Best Dispersed Camping near Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

I was shocked at how close this free, dispersed camping spot was to the entrance to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon!

The location is off the main road, headed to the canyon, about 1 mile south of the Demotte campground.

This spot is only a few miles from the entrance to the Grand Canyon (but about 23 miles to the rim).

Located off a gravel road, somewhat rough but our minivan did fine.

Several dispersed camping spots available along the road as you head into the area. About 3 miles back is a view point of the East Rim with camp bathrooms. Will take about 15 mins to drive there from main road.

I did feel rather secluded here with a large distance between camping spots and not many people camping at the time. We were there in mid June. Weather was nice and cool for us at night at that time to be able to sleep comfortably in our van.

Overall, great spot for free camping!

As a former GCNP employee, I wanted to add a few tips for dispersed camping at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. There is no dispersed camping inside the park but the park is bordered by the Kaibab National Forest and you can dispersed camp on several of the surrounding forest service roads between the park and the Jacob Lake area. 

The most popular roads for dispersed camping are FS633 on the East side of 67 north of DeMotte Campground and a cluster of FS roads off FS22 on the west side of 67 south of DeMotte Campground.  

As of Summer 2022, dispersed camping was also allowed along FS610, 611, and 219 which are closer to the National Park. This is where the park rangers and staff at the Visitor Center would direct campers when the campgrounds were full. However, these roads are not designated as dispersed camping areas on the new MVUM (motor vehicle use map) that was printed Feb 2023, so you may want to call ahead or stop by the USFS office and doublecheck before dispersed camping there as illegal camping is subject to a $5000 fine and/or up to 18 months in jail. 

If it is still allowed, some of the sites on FS611 are right on the rim overlooking the Saddleback Mountain Wilderness. If you head south on FS610 (towards the park boundary) there are only a couple of dispersed sites which could accomodate small to mid-sized travel trailers/RVs. I would not advise going down this road with a Class A unless you scout ahead first as there are limited places to turn around. 

If you continue down FS610 south, you will have the national forest on your left and the National Park on your right. The road starts to narrow here and you will eventually come to Saddle Mountain which is a popular spot for tents, truck campers, and small travel trailers (GoPro sized or smaller) and also serves as a parking area for the Nankoweap Trailhead. 

If you have a 4x4 or high clearance vehicle, you can continue past the Saddle Mountain area on 610 or 219 which both dead end at a bluff, but these roads are very narrow with large ruts and jutting rocks at the end. We parked our vehicle near the bottom of the incline and walked up to the bluff where there is nice flat open area with a view of the Saddleback Mountain Wilderness. There are also a few smaller dispersed camping areas along the road leading up to the bluff that would be perfect for tent camping. 

If you don't mind a longer drive to the park, there are a lot more dispersed camping otpions for larger rigs around Jacob Lake. Our favorite spot is off FS257 on the north side of 89A. We boondocked here for 10 days in May before the park opened. There are only a handful of sites here but if you are lucky enough to get one, they are great!

Just be aware that as of Summer 2022, much of the dispersed area on the south side of 89A around Jacob Lake was closed due to damage from a recent forest fire. Again, it's always a good idea to call or stop in the USFS to get the most up to date information. Their office is located at the intersection of 67 and 89A at Jacob lake. The number is (928) 643-7298. They're super helpful!

Here is a link to the Motor Vehicle Use Map for the area.

Great free dispersed camping immediately outside the Grand Canyon! There are an abundance of sites here, we spent about 45 minutes just picking and choosing our favorite. Please be mindful of the spots that work best for bigger rigs, we just had a tent so we left the pull through spots for the RVs. The sites do have nice fire pits but no established fire rings. There are no facilities here but the Grand Canyon entrance sign which is still outside the park has pit toilets and is very close. We were spending our days in the park so we took our trash to Mather campgrounds over flow parking lot dumpster, otherwise there are gas stations about ten minutes south. We actually found the sites here to be more free of trash then the Mather campground sites we stayed in the two nights before.

Pros -Proximity to Grand Canyon NP -Beautiful high desert forest -Privacy from other campers -Close enough to facilities

Cons -No established fire rings -No facilities -Some litter

You turn off for this site in the Grand Canyon national park. The road then takes you just off the national park onto national forest land - make sure you go through the gates and see the forest signs. Room in the trees for a few vehicles, it was just us for the night and silently quiet.

