Jacob Lake Campground, near Fredonia, Arizona, is a fantastic spot for those looking to escape the heat and enjoy the great outdoors. With spacious sites surrounded by towering pines, it’s perfect for both tent camping and RVs, offering a cozy atmosphere for relaxation and adventure.

The campground is known for its clean facilities and friendly hosts who go out of their way to make your stay enjoyable. Visitors rave about the well-maintained picnic tables and fire pits, which create a great setting for evening gatherings. One camper noted, “The hosts were delightful and it was, in all seriousness, the cleanest campground we have ever stayed in.”

For outdoor enthusiasts, Jacob Lake Campground is a gateway to hiking and wildlife viewing, with nearby trails that showcase the beauty of the Kaibab National Forest. Plus, you’re just a short drive from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, making it an ideal base for exploring this iconic destination. 

While the campground is conveniently located near the highway, some campers mentioned that the noise didn’t detract from their experience. With amenities like drinking water and a market nearby, you’ll have everything you need for a comfortable stay. Whether you’re here for a weekend or a longer retreat, Jacob Lake Campground offers a welcoming environment for all.

## Overview

 Jacob Lake Recreation Area is conveniently located in Jacob Lake, Arizona, the gateway to the Grand Canyon's North Rim. The campground is nestled among the towering Ponderosa Pine trees of the North Kaibab National Forest, where ample opportunities to enjoy nature abound, from hiking and mountain biking to birding. Summer temperatures are pleasant during the day and nights are cool, while several feet of snow cover the landscape in winter. The campground closes each year by the end of October, though the national forest remains open.
## Recreation

 Grand Canyon National Park is a popular destination for campers staying at Jacob Lake Recreation Area. But from the campground itself, visitors can walk a pleasant one-mile loop trail, or take a 10 minute drive to the Kaibab Plateau Trail a section of the Arizona Trail, which runs north-to-south across the entire length of the state. The national forest also has a variety of mountain biking trails ranging from beginner to advanced levels. There is no fishing at Jacob Lake. Reservations for horseback riding and chuck wagon rides, as well as bike rentals, are available at Jacob Lake Inn across the street.
## Natural Features

 Jacob Lake is at an elevation of 7,920 feet. The Kaibab Plateau is an area uplifted by geologic processes, making it higher in elevation than the surrounding deserts (the closest town of Fredonia, Arizona is 28 miles away and nearly 4,700 feet). Many species of wildlife call the Kaibab home, including the tassel-eared Kaibab squirrel, found nowhere else in the world, and numerous species of birds. The nearby lake only fills up with water occasionally, but marsh areas along the edges of the lake are great bird habitats. 
## Nearby Attractions

 The campground is 44 miles north of Grand Canyon National Park's rustic and less populated North Rim - home to abundant wildlife, hiking trails, spruce-fir and Ponderosa pine forests and unparalleled views of one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Enjoy a visit to the North Rim from mid-May through mid-October; the road is closed during winter. [Grand Canyon National Park&gt;][1]

[1]: http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm

Jacob Lake Campground - Kaibab National Forest

Jacob Lake is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Jacob Lake, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Arizona camping adventure.

Jacob Lake

The Best Camping Near Jacob Lake, Arizona

site: some sites larger than others.  geared towards RVs.
amenities: less than great facilities.
attractions: near North Rim
I would go to the North Rim to camp.


RV's

Spent a lot of time hiking on the trails.

Quiet and well-kept. 

Dispersed camping is allowed in the nearby Kaibab National Forest. Some existing sites are present but you can pretty much pull off and camp anywhere (following Leave No Trace principles, of course). Cooler temperatures because of the elevation made this a fantastic place to camp.

Dispersed National Forest camping

We are in a motorcycle tent trailer. The spaces weren’t crowded.  There is a gas station/lodge/snacks/gift shop within walking distance. $20 a night but with Senior Pass 50% discount. The basic outhouse bathrooms were cleanest I have seen with soft toilet paper!! The host takes pride in his work.  Easy drive to North Rim of the Grand Canyon. 

Awesome!

This campground is in a great location, only about 45 min away from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It's easily accessible and very pretty. There are some very unique squirrels that prance around and you can hear the bats chirping at nighttime. It is also very clean, the nicest pit toilet I've ever used! The camp hosts are very friendly and do a great job taking care of the place.

Great location, pretty and very clean. 

We stayed in the group site B. It was perfect for our large group (22 people total). There was plenty of room for us to set up all our tents. There is a convenience store within walking distance which was so nice. There is a very nice gabizo with grills and a fire pit. We would definitely recommend this campground to everyone.

