Irene C.
Traveler
TravelerHomestead Overlook Cua Dispersed
Great views
Great place to stay. Quiet and beautiful. No 4x4 needed.
Camping near Tropic, UT
276 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
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The Paunsaugunt Plateau drops sharply into Tropic on the east side of Bryce Canyon National Park, putting this small town about 7 miles from the park entrance. That puts Tropic among the more practical bases for Bryce, with developed campgrounds, cabin rentals, and a handful of private RV parks all within a short drive of the park boundary. Bryce Canyon campground options cover the in-park campgrounds and the full range of sites inside the boundary, where reservations through recreation.gov are required months in advance for summer dates.
Tropic sits at around 6,300 feet elevation, which keeps temperatures noticeably cooler than lower-elevation Utah towns in summer. Tent sites and Tropic's RV campgrounds both book up fast from May through September. Winter access to Bryce is possible, but many private campgrounds in Tropic close or reduce operations from November through March. Cell service is workable in town but drops in the canyon country east of the plateau.
Best Campgrounds near Tropic (276)
1. North Campground — Bryce Canyon National Park
"The sites are tucked into cozy piney woods that belies the massive red, rocky hoodoos just a few yards away in the amphitheater. "
"I was only able to spend a short time here on my Utah National Park road trip this year but I really fell in love with this place."
from $30 / night
Check Availability2. Rubys Inn RV Park and Campground
"The best best piece is it’s proximity to the Nat’l park - we would have stayed in the park but all the RV camping was closed in the park."
"Our camper was nestled in the trees with a hill behind the camper, where we could also explore."
3. Tom Best Spring Road FR117 Dispersed - Dixie National Forest
"Our family was here for 4 nights with easy access to Bryce, Escalante and kayaking at Tropic Reservoir. We had a blast and enjoyed the site. Very dusty! And loud cicadas."
"Lots of great trails close by and super close to the park entrance - all for FREE! Couldn’t ask for more!"
4. Sunset Campground — Bryce Canyon National Park
"Sunset is one of two campgrounds in Bryce Canyon National Park in Southwest Utah. Bryce is a beautiful canyon and a must see if you are touring southern Utah."
"Sunset Campground in Bryce Canyon National Park is beautiful and spacious, and is very close to some overlooks and the visitor's center."
from $30 - $100 / night
Check Availability5. FR 090 - dispersed camping
"Do not park near the road if you can avoid it. Ruined our time here as groups with dirt bikes and ATVs speeding by. We could eat outside for the dust."
"Literally right next to the entrance of the national park! Magical area, very secluded, sites are spaced well apart, and roads aren’t too bad, though we had a high clearance vehicle."
6. Basin Campground — Kodachrome Basin State Park
"Kodachrome Basin was a very nice surprise for our grand camping tour of Utah this Fall. This place is truly a Kodak moment. The rock structures throughout the park are incredible."
"This is one of our favorite spots to camp in Utah. It's fabulously close to Bryce Canyon NP and a reasonable distance from Zion NP and Grand Staircase Escalante."
from $35 - $70 / night
Check Availability7. Great Western Trail Dispersed
"This is a great location for Red Canyon as well as Bryce Canyon trips, the Tropic Reservoir is also short drive away. If you’re visiting in summer, there’s also Dark Ranger observatory 5min away."
"Based on a map posted at the entrance, we followed the road to find a bunch of spots about 20 minutes down the dirt road."
8. Toms Best Spring Road - Dispersed Camping
"I ended up having a late day at Bryce Canyon and needed to find somewhere close to stay around 5:30 pm on a Saturday in season."
"Large meadow camping/turn around at the 2nd junction with FR646 after the main area of pullouts. We chose FR3625 offshoot."
9. Bryce Canyon RV Resort by Rjourney
"Beautiful hills, scenery. 15-20 minutes from Bryce, without the circus of "Ruby's tourist traps" right outside of the park. Really nice management. Quiet."
"We had a great view from our camp spot and there were nice trails leading out of the park. The staff were very helpful to us, especially as newbies in camping."
