°37° low | 53°29° low |
| Park crowdsAvg park visits · 2021–2025 | 139.5kLow | 153.2kLow | 411.0kHigh | 484.9kHigh | 568.5kPeak | 601.7kPeak | 553.5kPeak | 462.0kHigh | 476.0kHigh | 491.1kHigh | 301.3kModerate | 214.8kModerate |
| Campgrounds · 2026 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| WatchmanYear-round | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month |
| SouthNo 2026 season listed | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season | No season |
| Lava Pointabout May 1 – about Sep 30 | No season | No season | No season | No season | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | No season | No season | No season |
How to book Zion camping
Choose the campground, site type and travel dates before opening the booking page.
Watchman
Standard sites can be reserved up to six months ahead. Watchman is the year-round campground near the South Entrance.
South and Lava Point
These seasonal campgrounds offer reservations up to fourteen days ahead. Confirm your dates on Recreation.gov.
Groups and wilderness
Watchman group sites use a separate reservation category. All overnight wilderness camping requires a permit.
Check your vehicle’s fit
Use published maximum lengths to make a shortlist, then check the individual campsite and route.
Enter your RV, van or trailer length
- Campground maximums are a shortlist. Check your individual site’s dimensions and equipment rules.
- Only published equipment lengths are listed. Check other sites in the comparison above.
- Use the operating calendar for dates and check the approach road before booking.
- WatchmanNo full hookups40 ftRV or trailer
No campgrounds match these filters. Try a shorter setup or compare camping outside the park.
Know the camp rules
Plan for the park’s normal camping rules. Official conditions carry restrictions for your travel dates.
Site capacity
Standard sites allow six people, excluding children under twenty-four months, and up to three tents. Group sites use separate limits.
Food and scented items
Store food, garbage and scented items in a bear-resistant container or proper receptacle.
Vehicle limits
Check the booked site and approach-road restrictions. Lava Point is not an RV campground.
Camping outside the park
Compare the park’s gateway areas first, then confirm nearby campground seasons, fees and equipment rules with the operator.
- Selected park roads
- Zion Canyon: seasonal shuttle restrictions
- Park boundary
Springdale
Beside the South Entrance for Zion Canyon. Check the walk to the pedestrian entrance or a seasonal Springdale shuttle stop.
Hurricane / La Verkin
West of Zion Canyon. Plan the trip through Springdale; this area is outside the park entrance.
Kanab
Use the East Entrance and Zion-Mount Carmel Highway for Zion Canyon; check your vehicle’s route limits.
Questions about Zion camping
Quick answers to the practical questions below.
Does Zion camping require a reservation?
Yes. Park campgrounds use Recreation.gov reservations. Watchman standard sites book up to six months ahead; South and Lava Point book up to fourteen days ahead.
Which Zion campground is best for a tent?
Watchman has tent-only and walk-in sites near the South Entrance. Lava Point has primitive tent sites but no potable water. Choose by the facilities, location and season you need.
Is South Campground open?
Check the live conditions block and NPS campground page for South’s status and available dates. Its normal pattern is seasonal camping with reservations up to fourteen days ahead.
Do you need a permit to backpack in Zion?
Yes. All overnight backpacking and wilderness camping require a separate Wilderness Permit.
How we built this page.
An independent guide using official data. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service.
- Official guidance
- NPS and the relevant operators. The linked official pages support the access, facilities and rules described here. Confirm details before traveling.
- Crowd context
- 2021–2025 monthly averages. NPS recreation visits describe normal seasonal demand, not trail congestion, parking availability or unique visitors.
- Schedules and conditions
- Planning patterns, not live status. Seasonal information describes the normal pattern or explicitly dated source schedule. Current conditions are handled separately. The official source is the place to confirm today’s access.
Topic sources and data details
Campground locations, site counts, published fees and dated 2026 operating seasons come from the committed NPS/operator campground dataset. Normal setup and booking rules were checked against the official sources linked in each section.
The operating calendar aligns NOAA station climate normals with 2021–2025 NPS park visits. Weather varies with elevation and location; park visits do not measure campsite occupancy. Maps reuse reviewed park boundaries and road geometry. The vehicle shortlist does not guarantee an individual site or route will fit your equipment.
Operational source check: September 10, 2026. Design and emphasized source review: 2026-10-21. A design review does not refresh every underlying record.