Peaceful setting and very close to the north rim

Camping in the Ponderosa’s

Good location to the North Rim. Store, restaurant, and gas across the road. 

Mostly shaded sites among the P-Pine. Nice gravel pads. Concrete tables. Clean put toilets. Great Hosts. Plentiful Hand Sanitizing in toilets. 

A Little road noise.  $22.00 per night. $11.00 with Senior Card. Reservations online with some first cone/ first served. No hookups but Potable water avail.

Clean and Beautiful Setting

We stayed here in June on our way home to Colorado from Utah. We wanted to be near the North Rim of Grand Canyon.  It was only a 45 minute easy drive. It is a very pretty campground. There are lots of trees and shady spots.  It was very windy and a cold front was coming through. The public lands were on a fire ban so no campfires.  We stayed at site 33. There are no utilities or dump station.  Jacob Lake Inn is across the street with gas, convenience store, bakery, cafe and gift shop.  The vault toilets are very clean and odor free.  We have Verizon and had two bars.  There is a short trail through the woods which the kids enjoyed.  

Convenient

Nothing exciting about this one, but great location to the North Rim so you can wake up and drive in early. North rim is about an hour south. 

Location to North Rim

Camp hosts are awesome, bathrooms are VERY clean. Potable water. Easy access to Grand Canyon and Zion. Would be 5 star however we camped at site #49 with no shade and right next to the main road. 

Great spot close to ZNP and GCNP

Lots of rough dirt roads meandering the National Forest with some semi-established dispersed camping spots with fire rings. Chilly nights even in July, which is welcomed after hiking and driving around the desert 

Secluded National Forest spots

Jacob Lake is a really nice spot. 

The sites are all nicely spread out giving you plenty of space. The camp hosts have firewood for sale and take great care of the facilities. 

The woods behind the campground has a great short path that is a great morning or evening walk. The amphitheater at the campground is also really nice if that’s what you are looking for. 

The forests north of the Grand Canyon are beautiful and the canyon itself isn’t too far of a drive at the North Rim. 

Would highly recommend. 

Lovely and Spread Out 

This was a fantastic campground. It’s within walking distance to a store / restaurant / fuel station should you need to purchase some items. The store across the street even had a food truck selling fry bread, and a sweets counter inside the restaurant/store. The campsite is in the Kaibab National Forest. No showers, but there are very clean vault toilets and pump water available. They kept a cleaning log and cleaned them 3 times a day, they also had hand sanitizer available outside the vault toilets. Nice fire rings with grills. Lots of options. It is near a road and shooting range but it didn’t bother us much. We got a very private spot in the first come first serve area, but there were some great reserve options still available, too. I recommend driving through before choosing a spot if you have the time. There was a nice trail within the campground that we walked. It was nice to walk the campgrounds, too. They sell firewood &amp; will bring it to your site. The camp hosts were amazing. Very friendly and kind. And ran a tight ship.  Quiet time was actually quiet, that’s always a super plus to me. I like sleep :-) 
It’s cold at night and you’re at a higher elevation, pack smart and have layers. Enjoy!

Fantastic Campsites & Location!

This was a really nice campground. Awesome camp hosts. They keep the pit bathrooms really clean. Sell firewood at $7.00 a bundle if you need it bit we just drove around and found some. I had a pop up camper and saw some longer RVs in there. I would guess about 30 footer would be about the longest. The reason for the 4 stars is the freeway right next to the campground is quite loud and its a pretty dusty place. Nothing the campground can do about that but it is something to keep in mind. 

Nice campground 

While Jacob Lake Campground is pretty basic - you get a tent/Rv site, fire pit with a grill, and a cement picnic table, it is also very scenic. The campsites are nestled into the pine trees. You do get a little bit of highway noise but I didn’t find it bothersome. At dusk we saw deer go across our campsite (#14) and we heard coyotes and owls through the night. Pedestal toilets were very clean, and those who are picky can also walk right across the street to the Jacob Lake Inn. 

Clean and pretty

RV's &amp; Tents.  Hosts were awesome and helpful.  Firewood available on site for purchase.  Vault toilets but kept clean.  Campsites were nice and space apart.  Fire rings and very nice picnic tables.  About 50 miles from North Rim of Grand Canyon.

Nice and  Convenient

Absolutely beautiful. Pretty far from the Grand Canyon but still tons of great views. 

Scenery was great 

Drove 13 hours from California and it was beautiful. Tons of camping and the scenery never ends. 

