Top 10+ Tent Campgrounds near St. George, UT

My second visit to Snow Canyon was just as rewarding as the first one. Gorgeous red rock scenery and impeccable maintenance for this lovely box canyon named after a pair of brothers with a last name of Snow. 

During the second visit in May the weather was perfect for sleeping without the tent fly--- stars overhead.

Showers and bathrooms are first class.

Great tent section but strange RV section though--- looks like urban parking lot. 

Excellent staff.

Tent sites are lovely except for site # 28 which is in a "hole". 

Campground is 25 minutes from St. George.

Nicely kept state park, safe, on outskirts of St. George UT. RV spaces are CLOSE together. Tent sites are better, spacious. Showers in tent area have a pull-chain. From their website: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily Phone: 435-628-2255 Fax: 435-628-9321 Management: Kristen Comella, Park Manager Jesse Henderson, Assistant Manager.  Great red rock/lava flow hiking trail options, most are easy/moderate, nice loop through Snow Canyon and around on mesa and back for road cycling. Great mtn biking in St. George area (including a roller coaster ride on hard packed single track: Bear Claw Poppy and Snake Pit Loop trails. Many other trails in area). Huntsman World Senior Games held 2 to 3 weeks in Oct. in St. George. Traffic in St. George can be heavy at times particularly during typical rush hour times.

We stayed here for 4 nights in October 2020 while tent camping.  We selected this location because we were working from the road while also exploring National Parks and this met our criteria.

Pros:

-Less than a 30 minute drive to Zion National Park from here

-Great WiFi from the campground and cell service (T-Mobile)- totally possible to work remotely from here

-Nice amenities including a "social hall"- basically a large living room with some couches and tables.  We worked from here and felt safe even during COVID because there was literally never anyone else in here.  

-Pool if you're interested in that.  We didn't use it, but it wasn't that crowded.

-Store is very well stocked.  Basically a small grocery story and gifty type items.  Prices are not that ridiculous.

-Picnic pavilion/camp kitchen with dishwashing sinks and covered picnic tables

-Bathrooms were updated and had hot showers (though showers have a 7 minute limit)

-Staff was friendly and helpful

-Bathhouse also has laundry (coin operated)

Cons:

-The 4 tent sites are right next to each other basically in a gravel parking lot.  This place is really an nice RV park that then seemed to add in the tent area.  If you don't want to be right next to your neighbors, you will not like this.  That being said, we felt like we were able to be far enough away during COVID.

-There is no shade at the tent sites.  The RV sites each seemed to have a tree, but none in the tent area.  It would be pretty miserable to site out here during the day.  We used the picnic pavilion and the social hall, so were ok.

-Less COVID precautions than I've seen at other campground- e.g. the only sanitizer was outside the store/office- none in the bathhouse, laundry areas, social hall, etc.- high touch places.  They did have bottles of cleaning spray out, but no place had paper towels, so that felt pointless honestly.

Overall, if you're looking for amenities, including WiFi, are RV camping, want a good location to Zion, this is a great place and I recommend it.  If you're looking for a really great tent site, you won't find it here.

Watchman is located just inside the main southern entrance for Zion National Park. It’s a large national park site with multiple loops and hundreds of campsites. The sites are best suited for tent campers and small trailers or vans. They also have park and walk in tent sites. The campground is along the creek which runs through the park. The views from the camp are simply breathtaking and remind me of Yosemite. The hiking trails are world class and shuttle buses system runs within the campground. The sites are very clean and well maintained as well as the other facilities which are first rate including the restrooms, showers, and information centers. The park staff are truly amazing and have to deal with huge crowds throughout the year. They have guard gate at the camp entrance of the camp for passes and traffic control. The park has visitors from around the globe and its proximity to Las Vegas and St George makes for a great day trip. Some of the sites have privacy with small trees and brush depending on your spot. You will have access to fresh water and supplies. You will need a reservation to camp here given the popularity. Zion is an absolute must see and highly recommended. We plan on coming back in the Spring.