Best Tent Camping near Tuba City, AZ

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.

A friend and I stayed at Mather for two nights in January on our cross country road trip from NC to CA. The temperature got into the 20’s at night, so it was chilly, but we had layers, sleeping bags, and blankets. The campsite had a picnic table, a fire ring, a grill cover for the fire ring, and bathrooms nearby. The bathrooms had flush toilets and sinks along with a water spicket outside. There was also a facility near the campground with pay hot showers, laundry, and nicer bathrooms. I loved the location of this campground because it was so close to everything! It was near the market, bus stop, visitor center, and the middle of the South Rim. Would definitely stay there again!

We stayed at Mather Campground in mid-September, and the weather was (mostly) perfect! The park itself and the campground were fairly calm by Grand Canyon standards, and the campground especially was very quiet. We stayed in Juniper Loop, which is a tent-only nonelectric loop. We definitely saw our fair share of vans and small RVs, but we didn't hear a single generator, which is always a plus!

The campground itself is very accessible to most of the activities on the South Rim, and there are shuttle stops near the campground if you choose to take the shuttles rather than driving your own car (a good idea, especially in the summer when the park is PACKED). There are nice big concrete picnic tables (which I like, because you can actually clean if you spill or there's bird poo) and nice fire rings in every site. The roads throughout the campground, including parking areas at each site, are paved.

We were there right in the middle of the elk rut, and it was fun to hear elk bugling and see them wandering through the campground. When we went to shower one morning there was a bull elk hanging out in the parking lot too!

The bathroom facilities here are flush toilets, and the bathrooms are kept clean and well-stocked. The shower facilities are coin operated, but clean and warm and well planned out with good curtains between the actual shower area and the changing area. The coin operated laundry is in the same building as the showers, near the entrance to the campground.

The only bummer we personally experienced was that it started raining early (4am ish) on the day we left, and continued to rain for the rest of the day. This certainly isn't a reflection on the campground at all, in fact the hosts were very generous about letting us stay a little past normal checkout time to see if it would clear up and allow our tent to dry before putting it away. We were a little surprised to experience so much rain, but we still had a great time at the park!

Camping at the Grand Canyon is a must do for any traveler seeking the views of a lifetime. When I called to inquire reservations were highly suggested. When we arrived we understood exactly why, the campground at Mathers was at capacity.

When we pulled in there was a line assembled to check in during the late afternoon. Though long it went quickly and by the time I had made it to the front with my reservation the park ranger was quick to give me a map and directions.

Our site for the next two nights was 109, a primitive tent site on the third loop. When we arrived it was clearly marked and easy to navigate into with our small car. The only confusion came when attempting to identify where our tent was supposed to be positioned. There was no clear cut tent pad designated so we found the best area and set up for the stay.

The ground here was hard and rocky, much more difficult to drive in tent stakes. The grounds themselves contained nice tree coverage and a picnic table and fire ring.

Despite the harsh feeling of the rocky ground, when it was time to sleep we slept very well. The wind had been very aggressive when we first arrived but had died down since our arrival. I do recommend a bed roll or bed pas for sleeping which gives a little cushion. Our set up was perfect with some of the heavier blankets lining the floor for cushion.

Bathrooms were only about 75 yards from our campsite and were accommodating for both flushing toilets and pay showers. I do recommend bringing quarters if you plan on using the facilities for showers.

There is also an onsite laundry facility at the check in station.

The camping ground is positioned on the blue loop shuttle which will take you pretty much anywhere else you would like to go once you get into the park. I strongly advise using this system rather than driving to each lookout because parking can become difficult at lookouts.

Don't expect a ton of cell service in the mountain region. Cell service was hit or miss depending on what area of the camp or trails we were in, but that can be expected with the remote nature.

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All in all we give this a 5 of 5 Bunnies for the well maintained roads, site spacing, clean facilities and helpful staff.