Worth it 

Very large sites, separated by high desert alpine pine trees. Sites are far apart from each other giving a sense of privacy. Very flat sites. Mostly self contained RVs here. Quiet. Even if someone runs a generator sites are far enough apart it's still quiet. Half are reservable, the rest first come, first serve. Some sites are right next to Hwy. 89A but gets quiet at night and earplugs protect against the random late night passing truck. Immaculate pit toilets. Gas station and store across the street. 

Large, private sites

Stayed 2 nights as part of a larger road trip, passing through the area. Campground is conveniently located to do lots of activities around Kaibab NF or North Rim GC. We even drove down to Vermillion Cliffs. Hosts were very nice. We reserved and we just checked in with host who jotted down our license plate. Our reservation was already posted at the site. Our campsite was on the inside of the loop but on the side of the loop closest to Hwy 89A. The road noise is constant even into the night. All the RVs and large trucks are very loud on the road. Definitely not a peaceful escape. We were in a tent but I’d say 90% of sites had trailers or RVs. There are nice trees around but there really isn’t much separation or privacy with the sites. The bathrooms (vault toilets) were super clean. Cleaning log posted shows them being cleaned or checked 4x/day. Hand sanitizer available as well as water spigot. Trash cans and dumpster also within our loop. There is also a short trail leaving from the campsite. We didn’t get a chance to hike it but it looked nice. Gas station right across the street. Definitely recommend as a good stop over or basecamp for exploring the area but because of the road noise it’s not really a relaxing spot and we didn’t get a good night sleep in our tent. Maybe in a trailer the sound wouldn’t be so bad. 

Clean, but noisy!

This was such a quaint friendly campsite. The woman here was by far the sweetest. They sell ice cream treats and ice too, with pristine vault toilets and sinks. We had such a nice quiet stay. The tent sites are all very close together but because it was empty, we had a wonderfully quiet stay camped between some trees. And yes fire rings were amazing considering the no fire restrictions all around the area. It’s about an hour from North Rim Grand Canyon which is highly recommended. We went out onto Bright angel point. There were other camp sites further in toward the rim, but they didn’t come up on the Dyrt so not sure their availability. Overall it was a great spot. 

Quaint, friendly and near south rim 

The staff was so sweet and friendly, felt welcomed from the start. Beautiful wooded area, fire rings but no grates, we brought our own.. (still great to have fire ring considering the no fire restrictions for boon-docking anywhere else). Camp was pretty empty for tent campers so we easily got a spot. Normally all tent sites are very close together, but not much traffic or people up here so it was perfect to ourselves with hardly anyone around us in June. Pristine vault toilets and sinks. Ice and ice cream treats can be bought on property, made for a great treat after a campfire dinner. The campsite is about an hour from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and we passed other campsites closer to the canyon that weren’t on The Dyrt and meant to go back to get the names, sorry. But overall we would highly recommend and loved our quiet pretty stay. 
Visit bright angel point at the rim. Insane and this north rim is underrated! Less people and more nature. Five stars. 

Beautiful grounds and friendly!

Great place to camp and unload all your gear before hitting the north rim grand canyon. Can be a little noisy with kids playing but unless you've never been a kid it won't bother you.

 Great area 

This spot is great, easy to access, within walking distance of a store/gas station. There is firewood for sale, friendly staff, clean toilets, well maintained sites. It’s only an hour drive to the North Rim. 

Great spot

Great Host - Outhouses we’re so clean (Helpful)

Cleanest Campground facilities.

The camp sites are very well maintained and are not overly stacked onto each other. The bathrooms are very clean and have been freshly painted as of 8/13/21

Super clean and quiet campground

I stopped here on a long distance trip. The sites are nice, somewhat shaded and easy to set up at. The plus and minus is that it is directly off of the highway. You can see and hear the cars driving by. It is great for a quick stopover. I would not plan a trip for anything more. 

Great for overnight stop

The sites are nice, somewhat shaded and restrooms nearby. It’s very convenient to the highway, however it’s so close you see and hear traffic. It’s perfect for pulling off the road to stay the night. I would not plan a trip here simply because of the location, and distance from the highway.


Good stopover spot

Comfortable campground with pea gravel sites. Level, lots of trees. 7900 ft gets you out of the desert heat. Just 45 minutes outside Grand Canyon north rim entrance. Vault toilets, firewood for sale. Fuel, restaurant lodge and general store within walking distance. My site was close to the highway but the traffic sound was not too bad.

Jacob Lake Campground

Very nice CG facility.  Loop A sites 1-23 are all FF. Loop B sites 24-51 are all reserved. Trash dumpsters, toilets, water spigots, tables, fire rings. CG rds are gravel but no dust somehow. Hosts are onsite. Firewood for sale $7. Sites are $22/$11 senior.  Good cell signal for Verizon and Tmobile but ATT is nothing. 4 stars due to close proximity of hwy 89A and the rumble of Harleys constant.  Gas station and store close by.  The private Kaibab Camper Village RV park is close by and offers showers and laundry for anyone, but lots of quarters needed.

