This is a great place to camp on the south rim! Walk to Navajo point snack bar/camp store and watchtower! Tent camp sites have shade and a picnic table. Go catch sunset at the tower! But get there before 6! Very quiet campground off tourist path just far enough out of high traffic areas. Highly recommend!
Great site near the Grand Canyon. Not too far from a lot of the popular sites. Also has its own general store.
Wr really enjoyed our stay here with family. Great location close to beautiful views!
Host is friendly. $6.00 a night with Senior pass. No soap so take some with you. Somewhat quiet but people (including us) wake up early to see the sunrise along the rim within walking distance. There is a pretty decent General store near the watch tower. Less crowded for sure but about 25 miles to main visitor center.
We camped at Desert View in April. We were originally hoping to book at Mather Campground, but it was totally booked for the dates we wanted. Desert View does not accept reservations, so we decided we’d head over early and try and snag a site. We got to the campground at about 12 pm on a Friday afternoon, and there were plenty of sites available. Camping at Desert View ended up being one of the best decisions we made for our Grand Canyon trip. Although it’s farther from some of the major attractions, it’s also really quiet, and the canyon views are spectacular.
At the time of our visit, my husband was recovering from a leg injury. Instead of hiking into the canyon with me and the kids, he stayed behind at the campground. He found a little trail that he could walk on with his crutches (between sites 46 and 48). He was able to walk to the edge of the canyon and relax under a tree for the whole afternoon without seeing a soul.
The Desert View General Store is within walking distance and sells food, along with a great selection of local wine and beer. The Desert View Watchtower, also walking distance from the campground, is incredibly beautiful. Beware of sneaky ravens who will steal your food the minute you leave it unattended.
Campsite Review:
When I started planning our trip to the Grand Canyon, I knew I wanted to camp somewhere close to the canyon. You can't get much closer than this. This campground is located on the south eastern rim of the canyon, and is only about 200-300 yards from the canyon. (as the crow flies)
There aren't any hookups at the sites but there are flush restrooms available. If you want to shower, you'll have to go to the other campground in the area (Mather Campground). There are no reservations for this site, and is first-come first-served only. The sites typically fill up by around 1 or 2 in the afternoon, but when we were there in June the sites were full by 10 am.
Most of the individuals who where camping there were in tents, but the sites have access to campers/RVs that are 30ft or less (truck and trailer)
We loved the few nights we had there, and nothing beats waking up and walking over to the canyon to see the sunrise. Definitely a must camp.
For a video of this review click here.
Product Review:
As a Ranger for TheDyrt, I occasionally get products to test, and on this I trip was able to test out Green Goo's Dry Skin products. During the summers my hands and feet really dry out from being outside so much and wearing sandals. Typically, by around the middle of June my feet have already begun to crack and split, which is both annoying and painful.
I was excited to try out the Dry Skin products from Green Goo, hoping that these would keep my feet and hands from cracking on our road trip, but I started off wrong. My problem was that I waited to put the Dry Skin on my feet after they had already begun to split. So, the lotion didn't work as well as I wished. Next time I'll definitely need to start using the lotion as a preventative instead of it being the problem solver.
For an extended video about this product click here.
Camping with the GO: Day 4
During our road trip around the US, I was able to try out the GO camper from SylvanSport. This was the 4th night camping the GO and we are still finding out little things that we love about this camper. Today it was the maneuverability of the GO. When we got to the site we were having trouble getting the GO exactly where we wanted it while it was hooked to the Jeep, but once we unhooked it we were able to steer it exactly into position with no fuss.
This campsite is good although you can not reserve a spot, aka it is on a first come first serve basis and it can/does fill up. It is kind of busy but no where near as busy as the main campground in the center of the southern rim "town". The camp host were friendly and knowledgeable, so if you get the chance talk with them! There is an observation area/tower that is a moderate walk and a small gas station that is close as well. There is flush toilets but no showers here. I was impressed with the quality of water coming from the pumps. Overall, if I were to come to the south rim again, I would without-a-doubt be staying at this campground!
A quick trip exploring the eastern south rim of the grand canyon, from Desert View Watchtower to Grand Canyon Village. Only got to hike the Rim Trail and Grandview Point Trail but it being my 1st time to the Grand Canyon I couldn't complain and still spent the next few days in awe. Can't wait to go back.
Desert View is a hidden gem at the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Although many people tend to lean toward the more common parts of the south rim, this is a place that will give you more of a nature feel to the camping experience! Would recommend!
Great first come first serve site on the eastern end of the park which is actually great for catching the sunset from the watchtower. I bit away from Mather and the main overlooks, but makes the sites so much less crowded!
Great for tents because the large monster RVs can't fit (although some smaller one's and popups would be fine)
Clean restrooms (because it's less crowded) drinking water and your site will have a fire ring and table. You're not under huge trees, but there are a bunch which help separate out the sites so you're even more private.