North Rim Campground

Spend a night under the stars at Grand Canyon National Park’s North Rim Campground

Since only 10% of park visitors make it to the north rim, you’ll find fewer crowds at the North Rim Campground.

The North Rim Campground is open from May – October and sits less than a mile north of the North Rim Lodge and visitor center. The campsites are shaded by old-growth ponderosa pines, and there are scattered aspen trees that add spots of vibrant yellow in the fall. The campsites are well spaced and the campground has a nice open feel.

The campground is comprised of three areas: sites for tents only (12), sites for tents, car and RV camping (78), and group sites (3), which can only be used by groups with tents. The south end of the car camping area is on the rim, and sites 11, 14, 15, 16, and 18 have views of the canyon. In the tent area, vehicles are parked in a large gravel lot and campers pitch tents 50 – 100 feet from their cars. The west side of the tent area is on the rim of the Transept and sites T-1 through T-6 have views.

An easy walk along the Transept Trail takes you to the North Rim Lodge and visitor center. Walks along the Transept are particularly enjoyable in the early morning and evening. The Bridle Trail connects the campground with North Kaibab and Uncle Jim trailheads (0.8 mile).

The campground is at 8,300 feet, so it’s possible to have snow still on the ground in the spring and for there to be snowstorms in the fall. Also, thunderstorms are frequent during the monsoon season, June – September. Backcountry trips in the Grand Canyon require permits. Learn more about how to nagivate the permit system ›

Directions

The turnoff for the campground is one-half mile north of the North Rim Lodge in Grand Canyon National Park. Although the North Rim is only 10 miles from the South Rim as the crow (or raven) flies, it is 210 miles by road, which goes east to Cameron, north to Lee’s Ferry, west to Jacob Lake Lodge, and then south to the North Rim.