For more information about the campground and also the Grand Canyon adventure we took check out these videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byMOIVZxZe0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wUJGh4Cy1w

We camped at Mather Campground a couple of years ago when my brother was driving from California to Boston, MA for his big move. He and his girlfriend reserved a site in Mather for a couple nights before heading to New Mexico to visit her family before the big move. My boyfriend and I️ decided to tag along LAST MINUTE for the first leg of their journey and join them in the Grand Canyon, as I️ had never seen it before.

Had we not been able to stay in the site my brother had reserved months in advanced, there is no way we would’ve gotten a site so last minute. GCNP is an extremely busy NP year round, and during the non-snowy months the campgrounds are packed with campers. With that being said, and considering how huge Mather Campground is (there’s hundreds of sites!), the campgrounds did not feel like a sardine can - I️ was surprised by the spacious site lots, we had plenty of room for two tents on the site, even having two vehicles.

Most of the campsite loops that I️ saw are amongst trees, but they do not provide total shade coverage or privacy from your neighboring sites. There were definitely enough trees to set up a hammock, so if you have one, bring it along! It would also be easy to string up extra tarps for shade or cover from potential storms.

Each site had a fire ring and a picnic table (be aware that fire bans are put into place at certain times during the year, so you may not be able to use that fire pit). The plumbed bathrooms were clean, and coin-operated showers are available right outside the campground, along with laundry facilities. There is a well-stocked general store inside the NP which is handy if you need to replenish your camp kitchen or if you forgot something. There are also restaurants available inside the NP village.

There is a shuttle station right outside of Mather, only a couple minutes away by foot. All of the NPS shuttles are efficient and timely, we like to utilize them whenever we are in a NP, wether you have to or not - using the shuttle decreases the congestion and pollution inside the national park, and keeps wildlife, cyclists, and pedestrians visiting the park safer. The GCNP shuttle can take you all around the Grand Canyon - it’s a great way to see the park!

The noise pollution from the road isn’t terrible inside the campground at night, road can be heard - there is a lot of travel in and out of GCNP. Also, campers rise early early to catch the sunrise over the canyon or to beat the heat while hiking, so there is definitely a bit of noise made about the campground in the early morning hours.

Be mindful that the Mather sites do not have any sort of food lockers, and there are a lot of critters running around the campground including rodents and elk! There are quite a few BOLD elk roaming around the campground and NP - they seem pretty darn comfortable around people, and go through campsites looking for food and water. Even though they seem relaxed and tame, the elk are still very large, wild animals, and can do some serious damage if provoked. DO NOT approach them, and be respectful and leave them plenty of space. The rodents are relentless, as they always tend to be - be sure to lock all of your food up inside your car at night!

This area is known to have scorpions, rattlesnakes, and other creepy crawlers roaming around. I️ wouldn’t be too worried about rattlesnakes within the campground area, but you never know; be alert, especially around rock piles and pits where they could be hiding. We did not see any scorpions in the campground, but I️ would still suggest keeping your tents zipped up tight at ALL TIMES and keeping your shoes inside your tent or the car - if you keep your shoes out overnight, or any time, really, be sure to knock them together a few times to make sure nothing crawled inside.

Be aware: the ground is HARD and ROCKY. The dirt is hard and packed in, so it was actually very challenging to drive the tent stakes into the ground, even with the help of the butt of a hatchet. Also - the ground is not smooth, and there’s a lot of rocks embedded in the ground. Be sure to bring a thick camp pad or an air mattress, otherwise you are in for an uncomfortable night.

Dogs were allowed in the campground, many of our neighbors had dogs. We happened to be camping with my brother’s bearded dragon, Iggy. She was used to adventuring with my brother on her leash, so she roamed around the rim of the canyon with us as we explored. She slept safe in my brother’s car at night, in the travel cage they arranged for her.

CAMPSITE SPECS

Fees: $18/night

Plumbed Toilets: Yes

Drinking Water: Yes

Showers: Yes - coin operated

Picnic Table: Yes

Firepit: Yes

Cooking Grate: Yes

Shade: Some - limited

Cell Service: NO

Trash: Yes

Animal Bins/Food Lockers: NO