Community Forums

XC Couple · 06-02-2021, 08:14 PM

We plan on going to the Grand Canyon in late August. We don't have a tow vehicle, so will be parking our 29' class C wherever we get out to tour. Anyone been there and know of fairly accessible parking locations? Is it possible to get around there without getting jammed up parking? Thanks.

BarryG20 · 06-02-2021, 08:52 PM

Very doubtful. However by the main visitor center there is a very large parking lot that has rv spaces and then you can take the shuttle. It goes like every ten minutes so you don’t have to wait long. There are rv spaces in many of the viewpoint lots but you may be waiting quite a while to catch one

Winterbagoal · 06-02-2021, 10:02 PM

Try to book a campsite in either the Mather or Trailer Village RV campgrounds. Not sure if a 31' rig will fit in a pull through in the Mather, so be prepared to pay a little more for the Trailer Village park. In late August, you might get a parking spot in Tusayan. Pot luck inside the South Rim, anywhere, at that time.

Trapper2022 · 06-03-2021, 07:35 AM

Just came from GC. Stayed in park at trailer village. This is best choice if you have no tow. Parking will be a pain otherwise. Our rig is 32’ and this was only campground that fit us. Bus lines from campground is shut down due to staffing issues so you will need to walk 10 minutes to main bus line area. If you do not already have reservations you may have issues staying in park. Good luck

Enjoy the journey

groswald · 06-03-2021, 08:12 AM

To be a bit more pessimistic - it is nearly impossible to park an RV in the Park during tourist season. (It can be nearly impossible to park a small car at the more popular spots).

Yes, there are designated RV spaces in the larger parking lots. They will accommodate a 29 footer, but, they will be filled with cars driven by the “special” people*. The lots will be continually packed and full of cars circling like desperate vultures looking for their next meal. Maneuvering an RV can be a real challenge - even if you do see an open RV spot.

Previous posters have provided the best options, stay in the park and ride the shuttles. The problem with that is that the two campgrounds fill up 6 to 12 months (or more) in advance. But, they do have regular cancellations so call often and be flexible on dates and you might get lucky.

Another option is to stay in Williams. From there you can take the train to the park for a day trip. You can also make it an overnighter (or more) and stay in one of the lodges for a night or two. Or, you could rent a car in Williams and do day or overnight trips to the park.

The best option however is to go off-season, with a toad, and camp in the park. Even then it’s crowded, but you’ll be able to see what you want, when you want, and it’s a heck of a lot easier to experience the sunrises and sunsets.

Regards,

Randy

* special people - those for whom (due to their self-designated exalted status) the normal rules of law, common courtesy, and respect simply do not apply.

Winterbagoal · 06-03-2021, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by groswald

To be a bit more pessimistic - it is nearly impossible to park an RV in the Park during tourist season. (It can be nearly impossible to park a small car at the more popular spots).

Yes, there are designated RV spaces in the larger parking lots. They will accommodate a 29 footer, but, they will be filled with cars driven by the “special” people*. The lots will be continually packed and full of cars circling like desperate vultures looking for their next meal. Maneuvering an RV can be a real challenge - even if you do see an open RV spot.

Previous posters have provided the best options, stay in the park and ride the shuttles. The problem with that is that the two campgrounds fill up 6 to 12 months (or more) in advance. But, they do have regular cancellations so call often and be flexible on dates and you might get lucky.

Another option is to stay in Williams. From there you can take the train to the park for a day trip. You can also make it an overnighter (or more) and stay in one of the lodges for a night or two. Or, you could rent a car in Williams and do day or overnight trips to the park.

The best option however is to go off-season, with a toad, and camp in the park. Even then it’s crowded, but you’ll be able to see what you want, when you want, and it’s a heck of a lot easier to experience the sunrises and sunsets.

Regards,

Randy

* special people - those for whom (due to their self-designated exalted status) the normal rules of law, common courtesy, and respect simply do not apply.

The Williams idea is a good one, particularly if you have a towed, you can drive up AZ64 to the South Rim pretty easily.

There's also Kaibab Lake campground off AZ64 a few miles north of Wiliams, that might be an option, as well. It's pretty, treed, and seemed to be at less than full capacity the 2 times we've been there, but that would be before May, or after August.

If you're really stuck, there might be room on the BLM/NFS Forest Service Road 302, off the east side of AZ64, just as you're entering Tusayan past the roundabout. It was suggested to us by a GCNP ranger one time, when we couldn't get a campsite in the park. It's a closer alternative than Williams, but may not be a national secret anymore, so spaces may be limited.

-agreed, about the *special people* / "chosen ones*.

ait109 · 06-03-2021, 10:29 AM

How long are you staying? K12 schools start early in the West so there is plenty of availability in Trailer Village in late August as of right now.

