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CAMPING IN ZION PARK REGION
Zion offers several excellent camping experiences, from primitive backcountry camping to designated camp grounds within the park. Watchman Campground is open year round and takes reservations from March through October when demand is high. With RV sites and 16 riverside sites, it is one of the more popular options for camping enthusiasts. The South Campground is open from March through October and is appropriate for tent camping on a first come basis.
Lava Point Campground is open on a first come basis from June through October with only six sites and limited facilities and no water. This campground is in the Kolob Terrace section of the park and closes in winter. Backpackers can camp throughout the backcountry in forest, canyons and desert landscapes. Permits are required and backpackers must camp out of sight of trails and no closer than a quarter mile from springs. If you are camping in a canyon, set your tent high to avoid flash floods.
A favorite backcountry camping trip travels over the West Rim from Lava Point in the Kolob section of the park. The almost 15-mile hike ends in Zion at the shuttle. The second day’s hike is the most interesting when it begins to head down toward the canyon and trails along the edge of Phantom Valley and Cabin Spring. Unless you are hard pressed for time, be sure to take the leg to Angel’s Landing.
Toroweap (or Tuweep) Campground is a first come primitive campground on the edge of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. With a 3,000-foot vertical drop and no fencing or boundaries, this campsite is like no other. Below you can watch eagles soar, rafters float along and kayakers slip by. It comes from the Paiute term meaning “dry or barren valley,” but there is anything barren about this spectacular campground nestled securely in the cliffs just a few feet from the edge.
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