Camping at Mather Campground on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park
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Camping at Mather Campground on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park crossed our mind when we visited the park for the very first time. I remember seeing the sign from the shuttle and people riding their bicycles into the area. Then we decided to camp next time we go to Grand Canyon. We will stay for a week, explore more trails, do the rafting, and bring our bicycles.
But that’s not what happened. The second time we went to Grand Canyon was last June, and it was with my sister and her family who came to visit us from Indonesia. By the time the U.S. Embassy granted them visas, all the lodges in the village were fully booked until September.
We checked hotels in Tusayan, but with a couple of hundreds more for 2 night stay I could buy a round trip ticket to Indonesia. No, thank you! We checked the next closest town, well, it’s around 60 miles from the park. It means we had to wake up very early in the morning and arrived late in the evening. We’re talking about 4 to 5 hours sleep for every night. Not a good option either.
Then I checked Mather campground with fingers crossed, and yes… they still had empty spaces. So, I booked it right away and told my sister later. Fortunately, she didn’t mind at all. She agreed the other 2 options were not the best choices. And we didn’t have problem with camping gears like tent, sleeping bags, or sleeping pads, since our family like camping.
Grand Canyon, here we come!
Camping at Mather Campground on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park
Here I will share with you step by step of our experiences at Mather Campground from the booking time, while we were there, and until we left.
When I booked the site
Booking a site at Mather Campground is so easy. Just go to their website, pick your site, fill the form, and pay. Or, you can call the National Recreation Reservation Service at this number: 1-877-444-6777.
Remember, there are no first-come first-served campsites at Mather Campground during peak season (March 1 – November 30). Reservations can be made up to 6 months in advance. It’s open year-round and fees are $18 per site per night.
We booked a site near the restroom for the convenient reason. If someone has to go over the night, he/she didn’t have to walk far. A few days after I booked the site, I realized I booked it on the wrong dates. Uh-oh. Fortunately, the site I booked was still available on the right dates, but I had to pay a $10 service fee for the re-booking.
When we got there
By the time we got to the park, it was already in the afternoon. I forgot to bring a copy of our confirmation reservation and there’s no cell connection. Hmm… Lucky us. The friendly officer asked for our name and ID, gave us a map of the campground and showed us how to get to our site, then we’re good to go. The checked-in process was fast. The whole process was less than a minute.
When we booked the site, we had no idea at all about the ground. Well, our site was full with gravel but not the neighboring sites. It’s on Oak Loop site #235. Other than that, it was nice. The campground canopied by Ponderosa pine trees and like I said above, it’s near the restroom. Campsites include a campfire ring with a cooking grate, picnic table, parking space, and room for up to three tents.
Oh, there was a beaten foam cooler in the office. It’s a reminder for campers not to leave their foam cooler outside because ravens could get into it. Or even better, leave it at home! It’s not recommended at all. The ravens there were huge!
While we were there
It might reach 80s during the day while we were there, but it was in the 50s and 60s over the night. Really nice! You might need to bring a light jacket. My brother-in-law even got to do his morning run while we were there.
Like I said before, we didn’t know anything about the park, including the distance within the campground. We found out that the shower and laundry facilities are by the office, so we had to drive to get there from our site. You can bike or walk if you want to, but I think driving was the best choice for us, because we did showers and laundry in the evening, once we were done with all the activities for the day. It was really dark there.
The hot showers in the facility was $2 and it ran strong for 8 minutes. (Rates for shower and laundry services are subject to change. As of 2020, showers is $2.50 for 5 minutes.) I think most people did showers and laundry in the evening hours. What we did, we put dirty clothes in the washing machine, took a shower, and moved them to the dryer when we were done with showers. And we recharged the cell phones and camera’s battery while waiting for the clothes to dry.
On the second night my husband set the telescope we brought along from home. Millions of stars above us. The moon craters looked very clear. A beautiful night!
