Top 10+ Glamping near Springdale, UT

Did you know that a lot of Airbnb listings have their own websites OFF of airbnb where you can book them for much cheaper since you aren’t charged an Airbnb service fee? I did, but totally forgot to check for this yurt. Shoot! 

We checked in to the yurt on our way to Bryce canyon which is half an hour away. The location was tough for us to find, especially considering that we had some traffic behind us so we couldn’t slow down too much as we looked for the driveway. The sign that they have does not have great visibility so we definitely missed the driveway going past it both directions. It definitely helps to familiarize yourself with the buildings on the other side of the road as landmarks if you are going to be coming and going frequently from here. We used a“no passing zone” triangular sign that was kind of by the driveway as our more immediate landmark. 

Jeannie and her husband live in the center yurt and are friendly, but they give you your space. Of all of my airbnb experiences where the hosts were on-site they were by far my favorite. It is really hard to find hosts that strike the perfect balance of friendliness. Apparently the 3 yurts on the property used to be an art studio and they have converted the two side yurts into liveable spaces. We stayed in the studio yurt which was cheaper, the deluxe yurt is more spacious and includes a couch and its slightly more removed from Jeannie’s yurt so your deck is more private.  A mini-fridge, microwave, and other kitchen small appliances that we didn't use were available.  

The BEST part of this yurt was the view from the deck. We passed up a sunset in Bryce so that we could hang out here instead. My husband spent a significant amount of time taking slow-mos of their hummingbird visitors- there were A TON of them. The other great thing is that there is a washer and dryer. It took me a while to figure the washer out since water would not run unless the lid was closed. It was great to be able to get laundry done in the middle of our trip while we could lounge on the bed watching tv instead of having to go to a laundromat- there is also wifi available! We would definitely stay here again, and if you look at their website you can see some other nearby cabins/tipis that are available to rent.

We choose duck creek due to the proximity to Zion and Bryce Canyon and it was an hour or so from each. This was a nice quite spot, but at the end of June it was freezing! In the mornings it was around 37 degrees, I had to jump in the truck to warm up! No showers or cell service, the bathrooms had running water and were clean. We never found any showers or laundry in duck creek village as the site suggested and there was no one to ask. We found a nice RV park in hatch where we had showers for 5.00 each, laundry was also reasonable there. They had picnic tables and a fire pit which was nice.

The park itself is nice. Full hook ups, heated pool and hot tub. Restrooms and laundry on site. Propane also on site. There are also a series of fenced in dog parks (3). So if you have dogs that don’t get along with other dogs that’s a plus because you can just go in a different one. The wifi is kind of hit or miss sometimes though. When the park is full at peak times good luck streaming anything. Staff is very friendly and helpful. I wouldn’t spring for the back in river spots unless you just want privacy behind you. The view for us isn’t that great as there is a rock wall behind you so your view is actually of that unless you have a very big rig. It is very close to Springdale and Zion National Park which is very convenient and why we chose it so four stars.

We were just looking for a place to sleep, checked out the first camping outside of Zion east entrance and decided to check out the next closest one according to info from the Zion ranger. Info said 2 miles, but more like 7-8. Upon arrival my kids eyes lit up and we booked 3 mid week nights. Free, private hot showers. Dish was station. Free pool and hot tub, ball sports, playground and fitness trail. Pay for stuff like bungie trampoline and rock wall and put put. 2 camp stores recently equipped, even individual beers(4%). Our site was a little small, tent was to close to the fire ring to feel comfortable with a fire. We peaked at the glamping tents and were jealous, maybe next time. Great spot at $30 a night plus taxes etc.

I have stayed here twice in 2020. Once in January and again in July. I haven’t stayed in an rv but they do have glamping tents and tiny houses to rent on Airbnb for reasonable prices.

This place is about 45 minutes from Zion National park and 2 hours from Bryce Canyon.

There’s a laundry room for you to do laundry (bring your own quarters) and the bathrooms are nice and clean. You don’t get as much privacy for the showers as I’d prefer but it’s not that terrible since I think only Airbnb guests uses the restrooms and not the rv guests. WiFi was available for us which helped plan our hikes.

There are tables around the laundry room building to sit at and relax. It’s a very quiet campground too which made sitting out in the evening very peaceful. The owners are so nice and accommodating. Cell service was okay but goes in and out (1-2 bars for Verizon)

Who should stay here?

• Tent campers: Sites were a good size, even for multiple tents people pitched. My favorites are 68, 71, 72 and 74, walk to sites along the Virgin River that are a very short distance from parking. Full shade sites 68 and 74 are fantastic sites as long as you don't mind the Pa'rus Trail traffic. See photos. Hammock users, there are rules emphasized by the host when you check in; see photo.

• Small units such as truck campers, popups, campervans and small Class C campers. Our teardrop trailer fit well.

Best feature: You don't need your vehicle after you arrive. Walk to shuttle bus stop 5 to 10 minutes away at the Visitor Center where you have to take a shuttle to get to the hikes and views north of the VC. From the VC, walk into Springdale where there are restaurants, one craft brewery/restaurant, a couple grocery stores, showers and laundry. There is also a free bus system in Springdale that runs to/from the park entrance near the VC.

Our sites (73 and 70) had a 19 foot maximum vehicle length listed on recreation.gov. We could tell from the online photos that our teardrop would fit just fine even without turning it sideways. Pay attention to online photos and specs if you want shade. Many sites are in full sun, but we had partial shade at #70.

Reservation policy: Reservations can be made two weeks before your stay, and you can only reserve three nights. We reserved a site for three nights and then waited three days to reserve a site for two more nights. Not all reservable sites will be available when you log on recreation.gov two weeks ahead of time because people have already made reservations for multiple nights. If you're a planner and electricity is important, you can make a reservation 6 months ahead of your stay at Watchman Campground across the river from South.

Walkup: about 30 sites are not in the reservation pool. As we left at 7 am on a Friday morning, 10 vehicles were waiting to grab a spot.

Amenities: Flush toilets, running water in the bathrooms and potable water. Only 2 of the 3 bathrooms were open, and they were never very clean a few hours after the morning cleaning. You can walk less than 10 minutes to Zion Outfitters and shower for $4 for 5 minutes.

Don't miss:

• The Narrows: In the summer, catch a shuttle as early as 6 am so you can hike in without a lot of company and beat the heat.  Shuttle line is long (think Disney) by 8 am but short in the early afternoon when it's hot. You can rent equipment (boots, neoprene socks and a hiking stick) in town. IMO the stick is a necessity even if you have good balance. I wore my hiking boots and socks and used my trekking poles. I had no rubbing/blister problems with wet socks on an 8.5 mile hike.

• Watchman 8 am hike with a ranger was easy but informative. We learned about the recent storm (7/11/18) that caused quite a bit of damage and closed several trails.

• Observation Point from Weeping Rock shuttle stop is an 8 mile roundtrip and has 2100+ feet of elevation change but is worth the effort, especially if Angel's Landing is closed as it was in late July 2018.