10. FS #117 Rd Dispersed Camping
"It was pretty busy when we arrived so our spot was next to the road. One bonus: short off-road drive to our spot"
"Plenty of available sites, many drive through. Many could accommodate our 35' motorhome. Among the tall pines yet enough sunlight for solar panels. Four bars of AT&T 4G."
Drive Time
- 2 hrs 7 min from St. George, UT
- 3 hrs 15 min from Provo, UT
- 3 hrs 49 min from Las Vegas, NV
- 4 hrs 29 min from Flagstaff, AZ
Recent Camping Photos near Tropic, UT
476 Photos of 276 Tropic Campgrounds
Kara S.
North Campground — Bryce Canyon National Park
smzr A.
Sunset Campground — Bryce Canyon National Park
Jazmyn R.
Dave’s Hollow Designated Dispersed Camping
Jeanene A.
Rubys Inn RV Park and Campground
Stephanie R.
Bryce Canyon RV Resort by Rjourney
Elodie V.
FR 090 - dispersed camping
Billy
daves hollow
Anthony P.
Great Western Trail Dispersed
Bobby J.
Dave’s Hollow
Austin C.
Tom Best Spring Road FR117 Dispersed - Dixie National Forest
Tom G.
Dispersed Top of Hill, Skutumpah Rd
Thomas B.
Dixie National Forest King Creek Group Site
Recent Reviews near Tropic, UT
1813 Reviews of 276 Tropic Campgrounds
- Irene C.Traveler
Homestead Overlook Cua Dispersed
Couldn’t get up there
This app in general doesn’t do a good job filtering out areas you need clearance for or 4x4. I’m in a ram pro master. This is the 5th option I tried and couldn’t get into any of them. Frustrated!
- DDan D.
ScoutBauers Canyon Ranch RV Park
Small beautiful place
Quiet small town host was very helpful with directions to the 2 national parks. The fact that using the east entrance to Zion was a treat. We got to the visitor center and only saw 2 other cars. Pads were gravel but real grass between sites. Many sites have mature trees for shade which is unusual for this area
- BBarry S.
GuideBunkhouses — Kodachrome Basin State Park
Nice small cabin facility in Kodachrome Basin SP
I spent a single night in the Willis Creek bunkhouse at KBSP. This is a well maintained and fairly new cabin with most of the amenities you would want. There is a double bed with a single bed above it bunk style, plus a futon that can be folded into a double bed. The cabin also has a table with three chairs, and a small refrigerator and a microwave. The cabin has electricity and lights.
Outside, there is a full size picnic table and a firepit. Restrooms are right next door in the laundromat, where running water is also available. Showers are found a few hundred feet away at the Oasis group site camp area.
There is a wooden bench for two on the front porch. This is great for stargazing and also watching wildlife (mostly birds, squirrels and the occasional jackrabbit). There is a very nice view of the park's red rock walls to the east, Just across the driveway is access to the Grand Parade trail.
There are only two bunkhouses here, making the site very close to private.
The Willis Creek Bunkhouse is listed as ADA compliant, but that really only means there are no steps to climb to get into the cabin. There are no specific modifications to the facility.
- jjeff K.Scout
Grand Plateau RV Resort
Windy
Alliance 29RL 5th wheel. Great park with full utilities. Seems newly installed. Host Manager friendly and helpful. Kanab is just a couple miles away and this view is wonderful. Our second nite of four and just have to say very windy. Maybe the Plateau? This location is just over an hour to both Zion and Bryce. You drive thru the east gate of Zion so most beautiful drive ever. Might try Springdale time. Right at the South Gate of Zion and probably an hour to Bryce. Grand Plateau great RV park though
Tim B.TravelerOld Highway 89 Dispersed Riverside
What's not to like
Easy to find, short distance (about 1-2 miles, along a stream,close to a gravel road with little to no traffic. Oh, there is an upper level camp space and a lower space. Both levels have dropoff to access. The lower level dropoff is steep and offset enough to cause one front wheel to be off the ground.