When we left
Early in the morning I heard a hush hushed sound and I thought I was dreaming. Apparently, the neighbor left for their next destination before sunrise. When we were taking down the tents, a new camper arrived at that empty site. I also noticed the park rangers drove around the sites around 10.30 a.m., half hour before the check-out time. I think they wanted to make sure campers that supposed to leave that morning already taking down their tent/s. And we didn’t have to stop at the office anymore. Good bye Mather Campground. Until next time!
What we think about camping at the South Rim of Grand Canyon NP
We like it! It’s clean, the showers and laundry facilities were good, and the weather was nice, too. Besides, who can beat the $18 per site per night. Haha… And most of all, it’s located within Grand Canyon Village. That way we could ride the shuttle all over the park (except to the Desert View). Are we going to stay there again? Of course! As I told you in the beginning, we wanted to stay for a week there. So, we are going to do it next time we visit the Grand Canyon NP.
Need to know about the campground
- It’s a huge facility with 327 campsites.
- During high season (March 1-November 30) you are require to make an advanced reservations than can be make 6 months in advance.
- During the winter season (December 1-February 28) camping is available on a first-come first-served basis.
- Business hours
- If you arrive after business hours, your campsite information is posted on the window of the kiosk.
- The only America the Beautiful passes that qualify for the discounted camping rate are the Access passes and Senior passes.
- Only two standard-size vehicles (cars, trucks, motorcycles) are allowed per site.
- Drinking water spigots are provided throughout the campground.
- Pets are allowed but must be kept on leash and may not be left unattended, even in vehicles.
- Campground terrain is hard and rocky. Bring your sleeping pad.
- Keep wildlife wild. It means do not feed the animals, pick up your crumbs, throw your trash to the dumpsters, and store your food in vehicles or hard-sided containers with lids.
For more information on Mather Campground, click here.
And don’t forget to save the pin graphics below to your Pinterest board for your future reference. Thank you!
Every time we plan a visit to a National Park, we want to stay in the park. And then we don’t get our planning done early enough to actually get any kind of spot. We are not really campers but being at Mather Campground at the South Rim of Grand Canyon might be an experience to try. It was a good reminder of how much the temperature swings between day and night and to plan for that when camping. Taking a telescope is such a smart idea. A perfect spot for a night sky. And all of this wishing the Grand Canyon Village!
We are going in July! Do you know if there is a place to plug in and blow up a bed and then haul it back to your site? I can’t sleep on the ground anymore.
If you can haul the mattress in your car, you can always do it outside the bathroom area. That’s where we recharged the cell phones. There are several outlets there.
Oh, I’m pretty sure there’s electric outlets in the restroom within the campsite. Just don’t forget to bring cable extension.
This is great, I had no idea that we can make reservations online. I was a bit worried since we’re planning to visit next month and I guess its still peak season. Checking their site now to make a reservation. Thank you so much for sharing this.
You are welcome! Hope you got the space and enjoy your trip to Grand Canyon!
I’ve went camping many times, but never with children. However, I still love reading these articles because it’s never too late to start preparing myself. And also, the South Rim Grand Canyon looks like a great caping site with some great facilities. Would love to visit someday.
Yep, it’s never too late to preparing yourself. 😉 And yes, I like this campsite and the facilities here.
I so need to visit the states soon. I love the outdoors, and have camped plenty a times, but it was never in a regulated area, or were there any caps on the number of camps. It was find your own spot, and pitch your own tent. Thats how Ive done it here in the Himalayas in India.
I guess because it’s too many people here want to use the facility. I would like to do the Himalayas, but I’m not sure if I can handle the altitude.
I’ve done a few camping nights, but never with my little gal. I’m planning to wait a couple more years before camping with my gal.
South Rim Grand Canyon is just perfect. A camping place with hot water, shower facility and washing facilities? The price is really unbelievable. I really hope I’ll get to USA someday and visit these places on my own.
Do come to the US and visit Grand Canyon. Either camping or staying at one of the hotels, you will love it here. I hope your daughter will enjoy camping when her time is coming.
