Best Dispersed Camping near Grand Canyon, AZ

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.

On our way around the west from Louisiana our first major stop was the Grand Canyon. After a long day of driving and exploring we needed a spot to set up for the evening. I came across this spot on here and it did not disappoint.

This spot was just off of our route out of the park. Off 64/desert view dr. Turn onto coconino rim road / fire rd 310 and go down the dirt road until you cross over the cattle guard. We found a lovely spot right by the Kaibab national forest sign.

The spots are not clearly marked but one had a picnic table. Some had fire rings, although there was a burn ban due to the Dragon Bravo Fire at the north rim.

We set up and had a very peaceful sleep. It got a lot cooler in the evening into morning. The morning was slow, which never happens. We sat around listening to nature come alive for the day while we made breakfast and charged our battery packs.

All in all, highly recommend this spot. My Honda odyssey did great getting back there. There are no facilities and no hook ups.

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

We decided to disperse camp for the weekend of Halloween. Weather was beautiful, but cold during the evening due to the moisture in the air. The location is literally a few minutes off the 89A, not too hard to miss the service road turn off. We checked out the other sites about a mile in and everything was a little wet/muddy, so we decided to set camp at this location. According to Kaibab NF MVUM, dispersed camping is allowed along open FS roads (https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/kaibab/maps-pubs/?cid=fseprd490027)..)

Space is very open with trees surrounding the area. This spot has a trail nearby, so we had seen a few hikers throughout the weekend. Previous campers created a firepit, but make sure to check with the North Kaibab rangers on fire restrictions (https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/kaibab/alerts-notices)..). Surprisingly decent cell service(Tmobile/AT&T).

About an hour and half to Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon. Along our trip there, we also went to Vermillion Cliffs/Marble Canyon. Very beautiful, must see places.

FR688 

Tusayan, AZ

35.9252565, -112.1247050

Ponderosa Pines in Kaibab National Forest. 

Saw at least a dozen bigger rigs with better backing skills than us tucked away from the road. 

Lovely to see trees after 2 months  of desert. Had cows fairly close, deer in the distance. Lots of birds.

Verizon 1-2 bars, ATT showed 1 bar but was unusable. This was fairly close to the entrance with no booster.

Grounds reasonably clean, I've  seen worse. 2 grocery bags over 14 days of broken glass, nails, plastic, used foil, beer caps, shell casings etc on my walks.

Several spots have nice firepits.

There is some road noise, but not bad.

Close to GCNP & free. If you have a pass, use the left lane for quicker entry.

Restaurants & groceries  in the area are at tourist prices, bring what you need or be prepared for sticker shock.

Propane is available at the RV park just past the general store. 

We refilled water jugs inside the park at their Spring Water stations each time we went. Laundry at Mather Campground. 

Definitely do Desert View Drive while in the area. Gorgeous views & able to get away from the masses at Grand Canyon Village.

Would stay again if in the area.

If coming in late for longer than 1-2nts. Take the 1st spot you can fit into & scout out the next morning. Lots of car/van campers were just here for the night, and there are many easy spaces tucked back from the road that are hard to see from the road when towing. We parked just off the road near the entrance and grabbed a great spot 48hrs later when some neighbors left.