Best Glamping near Tropic, UT

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this resort. All sorts of different styles of camping, glamping, or staying in a lodge available. Great amenities, although we spent so much time in Zion hiking that we didn't make use of even half of what there is to offer at the resort. We will be back.

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.

So, take Ruby's with a grain of salt. It's historic, big, and tourist-y. We camped in the tipi (most tipis are ON the highway, so request tipi 10) that was by the lake. The tipi is probably the only secluded camping available. It was fun and pretty comfortable. It was cool at night in June, unlike all the other places we have camped in Utah. Sadly, there are so many lights at Ruby's, you can't see the stars. But, the atmosphere at Ruby's is more like being at an attraction than being outside in nature. Bathrooms are too small and there aren't enough of them to support the campground. There are shuttles to Bryce Canyon park available from Ruby's. There are shops, groceries, and anything you need at Ruby's. If you're used to nice mountain bikes, do t get your hopes up with the rentals. They are in bad shape. Also, there really are not mountain bike trails in the area. Even mountain trails that allow bikes are really horse trails and terrible to ride.

The Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort is a large area with cabins, yurts, a lodge and a campground. The campground is located away from the resort features which we appreciated, so that is was a little more of an authentic camping experience. We still had access to the resort features including a pool, restaurant, and activities to sign up for, which could be a nice feature for some people. The campground area had a small store and great bathrooms and showers. Our site was fairly small but large enough for our small tent and car as well as a fire pit and picnic table.

This was our second stay. We like the terraced pull through full hookup RV sites in the upper back part of the park. Privacy hedges planted between each site in the upper section. 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. Convenient kitchen wash area, showers, laundry in a satellite convenience station for the upper campsites. Cabins and tent sites available as well. Gas, restaurants and groceries available in the adjacent township of Tropic.

Nothing quaint about Ruby’s RV park but they have everything one might need and offer full hookups for any size RV rig. 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. Anyway, it fit the bill and btw for good food go to IDK bbq in Tropic. Just a lost the only good food around Bryce. Bryce Canyon coffee and pastry was good too but everything else we tried in this region was absolutely par or below.

Beautiful campground with tall pine trees & clusters of aspen. Well-spaced & large sites with level concrete driveways (good for RV parking) & concrete picnic table/fire pit areas. Clean restrooms, water on taps, close to Duck Creek Reservoir. Friendly hosts & very affordable. Close to many hiking trails. Love Utah's Forest Service Campgrounds!

Very good park in the small town of Hatch, Utah. Clean quiet park with full hookups and all the necessities. Bathrooms and showers were good and staff was very friendly and accommodating. Recreational stuff at the park was good although we were gone during the day visiting local national parks. Can be very windy at times so awnings stayed in the whole stay(4 nights). Pretty level sites on gravel. Perfect location to do Bryce Canyon(45 min) and Zion(90 min to East entrance) We camped at The Riverside Ranch in a Motorhome.

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. The internet worked well the first day but not the second, we should have paid the extra fee. Cell reception for us was poor throughout this area.

The park was a conveniently located between Bryce and Escalante. We spent.most of our time in Escalante. We discovered a cool coffee shop at what appeared to be a lookout, it was built into the side of the hill. There is.so much to see in this part of Utah, this LOA makes a great basecamp.

Best reason to love this campground: they have a shuttle that picks you up from the campground and takes you into Bryce Canyon National Park. You don't have to worry about driving in the NP, parking your car, etc. It's a great shuttle service that we used and would highly recommend. 

As for the campsite: it was our last stop of our Utah Mighty 5 adventure and we were t-i-r-e-d. Luckily, this place made our last night enjoyable and was a great stop. 

Nothing particularly exciting about this, although I'll add that they do have a swimming pool which was nice to use to cool off after our hike. It was fairly crowded, as were the bathrooms and those amenities. 

Our site was mostly dirt and slightly angled, which wasn't the best for tent camping, but we made it work.

Important to note: it gets COLD in this area, even in the summertime, so prepare accordingly.

There is a road through the American southwest that leads visitors on a “must-see” destination check list. From the Grand Canyon National Park, in AZ to Zion and Bryce in Utah, drivers speed through on their way from one Instagram-able spot to the next. Some of these motorists may notice the small sign just north of Kanab, UT, pointing toward the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, but most just drive on by and head to the bigger parks.