Great CG but close to hwy

We weren’t happy with our initial site (33) because it felt like a pull off on the side of the road with minimal space. Roy our host quickly remedied the situation by helping us switch campsites to a more spacious option (8).

Fire wood available for purchase, generous package of 1.6 cubic feet, best bang for your buck.

Flat surface, with good table.

A bit close to the road, with not a ton of privacy.

Roy is the host with the most!

Both reservations and first come first served. Basic campground surrounded by forest.  Can accommodate large RVs and/or tents. $22 per night.

Great location near Grand Canyon 

Clean park at the corner of 89 and 67. Store and restaurant walking distance. Good base camp for running into the Grand Canyon.

Crossroads campground

We stayed here with our travel trailer in a FF first come/first serve site for 2 nights to explore North Rim area (visitor center and lodge are about 45 miles or, a one hour drive, south). This was a last minute excursion for us, and everything closer to the Rim was full- Jacob Lake having FF sites saved our bacon! The hosts were delightful and it was, in all seriousness, the cleanest campground we have ever stayed in. Their maintenance person took pride in his work, was constantly cleaning/refreshing things, and had the vault toilets immaculate (like eat off the floor clean- really!) We had never seen such well maintained facilities staying in a primitive site. 
There is some road noise because of proximity to the 89A, but it didn’t bother us. Great diner food is available at Jacob Lake Inn (walking distance across 89A with a Chevron station next door.) The hosts recommended the cookies from the inn… Do NOT skip these- a delicious treat! The “chocolate parfait” were our favorite, and our host favored the “cookie on a cloud.” All delightful. 
Nearby- If you aren’t afraid of heights, check out the Jacob Lake Lookout Tower only a couple miles south on the 67.

Cleanest Campground Ever!

Stayed twice recently on a trip to Utah and on the return trip back to Arizona. Hosts were friendly and welcoming. We stayed in space 22 which is FF. Cost was $26.00 per night. Bathroom facility was clean and it was serviced daily. Water spigot available to fill containers or tubs. This location is off the highway but it was not too loud. Enclosed fire pits are in each camp site. We will be camping again here when we pass by.

Incredible Location Near North Rim

We love this place! This is our go to place when camping near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. There are a handful of spots here that fit 40’+ rigs.
DO NOT miss out on the cookies over at Jacob Lake Lodge!!

We live this place!

Had the pleasure of escaping the sweltering Las Vegas heat with a weekend getaway at Jacob Lake Campgrounds, specifically at campsite number 15, and it was nothing short of spectacular. From the moment we arrived, it was clear that this was a special place. Nestled among towering pines and offering a perfect blend of shade and sunlight, campsite 15 provided an ideal setting for relaxation and reconnecting with nature.

The amenities at Jacob Lake Campgrounds were well-maintained and conveniently located. The site itself was spacious and clean, with a sturdy picnic table and a fire pit that made our evenings cozy and enjoyable. The nearby trails offered excellent opportunities for hiking and wildlife viewing, making it a perfect spot for both adventure and tranquility. Waking up to the fresh, crisp mountain air each morning was a refreshing change from the desert heat we left behind.

What truly made our stay exceptional were the camp hosts, who were incredibly welcoming and helpful. Their warm hospitality and attention to detail were the cherry on top of an already fantastic experience. They provided us with valuable tips about the best spots to visit and ensured that everything was in perfect order at the campsite. We left Jacob Lake Campgrounds with our spirits lifted and our hearts full, and we can’t wait to return to this little slice of paradise. Highly recommended!

Overall, it was a fantastic experience that left me eager to return

This is a very nice Forest Service campground, nice separation between sites and the vault toilets are very clean. We’ve seen quite a few established campgrounds with full hookups that aren’t as clean.
There’s some traffic noise but not too bad. Shaded with pines


Forest Service Campground 

Nicely spaced sites and very clean vault toilets , better than many full hookup RV sites 
This is what camping should be at all campgrounds, not the crowded fit in as many as possible to make

Very nice !

We stayed here four nights while visiting Grand Canyon National Park.  The site was spacious, well separated from other sites, level, and directly adjacent to a network of easy hiking trails that we took our dog on every day.  Water nearby, clean vault toilets, and a very short hop across the highway for gas, food, and essentials. Hosts were very friendly.  

Photos of Jacob Lake Campground - Kaibab National Forest

Real photos from real campers