Best Tent Camping near Jacob Lake, AZ

This is a common area for rafters to run the river and take a break. It's also a good place to witness the power of the Colorado River. There are only two ways to get to the Granite Rapids Primitive Campsite- ride a raft or hike a trail. We hiked from the Grand Canyon South Rim starting at the Hermit Trail trailhead, down the Hermit Trail, to the Granite Rapids campsite. The descent down the Hermit Trail requires hiking down a rocky trail with some rough dirt or stone steps. There are segments of the trail with exposure and steep drops.

Along the way, you'll see dramatic views of the Grand Canyon and a variety of rock formations and geological features. In the spring there were some beautiful flowers budding on the cacti. There are no real facilities at this site, the beauty of this site is that it is rustic with great views and there will likely be no one else around. There is no water available along the trail until you reach the bottom of the canyon and the Colorado River. It is possible to take a detour to collect water near the Monument Creek campsite. 

The NPS recommends that people do not try to day hike (in one day) to this location from the South Rim trailhead. The hike down is simple enough, but the hike up is steep, rocky, has no water and is not often traveled by other hikers or the rangers. The water and rapids are fast, so exercise caution if you enter the river.The site is a primitive campsite so you simply find a clear area and pitch your tent. Leave No Trace principles should be applied.

Fantastic campground if you’re on your way to Grand Canyon, Antelope, or Southern Utah.

This campground sits on a hill overlooking the majestic Colorado River. Lee’s Ferry is the primary take-off Point for rafting the mighty Colorado.

This is a typical fee campground, yet can be quite popular so Rangers frequent the area often. Camp grounds and decently spaced, and come with grill, picnic table, and a little Ramada. BEWARE, Ramada and camp ground area offer MINIMAL shade, so bring an extra tarp or shade set up.

About a quarter mile hike from the camp ground is a beautiful beach area, with sand and all. It is the Colorado, so know the water temp stays low and cold even when it’s 115 degrees out! Swimming is an absolute, but other caution is force of the water, so watch the little ones!

There are also endless hikes in the surrounding slot canyons. Lee’s Ferry is very dog and kid friendly, but keep your pup on leash as those Park Rangers are always out (yes I felt need for second warning)

I have always encountered extra friendly campers here, and there are pit toilets.

To get to this backcountry campsite one must hike along the Tonto Plateau to reach this primitive site. The site is nestled within a riparian zone. The site is a primitive campsite so you find a clear area and pitch your tent. There were some hard packed areas to pitch a tent on top of the flat rock and near the cottonwood tree. Leave No Trace principles should be applied. There is no water source at this site, so you must carry in your own water.

We hiked from the Grand Canyon South Rim starting at the Hermit Trail trailhead, down the Hermit Trail, across the Tonto Plateau to this campsite. The hike from Monument Creek is mostly at the same elevation with some ups and downs. Be sure to load up on water when you leave Monument Creek.

Along the way, you'll see dramatic views of the Grand Canyon and a variety of geological features such as copper shale and rock formations. In the spring there was some beautiful prairie grass along the plateau. There are no real facilities at this site, the beauty of this site is that it is rustic with great views and there will likely be no one else around.

FS road #257 is on the Kaibab NF motor vehicle use map (https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/kaibab/maps-pubs/?cid=fseprd490027) as open to public. It is a good graded gravel road but does have some clay so beware after wet conditions. Nice forested flat ridge area with many options for dispersed camping with TTs and RVs. No designated sites, no tables, fire rings, trash dumpsters or water. There is a vault toilet at the Arizona Trailhead across Hwy 89a from FS road 257. FS road #257 goes into a fire burned area about a mile or so north and you lose the tree shade canopy. The best thing about this area is the great cell signal. Only a couple miles to Jacob Lake which has fuel, ice, snacks and a restaurant. This area is also the route of the Great Western motorized trail and the nonmotorized Arizona trail is close by also.

There are only two ways to get to the Hermit Rapids Primitive Campsite - hike a trail or ride a raft. This campsite may be reserved through the National Park System (NPS). The NPS recommends that one not attempt to hike from the trailhead to this area and back as a day hike due to the steepness and potential mid-day temperature. You may see rafters passing through the rapids. Our group hiked from the Grand Canyon South Rim starting at the Hermit Trail trailhead, down the Hermit Trail, to the Hermit Rapids area. The descent is about 4000+ feet. The descent can be pounding on one's legs, so trekking poles are highly recommended.

The decent down requires hiking down a rocky trail with some rough dirt and stone steps. Along the way, you'll see steep canyon walls, desert flora and amazing panoramic views of the Grand Canyon. There are no real facilities at this site, the beauty of this site is that it is rustic with great views and there will likely be no one else around. There is no water available until you reach the bottom of the canyon and the Colorado River so be sure to start your hike with 2 to 4 liters of water. It is possible to take a detour to collect water near the Monument Creek campsite.

The site is a primitive campsite so you find a clear area along the beach and pitch your tent. Leave No Trace principles should be applied. The water and rapids are fast, so exercise caution if you enter the river.

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.

I have camped at a number of campgrounds near the Grand Canyon in pursuit of finding the best fit for my many travel associates and followers of my blog. I found that this campground checked a lot of boxes for me in that it wasn't directly in the Grand Canyon and was a little smaller than the popular sites which can become a little overcrowded feeling during peak seasons. It is located in the Kalibab Forest just outside the of the Canyon area.

The area is green and full of life with nice pad sites equipped with fire rings and picnic tables. The area I pulled into was tent site #32 which was a couple sites over from the toilets and trash station. I like to be close enough to walk but not right beside where the traffic of other campers walking by constantly keeps me awake. This site was backed right into the trees and pretty clear overall.

The sites here feature drinking water near the restrooms but no hook ups on sites, which is perfect for my needs. I really enjoyed the layout of the campground and the loops which made it feel a bit smaller than many other campgrounds I had checked out.

I did notice this campground isn't one you can check out after mid October because of the weather in this area and road conditions, so I wouldn't recommend trying it out close to that deadline but when I was there in May it was perfect!!

TIPS:

• Walk in VS Reserved is a big question people will ask so I always suggest doing your research in advance especially if you are traveling in the more limited RV sites. All reservations for this site are made through recreation.gov and I did notice that while several of the tent loops are walk in only the RV site are not.

• There are animals in the area so remember to leave no items loose in your camp overnight. We saw several elk and raccoons.