Joey S.GuideArch Campground — Kodachrome Basin State Park
breathtaking views! But no sewage hook ups on this campground make it a challenge
Overall, this campground was worth the inconveniences of no sewage hookups, and excessive dust and dirt…but we certainly had to be conservative with our water usage more than usual here! They do have some very nice showers near one of the other campgrounds that we utilized since we did not want to fill up our gray water tank too quickly The site we stayed on, also had pretty uneven sand ground so we had to be very creative with our jacks and had to use cinderblocks under some of them to achieve a level spot. Overall, great place- we e-biked all over the grounds and the views are absolutely gorgeous- also- not far at all from Bryce Canyon, which is also a must! 😍
- Joey S.Guide
Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort
Wow, so much to do!
We had a great stay here! They have a beautiful pool, on-site restaurant, Pickleball courts, putt, putt, and even horseback riding! The on-site laundry was awesome as well!
- RRandy P.Guide
Bryce Valley Ranch RV & Horse Park
Bryce Canyon NP Visit
Beautifully maintained park with full hookups. Staff was very cordial upon arrival and had us checked in and to our site quickly. Electric, water and sewer all worked perfectly. Verizon cell service was 2 bars, (adequate, but not great) however, the park’s WIFI was excellent at site 17. Bathrooms and showers were clean and spacious. Roads and sites are stone, but level. Park is only a few miles from Tropic and Bryce Canyon City, which have several excellent restaurants (Showdowns & Route 12 Grill) and markets. Only about 12 minutes from Bryce Canyon NP entrance which was ideal. Overall, an excellent park to stay if you’re visiting Bryce Canyon NP and we would certainly stay again.
Guide to Tropic
Camping sites near Tropic, Utah range from 6,000 to 8,000 feet in elevation, creating notable temperature variations between day and night even during summer months. The area's high desert climate produces average daily temperature swings of 30-40 degrees, with frost possible in some camping areas as late as June. Most campgrounds become accessible in mid-April when snowmelt clears forest roads.
What to do
Horseback riding with kids: Multiple trails accessible from Bryce Canyon RV Resort by Rjourney offer family-friendly rides with mountain views. "Horses across the road. Mule deer out back occasionally," notes R.E., who camped there with family.
Mountain biking at Kodachrome Basin: The trails around Basin Campground provide moderate rides suitable for intermediate cyclists. "Social or secluded... easy access to Thunder Mountain trail loop, awesome moderate mt biking trail," reports Jeanie P. who camped nearby. The trail system offers approximately 7 miles of connected routes.
Winter wildlife watching: For cold-weather campers, January visits to Bryce Canyon area can provide unique wildlife encounters. Teresa A. reports from North Campground: "We spent two nights at North Campground while exploring Bryce Canyon NP. We were basically the only ones out camping here in late January."
What campers like
Modern shower facilities: The shower buildings at Kodachrome Basin State Park consistently receive praise for their exceptional quality and design. "Best is the free, upgraded showers. Like a spa!" says Leslie B., who stayed at Basin Campground.
Stargazing opportunities: The area's dark skies make for exceptional night viewing, particularly at sites away from developed areas. Morgan Y. reports from Tom Best Spring Road FR117 Dispersed that they were "the only campers within site or earshot. A little trickle of a stream on one side and an amazing view of the stars."
Off-season solitude: Winter camping provides a completely different experience than summer visits. Carlisle B. who camped at North Campground shares: "This place is like a winter wonderland if you come during or after a snowfall. Breathtakingly beautiful."
Accessibility to multiple parks: The strategic location between several parks makes basing at one campground efficient. Anna Z. notes that Tom Best Spring Road offers "lots of spaces available with fire pits, beautiful views, neat rocks. Quiet. Close to Bryce Canyon."
What you should know
Winter facilities limitations: Water systems are typically winterized from November through March. Teresa A. notes about North Campground: "Bathroom was open and clean but all outside water was turned off to prevent freezing."
Reservation challenges in winter: Off-season camping requires different planning. Teresa reports: "You have to book through the reservations.gov website which proved to be problematic as they only open up a week or two due to weather changes this time of year."