Lots of information about Mather’s Campground in Grand Canyon. Somehow we only visited the Great Canyon as a day trip from somewhere around, and never stayed in the park. It never occurred to me that I could stay in the camping. I’ll know better next time.
It was a good camping experience there and it’s not hot over night! That’s what I like.
I’ve camped with my son several times but never in the Grand Canyon. Do you think it’s a good place for I experienced campers? I remember having to worry about foxes, bears, and raccoons! You’re lucky you had hot water!
Of course! It’s pretty safe in the campground. Just make sure you don’t leave food outside. And lots of campers around, so I don’t think fox or bear comfortable in the campground. 😉
Camping in Grand Canyon National Park is like a dream. Glad you did it even though you did not get the expected location at first. However, Mather Campground looks really nice. You and your family actually had great fun. What else you need in the campsite when it is surrounded by Grand Canyon? It must be paradise, already.
You are right! I know I won’t say no to camp at Mather Campground again.
So good that its not as hot during the night! Such a great way to feel the nature in Grand Canyon National Park – probably the best, isnt it?
I would think so, with tall trees canopied the campground and night sky full with millions of stars above.
Such a good option for those looking to do the park on a budget – and lucky they still had some pitches left for you after your sister was finally granted her visa! 🙂 x
Yeah. We were so lucky and everyone had fun. Thank you.
I didn’t realize you had to book in advance at Mather Campground! I’m glad I read this as I plan on making a visit at some point in the near future. I can’t believe the temperature drop at night. I’ll have to make sure I pack some extra big coats as well!
I’m glad you came across this article. Yes, depending on what month you will go, think about extra warm clothes.
This sounds like such a great find. I’m glad you all managed to get it booked and get there. How easy was it to catch the shuttle?
We were happy to get a place. The shuttle passed every 10 minutes, you just need to walk or drive to the nearest bus station. But it got full fast. So you might need to wait for the next one, normally.
Will need to keep this adventure in mind for the next time my family visits the Grand Canyon!
Cool!
This sounds like a great place to camp, apart from the ravens! But clean showers and toilets are the most important thing for me on a campsite, the last one I went to was crawling with spiders so this sounds much better 🙂
Surprisingly, with lots of people they are still clean. I think the campers when we were there were responsible to keep it clean.
It sounds like you had quite the adventure in the campground! Honestly, I’m more of a glamper than camper, but seeing those stars are wonderful whatever type of traveller you are! I’ve only seen ravens here in London, and they’re huge and creepy too!
Yes, night sky is wonderful seeing from wherever you are.
Can you believe I’ve actually never been camping?! This looks like a great spot to try it out!
I believe it. It’s also my sister and her family first camping experience during this trip. And they enjoyed it.
Sounds like a great place to go camping. We love a camping trip, it is such a lovely family thing to do. Thanks for sharing your camping experience 🙂
Thank you! I agree with you, it’s a lovely family thing to do though a lot of family are not into it. Or, not sure about it.
This is such a useful guide, thank you! i’ve always wanted to camp at the Grand Canyon but was a bit overwhelmed by how to do it. Sounds like it was a great place to stay – and such a steal price-wise as well.
I’m glad you found this article useful. Let me know when you pitch a tent here.
We visited Grand Canyon, but we didn’t see campground !
You will see the sign from the shuttle or when you drive to the Market Plaza area.
I think the campground would have a less crowded feel than the lodges in the village. The advantage to camping is that you are in the great outdoors. What better way to visit the Grand Canyon?
You are right. If you stay at lodges around the rim, than you will see people passing by whenever you sit outside. On the campground, you barely see people around since everyone arrived in the evening after they’re done with all the activities. But we stayed at the lodge that was not on the rim before, and it was good, too. Not crowded.
Sounds like such a great spot to camp. I have only been to the Grand Canyon for a daytrip, but would love to camp there.
If you like camping, this is the place. And stay for at least 2 nights.
We have never done camping, but it seems a good experience to do!
For the first timer, it’s not bad at all. Especially you are surrounding by a magnificent Grand Canyon.