South Campground — Zion National Park

Zion’s beauty is unmatched. It is too busy but has great facilities. Most of the campers and hikers are inexperienced and not prepared. But damn is it beautiful

How lucky we got to arrive here with no reservation and actually land a spot from a cancellation! It must of been Gods will or shall I say Gods blessing! What a beautiful spot!!!! Access to the river, bike trail/river walk, Enough space between sites, a wonderful host, and can’t leave out the beauty of nature surrounding us!

We got arrived two days earlier than planned and got lucky with one spot open in the south campground to stay in until our spot at watchman opened up. It was just as nice and provided great views all the same.

People were loud and annoying, sites are close together, and the amenities are there but not nice. Sites are not level.

This campground is my first one. It is very peaceful, the view is amazing close to the hikes and the visitors center. Bathroom are clean.

Planned to stay outside of the park on some BLM Land. Once inside learned of availability for $20 a night. Saves time getting into the park, and the views are worth it. Campsites were well maintained and relatively spaced out. Not enough trees for privacy. Restrooms are a wreck. Not clean at all and bugs everywhere.

The bathrooms were disgusting, with things either out of order or stalls missing locks no matter which building I tried. Not to mention - there was no trash inside the bathrooms, and no way to dry your hands. The campsites themselves all have minimal to no shade, and are pretty close to each other with pretty much no privacy. We could only find one drinking water spigot that worked, and the no showers in such a hot, sandy area was a serious bummer. If you just need somewhere to sleep inside the park and aren’t worried about the amenities provided, this is the place for you.

Booked a campsite a week ago for a Friday night on recreation.gov.  $20 and close to the river (away from the main road).  What a spectacular place; surrounded by majestic peaks.  It's mid-August and the temperature was in the low seventies in the day and retreated to the cozy mid-sixties during the night - and quiet.  Internet was great and the park was very clean.  The Ranger was very polite and well informed.  A half dozen deer strolled through our site at dusk.

Awesome surroundings, clean and large spots.

The campground is nice. The toilet buildings are outdated.

It is a great way to explore Zion. The visitor center is at waking distance. Shuttles into the park starts there.

There are a few trails that start at the campground. But the views from the campsites are already great.
There are nice bike lanes, and that is a great way to explore the park without using the shuttle.

You can't beat the views in this campground. The proximity to trails and the shuttle were also a big bonus. Though, if you want a place that is quiet, I would suggest elsewhere as you can hear the steady stream shuttle busses throughout the day.

It was also super hot during our stay, around 105 during the days, but we found ways to stay cool. Luckily our site had shade, but some others did not.

Perfect location just a short walk away from the visitors center where you catch the shuttle into the park, or exit to catch the shuttle to Springdale. Clean bathrooms. No shade at site 125.

This campground is located a short walk from the Zion shuttle buses that will take you into the canyon. We spent 2 nights here and it was very convenient for Zion access. Made it out on the first shuttle bus out, and was one of the first 20 people to reach angels landing for spectacular views with hardly anyone around.

Awesome base camp for valley activities. Sites are spaced out into natural outcroppings. Lots of wildlife. 

BRING BIKES!

You still need a reservation even in August because it’s still very busy and full! I was at a walk up site, there are 4. Website says it’s 180 to 360 feet from where you park your car. Very little shade but my site was right next to the Virgin River so was able to listen to the soothingwater all night long!

Even in August you must have reservations because it’s still busy and full! I was at a walk in sight, of which there are four. The website says these sites are 180 to 360‘ from where you can park your car. Not much shade, but this camp site is right next to the Virgin River so I was able to listen to it’s wonderful soothing sounds all night long.

I had a great time at Zion. The camping was a little crowded for my taste. The campsite was noisy into the late hours (1 am.) The facilities were dirty, not well maintained. They could use a facelift for sure. The site I had was level, graded and had a great view!!!

If you like to get in touch with nature while camping this is not it. However, if you’re looking for the ‘Zion experience’ it’s here. Nuts and bolts- location is prime! There are flush toilets, drinking water, and few minute walk to the visitor center, shuttle, town, and a couple trails. However, campground is crowded, kind of loud, and almost no privacy/shade depending where you’re at. With adjusted expectations, I’d definitely stay again.

Right inside the gates shortly after the visitor center. This was a nice campground along the Virgin river but like the rest of Zion it is packed full of people. Sites are pretty close together and you really don’t have privacy. From the shuttles you could look into the tents of some of the campers. Our site was close to the road and was pretty loud with people constantly walking through it. It was nice to be in the park and near the river but just a little too busy for my taste. Had pretty nice bathrooms though and a community water pump.

We were thrilled that we managed to get a spot here. You’re surrounded by the park and are in walking distance of the visitors center, watchman campground, a bunch of hikes, the shuttle and Springdale. Highly recommend it if you can get a spot.

The campground is right inside Zion entrance which is very convenient for parking purpose. You can walk to the shuttle to catch it into the park. The ground is rocky and hard so make sure to pack lots of mats or sleeping pads for the ground. Also, it was super windy which made the tent bang back and forth in the wind keeping us up. We put rocks inside the corners since we could not get the stakes into the rocky hard ground. We also were in a no burn time so we couldn’t make a fire.