Best Tent Camping near Marble Canyon, AZ

Tent Camping Reviews near Marble Canyon, AZ

571 Reviews of 12 Marble Canyon Campgrounds

• 

  Jacob W.

  Guide

  Sep. 2, 2018

  Lees Ferry Campground — Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

  Must See but little Shade

  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.

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• 

  Mary S.

  Legend

  Jun. 8, 2018

  Lees Ferry Campground — Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

  Well maintained NPS campground near Colorado River

  Thisis a no reservations campground there were plenty of sites on a Sunday afternoon. Cost is $20….only $10 with NPS senior pass.

  No showers and no hookups but there are clean bathrooms and potable water. The picnic tables have a cabana for protection from wind and dust/sand. We had a site overlooking the Colorado River. The campground is a loop so not all sites overlook the river.

  There are areas for hiking nearby. Lee's Ferry historic area and Lonely Dell Ranch are easy walks. The Spencer Trail is a good hike up a mountain. And then there is Cathedral Wash. One hike takes you toward the Vermilion Cliffs and the other to the Colorado River. The one to the river is more challenging; you really have to pay attention to the cairns because you're in the wash as well as climbing above it. On the way back, there was a one moment of….did we really come down in this spot and how will we get back up!

  Not much food nearby. Marble Canyon restaurant was pretty good.

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• 

  Kelsey L.

  Ranger

  Jun. 2, 2018

  Jacob Lake Campground - Kaibab National Forest

  Dispersed National Forest camping

  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.

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  Nov. 20, 2023

  Lees Ferry Campground — Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

  Great views of the Colorado River

  General: 51-site campground, no reservations. We arrived just before noon on a Thursday in mid-April and had our choice of sites but by early evening, the campground was full. No hookups. 

  Site Quality: All sites are gravel; some are pull-through, some back-in but not all are level. Sites 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 are designated as group sites. Sites 2, 4, 6, 24, 26, and 28 have the same layout (parallel parking for vehicles and shared picnic table pavilion but are not labeled as group sites. Since you cannot make reservations, best to drive around to figure out what will work best for you. A picnic table and fire pit are at each site. Some tables are covered; ours in site 41 was not covered and while we did not need it for sun protection, we could have used it to shield us from the wind. (It was so windy that we were not able to cook/eat outside). 

  Bathhouse: Two located in the campground but only the upper one was open. Basic but clean. Three stalls, two sinks and while there was soap, there was no hand dryer or paper towels, and aside from a weird red light that went on as I was leaving, there is no light at night so plan accordingly. There are no showers; showers, laundry, and other services are available at the Marble Canyon Lodge and Trading Post, about five miles away. 

  Activities: Several hikes but not from the campground. Paria Beach is an easy walk downhill and there is a trail to “Secret Beach” from there but once you reach the end of the trail, you cannot (easily) access the beach. Fishing requires a license. 15 miles of smooth water is open to boaters between Lee’s Ferry and Glen Canyon Dam. 

  Despite the windy conditions, this was a nice overnight for us and the price was right ($10 with senior pass/$20 without)

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• 

  Meggy B.

  Guide

  Apr. 23, 2023

  Lone Rock Beach Primitive Camping Area — Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

  Beach Camping

  Not sure if it’s the time of year or what but there were no entry or camping fees!

  This place is beautiful with tons of room for campers, trailers, tents, ORV’s, and you name it! Driving on the sand was a breeze and only had to use 4WD getting down to the water. Lots of clean private vault toilets.

  We scoped it out during the day and then arrived to set up at night- highly recommend getting to your spot before dark because it was pitch black out there.

  A bit windy at night but quiet and peaceful! Would definitely return!

• 

  Crystal C.

  Legend

  Aug. 12, 2018

  DeMotte National Forest Campground

  Forest Feel But Close To The Canyon

  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.

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• 

  Greg L.

  Legend

  Oct. 12, 2021

  Beehives Campground — Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

  Small CG but close to Page

  Only 6 sites just outside of Page Az. No reservations, sites are ok for TT and larger RVs. No hookups, no water, NO TOILETS, no trash receptacles. Each site has a concrete picnic table. No fires allowed anytime. $14/$7 nite senior....3-day limit. Cell signal is good. Some hwy noise. Lots of goat head weeds around CG. Nice slick rock hiking trails out of CG.

• 

  Laura M.

  Legend

  May. 7, 2022

  Lees Ferry Campground — Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

  Loved It

  This is a really nice simple campground located deeper in the Vermillion Cliffs. Even though we boondocked for free in Marble Canyon just a few miles away, it was worth it to us to pay the $20 to stay closer to the cliffs and the river and closer to some cool hiking trails. There is no water or power hookup, but there is a dump station and potable water just up the road. The nozzle for the water hose was not threaded, so you can fill your jugs but you can't connect to the RV to fill your tanks unless you have a water bandit.

  Heads up: You also need to pay the $15 to get into the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area if you do not have an America the Beautiful Annual or Interagency Pass. 

  Sites and roadway are paved and each site has a picnic table, fire ring, shade structure, and what we liked was there was a little divider wall between camp sites, so you sort of have a little bit of privacy from your neighbor. The views from all the sites are incredible in any direction. Our site #23 wasn’t completely level and we needed to pull out the levelers. 

  Good cell reception for all 3 major carriers, but TMobile was roaming and Verizon alternated between roaming and 1-2 bars of LTE. Campground is first come first served only. We showed up late morning on a Friday and about 1/2 the sites were available.

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• 

  Annie C.

  Legend

  Jun. 9, 2017

  DeMotte National Forest Campground

  DeMotte Campground, North Rim Grand Canyon

  I am still amazed that we were able to get a campsite at this popular campground just seven miles from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I loved how super clean it was with very attentive hosts. There are two loops and while it's a first come first pick set up, the campers and rigs seemed to stay in the lower loop and it was tents only on the upper loop while we were there. Just vault toilets and water, no showers, but showers were available at the campground in the Park. We had quite a few mule deer hanging out on the outskirts of our campsite, and even spotted some of those cool tassel-eared Kaibab squirrels. There is more shade in the upper loop than the lower loop, and while there wasn't really enough understory for a lot of privacy, the camp sites were nicely spaced apart. There was a nice little general store/gas station a little ways down the road if you need some supplies.

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