Dispersed camping safety concerns: Some isolated camping areas may present security issues. At FR 090 - dispersed camping, one camper recommends arriving "by 4P for a guaranteed spot on the weekend. Beautifully shaded open sites. About 3-5 acres/site."
National Forest designated sites: Dave's Hollow area provides organized dispersed camping. Angela M. explains: "Dave's Hollow Designated Camping has quite a few sites but seems to fill up quickly since it's just outside of Bryce Canyon NP. There are designated campsites."
Tips for camping with families
Weather preparation: Temperature fluctuations can be extreme, even in summer months. Emily from Rubys Inn RV Park and Campground advises: "Booked this site for the same day around 5PM! Had a huge tent site and warm showers were a huge plus. We stayed in September and by the middle of the night it was about 20 degrees so bundle up!!"
Playground access: Younger children need recreation options at camp. R.E. notes about Bryce Canyon RV Resort: "A nice little playground, used pretty regularly by little ones. Lots of space to walk dogs out back. It's right on main road but not too noisy."
Junior Ranger programs: Educational activities enhance family visits. Kelley H. recommends: "The junior ranger program was awesome!" after camping at North Campground, making it a top educational opportunity for children.
Kid-friendly sites: Look for camping areas with natural features that engage children. "The campground is beautiful with woods surrounding our site. Lots of wildlife walking around our tent area at night," shares Henry W. about camping at Great Western Trail Dispersed.
Tips from RVers
Solar viability: Many dispersed sites offer good solar charging capability. Tom W. reports from FS #117 Rd Dispersed Camping: "Among the tall pines yet enough sunlight for solar panels. Four bars of AT&T 4G."
Site selection considerations: Not all RV sites are equal in terms of layout and terrain. Beverly O. warns about North Campground: "RV spots are pretty exposed & mine was on a hill w/ only one levelish portion (53). Ended up in loop D tent area (93) and it seems like many camper van folks end up here."
Hookup availability: Full-service sites are limited but available. Kim S. notes about Rubys Inn: "$46 a night for full hook ups... Some spots are shady and some spots are not..." Plan ahead as these sites book quickly during peak season.
Frequently Asked Questions
What amenities are available at campgrounds near Tropic?
What amenities are available at campgrounds near Tropic?
Campgrounds near Tropic offer a range of amenities to suit different camping preferences. Basin Campground — Kodachrome Basin State Park provides stunning views of rock formations in a beautiful setting. Meanwhile, Bryce Canyon RV Resort by Rjourney features terraced pull-through sites with full hookups, privacy hedges between sites, and is located 15-20 minutes from Bryce Canyon. Many area campgrounds include picnic tables, fire pits, and toilet facilities, with several offering running water and flush toilets. RV-specific amenities like hookups, WiFi and showers are available at the RV parks, while more rustic campgrounds offer natural surroundings and access to outdoor activities.
When is the best time of year to camp in Tropic, Utah?
When is the best time of year to camp in Tropic, Utah?
Late spring through early fall offers the best camping conditions in Tropic, Utah. Summer months provide warm days ideal for exploring nearby attractions, though higher elevations can get cool at night even in June. Bryce View Campground — Kodachrome Basin State Park is particularly pleasant during these months, offering incredible views in a comfortable setting. Fall is an excellent time to visit as demonstrated by positive experiences at Rubys Inn RV Park and Campground, with moderate temperatures and fewer crowds. Be aware that the area, including campgrounds near Tropic Reservoir, can get cold fairly early in the fall season, so come prepared with appropriate gear if camping in late September or October.
Where can I find camping spots in Tropic, Utah?
Where can I find camping spots in Tropic, Utah?
Tropic, Utah offers several excellent camping options within close proximity. Dixie National Forest King Creek Group Site is situated near Tropic Reservoir, just 10-15 minutes from Bryce Canyon National Park with good-sized sites, clean facilities, and miles of ATV trails. For those seeking an RV experience, Hitch-N-Post RV Park provides full amenities right in town with walking distance to local cafes. Additionally, there are primitive camping sites available just past Tropic Reservoir for those who prefer a more secluded experience.
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