Where to stay on the Grand Canyon South Rim

[deauxrite]

I have read everything that I can find on camping in and around the South Rim. We will be there in April and would like some replies from those of you who have "been there and done that".

So..where did you stay and what are the advantages and disadvantages?

[RUSSELL]

Stay in Wiliams and take the train into the South Rim. It is a fun ride.
Regards from Russell In sunny and cool Tucson Az.

[nilesrob]

I would concur. I stayed at a campground close to downtown that was no scenic prize, but real convenient. I don't think there are any pristine campgrounds nearby, but the GC itself 10,000% makes up for that. Try to catch the GC at sunrise or sunset if you can. either way, enjoy!

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by RUSSELL

Stay in Wiliams and take the train into the South Rim. It is a fun ride.
Regards from Russell In sunny and cool Tucson Az.

What he said.....

You will love it

GRAND CANYON RAILWAY | Grand Canyon National Park train | Grand Canyon Railroad

[wkerfoot]

If you are only planning on staying at the Grand Canyon for one day, stay in Williams. If you want to explore the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for several days or a week, then stay at the Trailer Village. If you stay at the Trailer Village, the tram is at the entrance to the Village and you won't need your tow vehicle for the balance of your stay.

Bill

[JackMac]

Hello,

Friends and I stayed in the new RV park next to the train station in Williams last June. It is paved, clean, and in a good location. Check the Grand Canyon Railroad online. Williams is 50 or so miles south of the canyon, and there is plenty to see in that area between there and Flagstaff. Check out Walnut Canyon and the town of Jerome south of Sedona.

There are campgrounds at the Grand Canyon which are part of the National Park, however I am unfamiliar with them. Check with the National Park Service. As for myself, I would like to stay near the canyon sometime to be able to spend more time there. It's a beautiful place.

Hope you enjoy the trip.

[musicman_786]

Is early to mid December a good time to go to GC?

[Oreg52]

I've been there in mid January. Quiet, with maybe 40-50 people at the South Rim. It was a beautiful day about 40* and a snow storm had gone through the area the day before. Very little snow at the South Rim but Flagstaff had about a foot of the stuff. With that being said I enjoyed it very much but you need to be aware of the weather even in early to mid December

[brokeboater]

I spent a few days at Mather. It was fairly early in the season so pretty cold and almost nobody there. Personally I like empty campgrounds the best. I would have stayed longer but the person who had 51% vote at the time wanted to push on. I'll be back.

[McStreamy_]

We got back yesterday from a trip to the Grand Canyon! We boondocked on Forrest Service Road 302, just outside of Tusayan. Our site was free and we were maybe 10 minutes from the park entrance. If we were planning as far out as you are I'd defiantly want to stay in the park though.

[Tin Diesel]

We were there in May of 2019 for several days - although we prefer secluded campgrounds, I thought we should 'do the tourist thing' and stay close to the main attraction.

We stayed in the Maher Campground, which is essentially dry-camping. Generators are allowed briefly in the morning and evening - but the campground was so quiet I was reluctant to use even our quiet Honda (we now have a solar panel - but that campground is heavily shaded). We're experienced boondockers, but after 3 days of limited electric use and grey tank constraints, I questioned my decision to stay there. If I had to do it again, I would stay at the nearby Trailer Village RV Park with full hookups.
We don't like sardine campgrounds, and to us, the campground is part of the destination. But in this case we were gone almost all day, every day, so the comforts of full-hookups would have outweighed the lack of ambiance.

We liked being on-site at the rim because of the flexibility it gave us. After hiking for several hours every day (always along the rim, not down into the canyon - those hikes are a decade or two behind us!) we liked being able to get back to the trailer in just minutes, relax, and then walk to the canyon rim with a beverage container to watch sunset.

Be aware that in Maher, there are very few sites that can accommodate a larger trailer (ours is 30'). We booked 6 months out, and got the last one! The reservation process will let you know the size of each site. Trailer Village has more sites for big rigs.

The train-ride from Williams looks cool! Wish I'd known about it. I would have considered it. However, for us, losing that much time each day might have been a non-starter. Also, the train schedule would seem to indicate you would miss sunset - you don't want to miss sunset!!!!

[RamRider]

This is easy - Trailer Village with the free shuttle and full hook ups is the best way to take in the sites on the South Rim.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by musicman_786

Is early to mid December a good time to go to GC?

I was there in early January and although there was snow outside the park, I didn't encounter any in the park.
IMO, the area with park services is very small, and the food is typical park vendor microwaved plates.
I'd stay either in Williams and take the train, or just outside the park where there's a lot of touristy services.

[Lumatic]

Grand Canyon Village is hard to get a site. A random scoot down the road is 10X which usually has large spacious sites.

[Julie-Bob]

We have always stayed in the Rail Side RV in Williams.