While there is good camping in the SP campground, much of it was dominated (read: packed to the gills!) by visitors with OHV equipment– which is allowed in the State Park in certain areas. We chose to camp outside at a nearby BLM camping area a short 10-mile drive away. 

Ponderosa Grove Campground is the kind you enjoyed as a kid, with sites well-spaced out and offering a modicum of privacy. There is only one small loop for bigger RV’s but lots of room for folks with a van, camper or even a small tent. Remember those? We were joined by many other people who seemed to be making the detour to this incredible location as most folks only stayed one night.  Bring your solar panel as there are no hook-ups.  Very few people were running generators which was awesome to not hear!

There is no water at this camping area, which might explain the ultra-low-cost of one night’s stay. However, the pit toilets were clean and lovely. When we visited, in 2021, this campground looked practically brand new.  And, you can get a shower pass at the state park for a few bucks...totally worth it after rolling in the sand all day.  

The nearest town is Kanab Utah, with all the usual suspects of groceries, laundry and liquor. We highly recommend Escobar’s Mexican Restaurant– excellent! Be sure to swing by Best Friends Animal Sanctuary for a tour of this amazing facility.

Campground Review

Ruby’s Inn RV Park and Campground Definitely the closest campground outside of Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah with all the amenities (absolutely positively everything) and even a buffet and restaurant within walking distance. We visited Bryce Canyon in the off season and it was still super crowded but worth the views and experience! I would highly recommend making reservations well in advance and planning your trip accordingly in the summer. You can catch the bus right outside the campground that takes you straight into The National Park so you don’t have to stress about parking (big hassle trust me). We really enjoyed this campground and would definitely stay here again!

Product Review

As a Ranger for the https://thedyrt.com/, occasionally I have the great opportunity to test and review products. At this Campground we had the pleasure of being introduced to https://morselspork.com/ and Wow.. was my first reaction! This XL Morsel is going to be a game changer.. Let’s get down and Dirty and talk sporks!

It’s length alone is the first noticeable upgrade in comparison to generic double sided utensils as seen in my pictures. Standing tall at 10.5 inches the XL Morsel will give you the ability to scrape, scour and reach deep into a dehydrated meal pouch without getting your hands a sticky mess

 The second thing I personally noticed out of the box was its giant rubber sided spoon, perfect for scooping and teething according to our little. The spork itself seems extremely durable and also able to withstand boiling water temperatures. Not to mention dishwasher safe. The serrated cutting edge is also a worthy mention! It sliced and Avocado great! 

Overall We loved it and we would love to tell the world this this spork has everything the others don't but that’s obvious from the picture comparison. I wish I had an action shot of lunch but I know there will be more chances because  I’ll never leave for an adventure without the https://morselspork.com/ XL again! Even ordered the mini for our “minis” to test on the next stop!

Went to Bryce in June for the annual star festival, which was so unique. Tent sites are find-your-own-spot within certain regions. I wish we’d had time to check out Ruby’s pool and hot tub. Made a lot of use of their laundromat, and the 24 hour one next door. Clean bathrooms.

I thought it would be funny to camp in a teepee one night while passing through Bryce Canyon National Park…

The upside: It was humorous to the three teens/preteens with me; it was a unique experience they won't forget. The warm shower was divine.

The downside: We froze our butts off! There were so many bugs (and no way to close the seams of the teepee). It was in a high-traffic area. People were constantly coming to our teepee and looking in…

It was fun, but next time we'll return to our style of camping: dispersed, remote, quiet.

Large resort complex just outside the gate to Bryce Canyon National Park. Great sites with full amenities and reasonably priced

Great area in the back of the Ruby’s campground with plenty of room for any size RV

Very large campground, most likely to have a spot except in extreme peek time. That said, if you need showers/bathrooms there are 3 stations that will be crowded for the campground size. Full hookup with dump at sites 👍🏻. Pull thru sites and pictures online. Mostly shady with trees.

This was our first time tent camping and this couldn’t have been a better place to do it. The amenities were great and they had clean bathrooms. All the sites have fire rings, and the general store has everything you need that you may not have thought of as a first-timer.

We set up our tent and enos here and greatly enjoyed it! Staff was friendly and helpful. Bathrooms and showers were super clean. Lots of water pumps throughout. Very close to Bryce which was convenient.