Grand Canyon Campgrounds Recommendations

[Mike R]

We are considering heading to the Grand Canyon this summer. Based on some brief research it looks like the southern rim in the Williams area is the best location to stay at as far as campgrounds go. We were looking at either the Grand Canyon/Williams KOA or the Williams/Circle Pine KOA. Any comments on either campgrounds?

Does anyone have any suggestions for some good campgrounds to stay at other than the above? Also, as far as length of our stay, we were considering staying for 10 days or so but not sure if that's to long of a stay for the area.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike

[OldChief7155]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike R We are considering heading to the Grand Canyon this summer. Based on some brief research it looks like the southern rim in the Williams area is the best location to stay at as far as campgrounds go. We were looking at either the Grand Canyon/Williams KOA or the Williams/Circle Pine KOA. Any comments on either campgrounds? Does anyone have any suggestions for some good campgrounds to stay at other than the above? Also, as far as length of our stay, we were considering staying for 10 days or so but not sure if that's to long of a stay for the area. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Mike

The Trailer Village inside the park and about 1/2 mile to the rim is the best place to stay. You'll need reservations.

Length of stay of 10 days would be about 9 days too long for me. Not a lot to do unless you want to hike to the bottom or just relax. It is spectacular but still just a huge hole to look at. One sunset, one sunrise and I'm good to go.

Be advised that many locations on the rim trails DO NOT HAVE FENCES, GUARD RAILS OR BARRIERS. Be extremely careful with pets and kids as it is 1,000s of feet straight down. One slip or grab a** incident could be fatal.

Also, READ AND HEED the warning signs.

[paz]

Mike, I agree with OldChief on Trailer Village in the park - if you can get in. It has full hookups and is within a few minutes of the rim.

If you can't get into Trailer Village, Camper Village is a private campground right outside the gate you might want to look into.

In Williams, check out the Grand Canyon Railway RV Park. It's right next to the railway station, and you might want to consider taking the train to the canyon. It was a lot of fun.

Don't dismiss the north rim. IMO, the views of the canyon are a little better on the south rim, but the north rim is a lot less crowded. We stayed at Kaibab Camper RV Village in Jacob Lake.

Unlike OldChief, we never tire of the spectacular views at Grand Canyon. This summer we will be making our 4th stop. We love to just walk along the rim, or hike a short distance down Bright Angel Trail and watch the mules and riders go by. We usually go early in the year before it gets too crowded or too hot, so sunrises are way too early, but we love the sunsets.

[V8Square]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike R We are considering heading to the Grand Canyon this summer. Based on some brief research it looks like the southern rim in the Williams area is the best location to stay at as far as campgrounds go. We were looking at either the Grand Canyon/Williams KOA or the Williams/Circle Pine KOA. Any comments on either campgrounds? Does anyone have any suggestions for some good campgrounds to stay at other than the above? Also, as far as length of our stay, we were considering staying for 10 days or so but not sure if that's to long of a stay for the area. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Mike

Hi Mike. We just got home last night from that exact location. We stayed at the Williams KOA and really enjoyed it as much as we could. Weather took a crazy turn and we got stranded. Rain, sleet, hail and snow. We took the short drive East into Flagstaff, via I-40, and on the way back, at 3:45 p.m. had to put the truck in 4WD. That night got very cold, 19 degrees. They had to turn off the water in the park and we reverted to our holding tank and just put an extra cover on that night as we do not sleep with the furnace running. Our little 1996 Hi-Lo did just fine. The canyon is a straight, 40 mile shot on 64. Make a right out of the KOA and go about 10 miles and the quaint little town of Williams awaits. It is a pure Route 66 town. Lot of little shops and you gotta try the Cruisin 66Diner and their 1/2 pound burger.


Our "Little Rig"


I-40 Westbound from Flagstaff to Williams 4/21

[SlickTX]

We stayed at the GC Railway campground in Williams last summer. It is basically a parking lot sort of place, just the RV slips with some crushed stone and a few lonely little trees between the slips.

The plus side is that the train to the canyon leaves from the related hotel next door and downtown Williams (Route 66) is only a few blocks away and is a fun place to walk in the evenings.

We only stayed 2 nights which is enough time to see the canyon and experience a little of Williams.

[davidhook]

My wife and I also stayed in Trailer Village inside the park in late Oct. 2004. On the third day we had a huge snow storm which shut everything down. The roads were not going to be cleared until the snow stopped, so we paid for 3 more days. The shuttle was not running due to all the snow, which was beautiful , but we walked to the rim in a winter wonder land. Unlike some others, the Grand Canyon is not just a big hole in the ground and one sunrise and one sunset was not enough for us. We could have stayed another week, but are certainly going to come back.

[Rocket Heart]

We stayed inside the park and had a great time - summer of 05.

[Hitchhiker]

We stayed at the Mather Campground when we were there in '01, the sites were tight but convenient to the South Rim.