• Great boondocking campground 5 miles from the entrance of Grand Canyon National Park! First come first serve.
• Super convenient to the town of Tasayan for supplies and food.
• A great alternative if you couldn't get reservations for campgrounds in the area. It's hard to believe this place is FREE!
• North of the Tusayan Ranger District and under a mile from the South Entrance Ranger Station. Walking distance from lots of things
• You can see the campgrounds from the main highway so it can get a little noisy and headlights can be a little distracting in the evenings
• It's a dirt road getting in and can be super muddy during wetter seasons. A lot of people have gotten stuck in the mud. 4 wheel drive is highly recommended.
• Because it was so muddy when we were here, it was a little difficult finding a flat/dry/level spot to pitch a tent. This place is ideal for RV/trailer camping
• Warning: Lots of generators running throughout the evening. Bring earbuds
• Fires are allowed and some sites have firepits. Lots of found wood lying around that can be used as well.
• There are plenty of areas to camp (definitely can accommodate at least 20 different groups) and you'll even have space to spread your legs. 
• There are lots of trees in the area so I'd imagine there'd be nice shade during hotter weather.
• Not as secluded as other boondock sites we've been to, but you can't beat the close proximity to the Park.
• No showers, toilets, running water.
• Practice LNT and pack in pack out. This place had some trash lying around and you can definitely tell it's heavily used. Help pick up trash if you see any and leave the place better than you found it.
• Great cell service with AT&T

We absolutely LOVED camping here. We were able to enter Grand Canyon National Park super early before the crowds and enjoy the views uninterrrupted. This is such a great spot to camp for anyone on a budget who is just looking for a place to rest their head. We couldn't believe how close this was to the Park and that it was completely free. It's also quite beautiful if you can get past the mud and loud humming of generators. If you're in an RV, this place is the dream. We woke up the next morning to the entire campground covered in snow. It was absolutely stunning! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Could only get one night at the Mather CG in Grand Canyon, so we went boondocking just outside of the National Park in Kaibab NF.  It was only a few minute drive from the park entrance, and had nearby access to shops.  

This is a primitive campsite so no facilities, bathrooms, water, and pack in pack out.  There were a handful of campers here but enough space along the road to find a private spot.  There were a few other nearby forest roads that offered dispersed camping but this one had fewer people.

Would certainly camp here again if we can't get a spot in the park.

NFS dispersed campsite just south of the entrance of the Grand Canyon National Park. There may be 6 other parties back here with everyone quietly enjoying the evening. Some wild ponies are grazing nearby.

so many spots! If you pull off of 64 and follow the road back to the Kaibab Forrest sign and there are a lot of dispersed camping spots. There are some trails back there too.

Some people left trash so we picked it up, just remember to pack it in and pack it out.

Great secluded spots with privacy that are just outside the Grand Canyon National Park. Took a 28’ trailer in with no problems at all. Everything was great. The only downside is that during certain portions of the day, this camp was in the direct flight path of tourist helicopters going back and forth.

We accidentally stumbled upon this camp spot on our way to the other one we planned to stay at just south of the national park. When we arrived, there was only one van in our proximity. So surprised that this area is a dispersed camping area (read that they are planning to make this spot paid). The best camping area we stayed at in our three weeks road trip.

This is FS road #205/225 and is the access to an Arizona Trailhead. The FS road is very good graded gravely and runs along a wide flat forested ridge. Dispersed camp sites are scattered along this main road and down open FS spur roads. Nite that FS rules note that dispersed camping needs to be 1 mile away from developed recreation sites on open FS roads per the MVUM (https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/kaibab/maps-pubs/?cid=fseprd490027) but not sure if the Arizona Trailhead counts...there are several great camps within first mile on this FS road. Cell signal is mixed and dependent on your provider and line of sight to Jacob lake area. Verizon and Tmobile worked for me, but my att phone did not. This area is about 7 miles south on hwy 67 from Jacob lake on way to the GC north rim. The nonmotorized Arizona Trail is adjacent to the FS road and runs close to many of the dispersed sites, so this area is great if you want to hike or mt bike the trail.

Aspens are nice but small. This area is part of the Warm Fire that burned in 2006. It is all young aspens now. No shade and somewhat exposed. No cell signal either. This area is also a trailhead for the Arizona trail but no vault toilet here. This is not a good site for dispersed camping IMO. Do not know why anyone would add this area to the dyrt database. A much better dispersed camping area is back toward the north a few miles on hwy to the FS road #205/225. Another Arizona TH is there but area is nicely forested and the TH has a vault toilet. Note that dispersed camping rules say a camp has to be 1 mile from a developed recreation site, and on an open FS road via the Forest MVUM, but not sure if that includes a TH only.

