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
Gettysburg Address to Return for Visitor Center Grand Opening
August 21, 2008 - 5:04pm
There are only five known manuscripts of the famous Gettysburg Address, penned by President Abraham Lincoln — one of those original documents is scheduled to appear in Gettysburg, during the grand opening celebration of the new Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center.
August 21, 2008 - 5:04pm
There are only five known manuscripts of the famous Gettysburg Address, penned by President Abraham Lincoln — one of those original documents is scheduled to appear in Gettysburg, during the grand opening celebration of the new Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center.
Anglers Wary of North Cascades Plan to Limit Fishing
August 21, 2008 - 10:51am
Not much comes easy in the precipitous ice-and-rock geography of North Cascades National Park -- not the hiking, not the high-lakes fishing, and across the park's 40 years of existence, not even fish management. This is what I'm thinking during the sweaty hike out of the stunning cirque that embraces Monogram Lake, where I've spent a couple hours catching and releasing dozens of pretty cutthroat trout with two mountain anglers who fear that soon there will be no fish in the park's high lakes. Whether trout should be in these lakes at all has been an issue since the park was created in 1968, and it is coming to a head with the release in July of the park's voluminous "Mountain Lakes Fishery Management Plan."
August 21, 2008 - 10:51am
Not much comes easy in the precipitous ice-and-rock geography of North Cascades National Park -- not the hiking, not the high-lakes fishing, and across the park's 40 years of existence, not even fish management. This is what I'm thinking during the sweaty hike out of the stunning cirque that embraces Monogram Lake, where I've spent a couple hours catching and releasing dozens of pretty cutthroat trout with two mountain anglers who fear that soon there will be no fish in the park's high lakes. Whether trout should be in these lakes at all has been an issue since the park was created in 1968, and it is coming to a head with the release in July of the park's voluminous "Mountain Lakes Fishery Management Plan."
Bison Advocates Go for Space
August 21, 2008 - 10:48am
As rancher Rick Knobe slowly guides his pickup around the iconic American bison on the prairie here, he reflects on a time when they roamed freely. "I figure the buffalo were there first, the elk were there first, the wolves were there first," he says, looking over his herd of 28 American bison, on his Lazy RRse Buffalo Ranch. "I figure these animals should be given more the right of way to roam."
August 21, 2008 - 10:48am
As rancher Rick Knobe slowly guides his pickup around the iconic American bison on the prairie here, he reflects on a time when they roamed freely. "I figure the buffalo were there first, the elk were there first, the wolves were there first," he says, looking over his herd of 28 American bison, on his Lazy RRse Buffalo Ranch. "I figure these animals should be given more the right of way to roam."
Rapid Climate Change Threatens to Thaw Icy Wonderland of Alaska
August 21, 2008 - 10:43am
I was in Alaska for 10 days in August, on a fellowship with Michigan State University's Knight Center for Environmental Journalism and the Union of Concerned Scientists, to see firsthand the effects of global warming. I didn't have to look far. I watched massive chunks of glacial ice breaking off into the sea.
August 21, 2008 - 10:43am
I was in Alaska for 10 days in August, on a fellowship with Michigan State University's Knight Center for Environmental Journalism and the Union of Concerned Scientists, to see firsthand the effects of global warming. I didn't have to look far. I watched massive chunks of glacial ice breaking off into the sea.
Park Seeks Construction Comment
August 21, 2008 - 10:38am
The National Park Service proposes to construct new housing, operations and recreation facilities in Big Bend National Park. The public, organizations and other agencies may review and comment upon a draft environmental assessment (EA) describing the proposal. The new construction would occur at Panther Junction, Rio Grande Village and Castolon. The proposal is to construct 27 structures, of which 15 would serve new purposes and 12 would replace temporary or inadequate facilities.
August 21, 2008 - 10:38am
The National Park Service proposes to construct new housing, operations and recreation facilities in Big Bend National Park. The public, organizations and other agencies may review and comment upon a draft environmental assessment (EA) describing the proposal. The new construction would occur at Panther Junction, Rio Grande Village and Castolon. The proposal is to construct 27 structures, of which 15 would serve new purposes and 12 would replace temporary or inadequate facilities.
