Mather Campground is a large facility with 327 campsites. Each site includes a campfire ring with a cooking grate, picnic table, parking space and room for up to three tents. The campground also has approximately 15 first-come first-served campsites available on the day of the sale for one night only. Check availability in person with rangers during open hours. These sites usually sell out by 11:00 am.
Visitors without camping reservations may not take an unoccupied site. Unoccupied sites are not first-come, first-served. These sites have reservations, but the campers have not arrived yet. This rule is strictly enforced by law enforcement rangers.
There are flush toilets and drinking water spigots throughout the campground. There are no hookups available but there is a free dump station near by at Camper Services. Trailer Village, located next to Mather Campground, has hookups and can accommodate larger RVs. Almost all of the RV spaces are pull-through. Generators are NOT permitted in Pine Loop (sites 265-319).
Winter reservations (December 1-February 29) are now available on Recreation.gov. Any campsites not booked through Recreation.gov will be available first-come, first-served. Prepare for Visiting Grand Canyon During Winter. Roads into the campsite might not be plowed until long after a storm (campsites are never plowed). Pack a winter travel kit that includes a shovel.
Campers must check-in at the campground kiosk upon arrival. Staff will orient you and answer questions. If you arrive after business hours, your campsite information is posted on the window of the kiosk. Take a map, review and follow the rules and regulations which are posted on the back. Check in at the campground kiosk the following day.
Check-in, Check-out and Quiet Hours. Check in begins at noon. Check out by 11:00 a.m. Generator hours are 7:00 a.m. to 9: a.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Quiet hours are from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
Entrance Fee. Grand Canyon charges an entrance fee separate from camping fees. You may pay the fee upon arrival. The park also honors America the Beautiful-the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes (e.g., annual, senior, access, 4th grade, Golden Age pass etc.). For more information visit the park's Fees & Passes web page.
Pass discounts. Only the Access and Senior passes offer a camping discount (annual passes do not). Present the valid pass with photo ID during check-in. Pass discounts do not apply to group sites.
RVs & Trailers. One RV per site. Maximum motorhomes or trailers length is 30 feet (9 m). If your trailer is 30' long, book sites 120, 121, 128, 172 or 185 (other sites will NOT fit a 30' trailer). The campground does offer electric, sewer, or water hook-ups (a dump and water fill station is available at Camper Services ).
Parking. Up to 2 standard-sized vehicles (cars, trucks, motorcycles) are allowed per site. See each site description for details. Park all vehicles in the parking spot provided and keep them on the pavement. Do not park on the road, as emergency vehicles need this access.
Campground terrain is hard and rocky. Sleeping pads are suggested and leveling equipment for RVs is recommended.
Commercial Groups: Conducting business at Mather Campground requires a Commercial Use Authorization. Commercial groups with 7 or more people are required by their CUA agreement to use the group sites in the Sage Loop. Commercial groups with 6 or fewer people may book only one family site per night. All guides must present their reservation number when checking in at the campground kiosk. For more information visit Grand Canyon National Park's Do Business With the Park web page.
Large groups (7-50 people). Book the group sites in Sage Loop up to 6 months in advance. Group sites are tent-only (NO RVs or trailers). Each group site accommodates parking for up to three vehicles. Groups arriving by large buses MUST stay in Sage Loop group sites 1, 6, or 7. The remaining group sites do not have bus parking. Sage Loop group sites 4 and 5 are smaller and allow 25 people & 2 vehicles. Senior and Access pass discounts do not apply to group sites.
Hiker/Biker sites. Hiker/biker sites are provided only to campers who arrive on foot or bicycle. Hiker/biker sites are a communal tenting area with shared picnic tables and fire ring. Registration price in this area is $6 per person per night.
Food storage. Store food in your vehicle or hard-sided containers with lids. Keep styrofoam coolers in your vehicle. Deposit trash and recyling in the single-stream dumpsters provided. Do not leave food or trash unattended or hang it from trees. Please keep wildlife wild. Ravens and other animals will eat and scatter food and other small objects. This can be harmful and possibly cause them premature death.
Campfires. Campfire rings are provided at each site. Collecting wood, pine cones, and needles is prohibited within the campground. Never leave a fire unattended, even for a short while. Drown fires completely before leaving the site. Fireworks are prohibited.
Potable Water. Drinking water spigots are provided throughout the campground. Do not bathe, wash dishes, or do laundry at water spigots. Wash at your site and flush tainted water down the toilet. Do not scatter waste water.
Pets. Pets must be kept on a leash and under physical control at all times and may not be left unattended, even in vehicles.
Clotheslines, hammocks, and sports nets. These must be taken down when not in use. Do not pierce trees with nails or other sharp objects.
Mather Campground lies beneath a tall canopy of Ponderosa pine, Pinyon, and Juniper trees that provide most campsites with ample shade. The campground is one mile (1.6 km) from the rim of the canyon. A visit to the canyon during sunrise or sunset yields spectacular views of yellow, orange, red and violet hues on the canyon walls. Layers of rock display billions of years of geology.
Campers can take a short shuttle bus ride from the campground to the Visitor Center. Visitors can also visit Yavapai Geology Museum, where they learn about the forces that formed the canyon. Below, visitors can see the mighty Colorado River, which flows 277 miles (446 km) through the bottom of the canyon.
Wildlife abounds on the South Rim, including elk, mule deer, coyotes, lizards, songbirds and the endangered California condor. Although condors nest below the rim, they can be seen soaring several thousand feet above the canyon in search for carrion.
Numerous visitor centers, restaurants, museums and shops are within a shuttle bus ride from the campground. Beyond the village, Desert View provides one of the widest views of Grand Canyon and the Painted Desert. The Desert View Watchtower displays the talent of architect Mary Jane Colter. Tusayan Pueblo Museum provides glimpses into the life of a small Ancestral Puebloan village 800 years ago. Both are within 25 miles (40 km) from the campground.
From the campground, campers can access the Greenway, a paved walking and biking trail that leads to scenic overlooks and the Visitor Center. The Rim Trail, a paved walking trail, is one mile away and follows the edge of the canyon for 14 miles (23 km). Leashed pets are allowed on both trails, but are not permitted below the rim.
Bright Angel and South Kaibab trails descend into the canyon from the South Rim (trailheads are a short shuttle bus ride from the campground) and other Day Hiking trails are available. The park's concessionaire also offers day and overnight mule trips into the canyon and along the rim.
Mather Campground is located within the park in Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim.
From the south entrance station: proceed for about three miles (5 km) and turn left on Center Road. Travel 1/4 mile (.4 km) and turn right onto Market Plaza Road. The campground is about one mile (1.6 km) down Market Plaza Road on the right.
From the east entrance station: follow the road 25 miles (40 km) and turn left at the "T" intersection onto South Entrance Road. Travel about 1/2 mile (.8 km) and turn right at the intersection onto Center Road. Travel 1/4 mile (.4 km) and turn right onto Market Plaza Road. The campground is about one mile (1.6 km) down Market Plaza Road on the right.
