Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon Camping
Campers have their choice of two campgrounds and one RV campground on the South Rim. There are numerous primitive backcountry campgrounds, as well as two campgrounds located just outside the park.
Park Regulations
Store your food and any attractive-smelling items (such as shampoo, toothpaste and soap) safely out of reach of animals, either in your car or by placing items in a backpack and hanging it from a provided rack or from a tree. If you are in an established backcountry campground, store your food and food utensils in the provided ammo cans, if available.
Camping outside designated camping areas is prohibited and may result in a substantial fine. The canyon eco-system is very fragile; therefore hikers are urged to follow "Leave No Trace" principles.
Fires are allowed in grills in rim campgrounds, but wood gathering is not allowed. Fires may be prohibited during the driest early summer weeks. Purchase wood or charcoal for the grills at Canyon Village Marketplace. Open fires are strictly prohibited inside the canyon because of the danger of wildfires and the shortage of wood. (Charcoal and ash also take hundreds of years to disintegrate in the arid environment.) Please pack out your trash and any you might find.
Backcountry Permits
All overnight visitors to backcountry areas or below the rim (except for those with reservations at Phantom Ranch) must first obtain a backcountry permit from the Backcountry Information Center, located east of Maswik Lodge. Each permit costs $10 plus an additional $5 per person per night. Reservations are usually necessary for the more popular camping sites on Bright Angel and North Kaibab trails. For your own safety, let someone at the rim know your itinerary.
Day hikes or an overnight stay in the cabins or backpacker dorm at Phantom Ranch do not require a permit. The Backcountry Information Center can also provide detailed trail information. You may make reservations by mail, by fax to (928) 638-2125, or in person at the office, because telephone reservations are not accepted. To obtain a Backcountry Trip Planner and more information, write to the Backcountry Information Center, P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023, or visit www.nps.gov/grca/backcountry.
Grand Canyon In Depth
News from the Parks
Light Pollution Harms Not Just Stargazers
December 2, 2008 - 1:03pm
For students of astronomy, Sunday and Monday night is the equivalent of a World Cup Final, a new Mac operating system, and a Zeppelin reunion show all rolled into one. That’s because, as Horizons guest blogger Pete Spotts noted in his post Sunday, Jupiter, Venus, and the moon will gather to direct a lopsided frown at North America, an arrangement that won’t happen again for another 44 years.
December 2, 2008 - 1:03pm
For students of astronomy, Sunday and Monday night is the equivalent of a World Cup Final, a new Mac operating system, and a Zeppelin reunion show all rolled into one. That’s because, as Horizons guest blogger Pete Spotts noted in his post Sunday, Jupiter, Venus, and the moon will gather to direct a lopsided frown at North America, an arrangement that won’t happen again for another 44 years.
Tourists Bite on ‘Twilight’ Vampire Tours of Forks, Washington
December 2, 2008 - 12:59pm
Fans of the hit movie “Twilight,” inspired by Stephenie Meyer’s vampire series, are swarming tiny Forks on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, where the novels are set, and checking out “Twilight”-themed tours, hotel packages and even food.
December 2, 2008 - 12:59pm
Fans of the hit movie “Twilight,” inspired by Stephenie Meyer’s vampire series, are swarming tiny Forks on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, where the novels are set, and checking out “Twilight”-themed tours, hotel packages and even food.
Crowds Observe World AIDS Day In GG Park
December 2, 2008 - 12:56pm
People from across the country gathered in Golden Gate Park's National AIDS Memorial Grove Monday to observe the 20th annual World AIDS Day.
December 2, 2008 - 12:56pm
People from across the country gathered in Golden Gate Park's National AIDS Memorial Grove Monday to observe the 20th annual World AIDS Day.
Grounded in God, Green and Glaciers
December 2, 2008 - 12:37pm
Remember when Arizona Sen. John McCain criticized spending millions of taxpayer dollars to fund the DNA of grizzly bears in Montana during one of the presidential debates? “That’s us,” said David Restivo, a Roberts Wesleyan College alumnus and visual information specialist at Glacier National Park in Montana.
December 2, 2008 - 12:37pm
Remember when Arizona Sen. John McCain criticized spending millions of taxpayer dollars to fund the DNA of grizzly bears in Montana during one of the presidential debates? “That’s us,” said David Restivo, a Roberts Wesleyan College alumnus and visual information specialist at Glacier National Park in Montana.
Smokies' Formation Began 500 Million to 600 Million Years Ago
December 2, 2008 - 12:35pm
As the Great Smoky Mountains National Park prepares to celebrate its 75th year, students of history and geology are pondering questions that go back much farther than the park's creation in the 1930s. The most fascinating queries to them concern the actual formation of the mountains, their age and topography.
December 2, 2008 - 12:35pm
As the Great Smoky Mountains National Park prepares to celebrate its 75th year, students of history and geology are pondering questions that go back much farther than the park's creation in the 1930s. The most fascinating queries to them concern the actual formation of the mountains, their age and topography.