We went last October and stayed for a few nights at Trailer Village - 32', no toad. The first morning we wanted to see the sunrise at Mather Point so drove the RV to the RV lot near the visitor center - lots of parking available (it's also walkable from TV). Another day we wanted to do a hike partway down Bright Angel trail, so we drove the RV to the RV lot just past the Backcountry Information center - lots of parking available (aside - this lot had very reliable Verizon cell phone and data service - after the hike we set up shop for a few hours and streamed an NFL game before heading back to trailer village.)

We didn't drive or park the RV anywhere else in the park. Bus service was available from both of those lots/areas to other points in the park -- there was no bus service from Trailer Village when we were there.

Good luck and have fun!

lass · 06-03-2021, 12:13 PM

We stayed at Trailer Village 3 weeks ago and since the Blue shuttle buses were not running, we parked at Lot C which was the closest to the rim.

Isaac-1 · 06-03-2021, 02:11 PM

We were there in October 2019, traveling in our 28 ft (29'5" bumper to bumper) class A, spent 3-4 nights at Mather campground (we were right at their length limit, though had a long pull through site which officially was 27 ft max. So we saw most of the sites by way of the shuttle bus system, which is not fully running at the moment due to covid. However we did also drive in the east entrance and stopped at a number of the pull off point on the Saturday we arrived. I will say it is doable, though don't expect to always get a parking space on busy days, there is a giant parking lot near the visitor center, but even in October people were circling looking for parking spaces when we arrived (it was less than an hour until check in time, so we just went on to the campground rather than fight to find a spot). There is also ample (most of the time) parking near the east entrance at Watchtower.

PS56 · 06-03-2021, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XC Couple

We plan on going to the Grand Canyon in late August. We don't have a tow vehicle, so will be parking our 29' class C wherever we get out to tour. Anyone been there and know of fairly accessible parking locations? Is it possible to get around there without getting jammed up parking? Thanks.

You have options:
There is a campground just south of the park - you can bike or possibly rent something to get there. There is a nice paved trails you can bike or walk on to the park.

There is boondoocking places just south of the park near the trail above.

There are sites in the park.

There is an area east of the main area with plenty of parking.

XC Couple · 06-04-2021, 04:14 PM

Thanks, everyone for the great information. We are looking at hitting Wyoming in late July/early August and then heading south to the Grand Canyon by mid August. Our 29 footer is easy to maneuver for me but if there's no parking, that doesn't help. We may opt for the northern rim, which I've heard is a bit less crowded. Hopefully, many of the schools will be back in session, dropping some of the crowd issues. Again thanks for the info and advice. --- XC Couple ---

PS56 · 06-04-2021, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XC Couple

Thanks, everyone for the great information. We are looking at hitting Wyoming in late July/early August and then heading south to the Grand Canyon by mid August. Our 29 footer is easy to maneuver for me but if there's no parking, that doesn't help. We may opt for the northern rim, which I've heard is a bit less crowded. Hopefully, many of the schools will be back in session, dropping some of the crowd issues. Again thanks for the info and advice. --- XC Couple ---

From my experience the North Rim has fewer options unless you are boondocking. The main area small. Your stop after the NR will determine if it is out of the way.

Plan carefully.

Winterbagoal · 06-04-2021, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XC Couple

Thanks, everyone for the great information. We are looking at hitting Wyoming in late July/early August and then heading south to the Grand Canyon by mid August. Our 29 footer is easy to maneuver for me but if there's no parking, that doesn't help. We may opt for the northern rim, which I've heard is a bit less crowded. Hopefully, many of the schools will be back in session, dropping some of the crowd issues. Again thanks for the info and advice. --- XC Couple ---

We tried GCNR a few years ago, a pot luck run, and were unable to get a campsite there, and so had to back track to the CG at Jacob Lake, which was nice and not full. Not expensive, either. We did manage to find parking in GCNR near the shower building and spent an hour there relaxing and getting cleaned up, so parking was available inside the park, but that was late afternoon in September. There are more boondocking options in the area north of the North Rim entrance, on several Forest Service Roads off of AZ-67. Check Campendium.com or Freecamping.net websites, for GCNR nearby free camping spots. Some are quite nice, with excellent canyon access and views. Good luck. No matter what your luck delivers, it will be an adventure.

Isaac-1 · 06-04-2021, 07:08 PM

I would not be overly worried about parking, though I would build some extra time into the schedule to allow for parking congestion, when we were there it seemed there was a fairly high turn over in the parking lots. As sad as it sounds it seems many people just stop by for a brief view from the rim, and then move on to the next spot, averaging not more than 10-20 minutes at any given spot.