This 37 site, first-come-first-serve Forest Service campground was quite a find. It's in the Dixie National Forest about 12 miles from the entrance to Bryce Canyon NP.

We enjoy staying in national park campgrounds, but we also love Forest Service campgrounds and decided to try Red Canyon because it's close to the park. Showing up early in the morning on a Wednesday guaranteed we'd get a site...and once we got it, we could have it for as long as we wanted (subject to the usual 14 day limit). We were surprised that the campground was not full in mid-July, but we also noticed that the private campgrounds and North Campground at Bryce Canyon were not full.

This campground has everything we want: flush (and vault) toilets, sinks, potable water, trash dumpsters and showers ($2.50 for 8 minutes, located in loop A with sites 1 through 18). There is also a dump station. Cost is $18/night ($9 with our America the Beautiful Senior Pass). I can't think of anything wrong with this campground.

Our site 22 is a backin/pullin site with no one across the road. Site 23 is 50 yards away and 21 is at least 25 yards away. Other than a bit of road noise, we thought it was the best site in the campground. If you have a tent, there are two places where you can pitch it; see photos.

Site parking is backin/pullin, pull through and parallel.  All sites from 19-37 in loop B except one are on the outer part of the loop so no one is across from you; the middle is green space and the dump station. I like sites 20 through 23 that are against a hill. Some of the sites in the loop A are closer together, and many sites on both loops are next to the highway with a buffer. That is the only drawback to this campground. 10, 10A, 11 and 12 are very close, but it looked people were using it as a group site.

In case you don't know much about the area:

• Shop for food before you arrive if you don't plan to eat in restaurants all the time. The grocery store in Bryce Canyon City has a VERY limited selection and high prices. We're traveling for many months and eat out often, but we need a well stocked grocery store once a week. Other than Moab which has City Market, the grocery stores in the areas near Utah's 5 national parks have limited choices.

• Bryce Canyon NP is the big attraction and rightfully so, but Red Canyon is worth a stop for hiking. We hiked two days in Bryce, spent a day at the stops on the scenic park road, and hiked one day in Red Canyon. It was necessary to get out early in July because the afternoons brought thunder and lightning every day except one.

• Leaving from a trailhead st site 24, you can hike Buckhorn Trail to Golden Wall Trail and come out near the Red Canyon Visitor Center (about 1/2 mile from the campground). Views toward the campground as you hike up Buckhorn are spectacular even if you don't hike all the way up.

• The paved Red Canyon trail is a great bike ride from the campground into Bryce Canyon. There is climbing in both directions, but more on the way to the park. The entire trail is 18 miles and starts about one mile west of the campground.