Best Tent Camping near Monument Valley, AZ

This is a really nice campground within Navajo Nation near Monument Valley Park. With tax, we paid $47 for full hookups. Pretty pricey for us, but we didn’t have many other alternatives if we wanted to stay in this area. No boondocking allowed on Navajo Nation land. 

There are a few RV sites with no hookups for $29 available, but you are charged $10 to use the dump anyway. There are also tent sites available. The views from this campground are just amazing, and there are several short hikes from here as well. They offer laundry, showers (hot and free and clean), wifi, and there is a store with some basic necessities. 

A short walk away (about a mile) is the lodge, gift shop, museum, movie theater with a John Wayne movie every night, and restaurant. There’s also a grocery store. The setup is your basic RV park lineup of sites all in a row, but we didn’t mind at all, surrounded by such gorgeous scenery. Each site comes with a picnic table and fire ring. 

Heads up that RVs are not allowed on the scenic loop through Monument Valley. Also that the America the Beautiful Annual Parks Pass is not honored here and it’s $20 to enter.

Car camping options at Lake Powell are tough to come by due to the incredibly steep canyon walls that surround this unique reservoir. We planned a last minute trip to the lake over Memorial Day weekend and visited this campground so we could be right on the water. Thankfully, we arrived early on Friday morning and were able to fight the crowds and claim a campsite. By mid-day, we were surrounded by other campers on all sides. Despite being a large campground and having plenty of sites, it is quite popular and you must arrive as early as possible to snag a good spot. I am used to dispersed camping, so it still felt a bit crowded for us. However, all of our neighbors were super friendly and we were just steps from the warm water. The location can’t be beat considering the limited options on the lake. Bathrooms are basic but clean and well spaced out. Tons of dispersed sites to chose from, each marked by a fire ring. The road can be rough to get there and to reach certain sites, so I would recommend a high clearance vehicle. Also be sure to stake down your tent, the winds pick up here out of nowhere!

There are no designated campsites. Find a suitable spot on the lake and set up camp! The amount of available campsites changes year-to-year with changes in lake levels. Although portable toilets are available, you are required to have your own self-contained unit if you camp on the lake. There is no potable water available, so bring your own.

Supplies are available at the Marina, gas station, and boat store; however, if you don't want to pay Park-Service prices, take the 10-mile trip to the Off Shore Marina outside the National Recreation Area.

Fishing, Kayaking, swimming, and other watersports available in Lake Powell right at your campsite!

Small campground located in Natural Bridges National Monument, which is located within Bears Ears National Monument boundaries.

$15/night. Self pay, first come first served. There are vault toilets, garbage cans, and plastic, paper, and aluminum recycling within the campground. No water at campground, but the visitor center has bottle and jug filling stations. 

The length limit is 26ft, which seems accurate as our 26ft motorhome fit in the spot but anything bigger wouldn’t have. The loop is narrow as well, so bigger rigs would have a difficult time navigating the campground. 

There are hikes in between the bridges (no bikes allowed on hiking trails) or you can drive or bike the 9 mile loop to see the bridges. 

No cell service here and service in the Bears Ears NM was spotty. The cell booster did not help and there is no wifi in the visitor center/ bookstore.

I received a tip about this place from a friend who camped here last year and it did not disappoint!

There is no website for the place, no email and I’m not truly sure that’s a real phone number, but there are signs for this place along highway 163. It’s really a first come, first serve place. The owner, Kirby, comes by at the end of the night to collect the $20 fee. If you mention firewood to him, he’ll most likely have his brother drop some off for you.

Located just a few miles north of Monument Valley, you’ll be surrounded by lesser known monuments in this campground, including Sleeping Bear, where the campground gets its name. This was great especially right now, given that Monument Valley is currently closed because of covid.

This campground is pretty primitive. There was a picnic table and fire ring at the site I stayed at. There is also an outhouse on the grounds, but that’s as far as it goes for amenities. You’ll need to pack out your trash and bring your own water. The closest place for supplies would be Goulding’s. 

This was definitely the greatest view I’ve ever woken up to!!