US forestry service road off of 180 right before Grand Canyon National Park entrance. The main forestry road is gravel/dirt and there are many spots available, but make sure you drive past the horse farm. You will see horses and all sorts of wildlife. Sites are clean, but there are not amenities so pack in and pack out.

The marker shown for the dispersed camping on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is incorrect, according to what we experienced this past weekend. The marker that we got here was inside the national park boundary, and dispersed camping is not allowed inside the park.

Dispersed camping is accessed from any of the roads that go east or west off highway 67, the main access road to the North Rim, outside of the park boundary (i.e. north of the park entry gate).

One of the main areas for dispersed camping access is just south of the De Motte campground, which is well marked and visible on the highway.

Unfortunately we didn't get to try out the dispersed camping because we had limited time and stayed in the developed campground at the North Rim. That was an exquisite experience, even though the campground was booked solid. There's plenty of room between sites and you're literally a couple hundred yards from the rim of the Grand Canyon. I'll write a separate review on that site and see if I can get the waypoint marker shown for this entry changed to be more accurate.

Super easy roads with campfire rings. Big beautiful ponderosa pines. Some noise from helicopter tours and some weird 4x4 jeep tours but not bad at all. We wanted an easy pretty campsite tonight and we found it. Thank goodness for public lands! Keep it better than you found it. If you’ve been dispersed camping on the way to GC and need a shower hit up the camper services area, takes cash only (quarters), 5 mins for 2.50.

FS Road #205 at Hwy 89ais also a trailhead for the Arizona Trail. There is a kiosk and a vault toilet of at the trailhead area. The dispersed sites are along FS road #205 as you head west. Several very nice ones along the road, however FS dispersed rules note no camping within 1 mile of a developed recreation site and not sure if that includes a trailhead? Need to consult the Kaibab NF MVUM for open roads for dispersed camping. The #205 road is a very good condition gravel road but side spurs are usually diet two track. No designated sites, no water, trash, or metal fire rings. Cell signal is dependent on camp site and line of sight to cell towers north of Jacob Lake. This area is in a timbered draw so most sites not likely good for cell signal. The vault toilet at the trailhead is a bonus.

The road in says no camping but that’s referring to the immediate drive for about 2 mins in as there is a horse/mule ranch for tourists. Follow the road down and you’ll start to see pull offs where you can camp

The road down is a little rough, we have a 24 ft van that weighs a fair amount and it was fine. Just a good amount if washboards down

The road goes down for why seems like a few miles and the further back the further secluded it is

I would recommend a higher clearance van if going way back but again, mine did fine going down around 1 mile in

The little driveways where you can park can be rough depending on what you choose, and it is fairly rocky so chose your path wisely to not hurt your tires. We found a few spots that would work perfect for my type of van, but if you have a higher clearance you could def. go down a driveway pretty far

It’s very close to the entrance to the Grand Canyon national park so that made it super easy to get there for sunrise!

Felt pretty safe too

Free camping along the rode, we passed about 10 people before coming to a spot from GCNP. Camped next to the watch tower. Our spot was close to road so lacked toilet privacy, but the other spots were farther off the road. Perfect spot to camp and drive 5 minutes into GCNP.

Drive down road. No camping in Grand Canyon National Park, but about half a mile down the road you cross a cattle grid. You’re now in Kaibab Forest and can camp here. We drive 2WD F250 with 30ft fifth wheel

Two ways in. We came thru Grand Canyon Village, so only 0.7 mile on dirt road - but you need to pay for GCNP access ( or use America the Beautiful)

T-Mobile, Verizon and Visible and Cricket all excellent in this area-so good that I don’t see the need to unpack Starlink. But between here and the village we had no cell coverage

Filled water bladder at Mather campground. Looks like I can use their dump station also

This was the most dispersed camping I think we’ve ever done! We came to see the Grand Canyon and didn’t realize just how many places there would be to stay at! This location is not the only dispersed camping area FYI! You’ll see as your driving among the highway that there is many signs pointing you to national park camping! Exactly as the other reviews explained it, you get to experience the great outdoors with all the animals around! Super cold here, but it wasn’t that bad and we were tent camping! Many people around everywhere you went! Cell phone reception was good-right next to the village. We picked up pizza and beer and enjoyed our night here!