Grand Canyon

[Buzzy4]

We are planning to stop at the Grand Canyon south rim on our way to Calif. For now we are looking to book reservations at the Mather Campground. Has anyone stayed there? Any suggestions on preferred campsites (shade, location, privacy) or even another campground?

Any imput would be appreciated.

Ed

[Alumaholic]

And you won't be disappointed.

We stayed there back in 2004, so this information is almost 3 years old.
Mather is a no frills campground with very good access to the south rim. Its location more than makes up for the lack of amenities.

You will have water and 30 amp electric service at your site, which will be a pull through with natural Juniper and Pinon Pine trees. The campground personnel were somewhat complacent when we were there, which I attribute to the centralized management structure located on some other planet.

The camp is quiet and night, and the absence of any significant light pollution will make star gazing an awesome experience.

[mandolindave]

But Ed, you are going to the Grand Canyon. I don't think that you could find a bad campsite. I found too many. Some spots look like you wouldn't be allowed to camp there. A lot of the BLM land is multi usage and have fences to keep in cattle. Ranchers pay the government to let the cattle graze there.
But you can still camp there. I know that you want to camp close to the rim. But in my experience, the getting to the Grand Canyon is as wonderful as being there. Here are some things to think about.
#1 Water has to be trucked in to some places. Ask nice and get water when you can. It's a desert.
#2. At night there is not much to see and no need for shade, and it gets cold at night. I woke up covered in three inches of snow on the rim and it got up to 95 degrees at the bottom.
#3 I like to sleep late but the best time for hiking is 5-9 am and 5-9 pm. It gets hot from 9-5. Good time to find some shade and take a siesta!

[Buzzy4]

I appreciate the quick replies. We will be there the first week of April so I am expecting it to be pretty cold at night. Hopefully, it will be clear and we will have good star gazing. It's good to know that we will have electricity to save the batteries with the furnace running.

Is there a dunp station there?

Ed

[gaylejoe]

We were just at the Grand Canyon abut 5 weeks ago. Stayed inside the park and had a great time. Beware: the fuel in the town just outside the south entrance is outragous. $3.69 for all grades. Down the road about 20 miles it was 25 cents cheaper. Also, the pump limited the purchase to $50 and you had to go inside and leave your credit card to get additional gas/diesel.

[Fyrzowt]

Originally Posted by Buzzy4

I appreciate the quick replies. We will be there the first week of April so I am expecting it to be pretty cold at night. Hopefully, it will be clear and we will have good star gazing. It's good to know that we will have electricity to save the batteries with the furnace running.

Is there a dunp station there?

Ed

Buzzy4,
I see that this got bumped. How was your trip? Any photos? Any stories you can share?
Dave