Zion Canyon Campground & Rv Resort

Was very disappointed, our room's window literally looked out at the pool with chaise lounges right against the window, opened drapes and HELLO. Small pool with great canyon views but cloudy water. Breakfast okay, just strange setup. Would probably stay elsewhere if we return.

who would ever want to stay in a pricey RV park when the splendor of Zion National Park is available just minutes north in the park itself?

Look up at my profile picture there. That's who.

Firstly and foremostly, we're talking full hookups and cell service. So if the man is keeping you down and you need to work and make money, food on the table, baby needs a new pair of shoes sort of life this is the better bet.

And though we had a fabulous view of the front of our neighbor's trailer--he liked to yell at his dog a lot, and his dog was apparently deaf--it was a bit awkward sharing a communal space with someone else.

However, Zion's majesty does rise up directly behind the park, so lack in beauty this park is not. Also, I saw a killer painting of a tiger in the jungle and a rainbow over it all on another neighbor's rig. You don't see that just anywhere!

I also love me some bar time, and this place is walking distance to a few restaurants and a brewery in particular, where Utah's 3.2ABV laws somehow don't apply. You can also grab the bus right out front and hit the park without finding a parking spot. I doubt your mother ever did that for your birthday.

Did I mention the little river behind it all where you can tune down or frolic about in not too icy waters? If not, reread this paragraph.

That is all!

$42 was the weekly rate. The campground is in an ideal location for visiting Zion, and is walking distance to stores and restaurants in Springdale. The town shuttle stops at the entrance to the campground, and will take you all through Springdale or drop you off just outside the Zion entrance, or you can walk to the Zion entrance from the campground. Verizon and AT&T worked well. The sites are very tight, especially for big rigs with tow vehicles. We lucked out and were assigned to what was one of the biggest sites in the RV park (which was still pretty small). The Virgin River runs around the edge of the park, and just on the other side of the river is the national park's Watchman Campground, so campers from both parks lined the river daily swimming and relaxing. We swam our dog in the river during our walks to keep him cool (temperatures were in the 90's during our visit), and waded across the river ourselves. The location and river were the highlights for us. The site size was the big negative for us. We'd consider returning, but may instead try the adjacent National Park campground next time instead.

Zion Canyon Campground will not guarantee you a river front site, but you can request one and we got one!! Yay!! The river front sites only have water and electric and they are on the opposite side than most hook-ups. Thankfully, we had some extra long hoses and cords. The campgrounds are a bit rustic. As another reviewer stated the sites are a bit close together. The entrance to Zion National Park is about 1/2 a mile away and you can walk to most of Springdale. You can take the shuttle bus into Zion from near here. The one surprise here was when one of those Rotel (Rolling Hotel) buses showed up. They parked the bus next to the bathroom and it was hard to get into the bathrooms or showers without waiting and after they left there was no toilet paper left and the bathrooms needed cleaning. The people from the bus also would walk onto our campsite to look at the river. Thankfully, they were just there one night. They give you coins for 6 minute showers when you check in. As for cell reception, it varied, but overall it was rather good…2 bars of LTE on Verizon and 4G T-Mobile. During the day the Wifi was enough to work, at least most of the time. At nights, like most busy RV parks, you can forgot about trying to use it.

Although we normally prefer to boondock, this has been a great basecamp for the area! We also stayed at the Zion River Resort about 14 miles further from Zion entrance. For me, even though I love heated pools (which the River Resort had), if I came back to stay at an RV park in the area, I’d go with Zion Canyon Campground. It cost less, has river views, better cell reception and Internet, is walking distance to town, and super close to Zion. Oh, and I forgot to mention the amazing canyon views!

Be sure and visit the Koloab Canyons while you are in the area!

Nearby (easy to walk to from campground) good eats:
Whiptail Grill ~ Probably closest place to eat next to the campground. They make their own sauces and salad dressings. Despite its gas station-ish curb appeal, this is indeed a hidden gem. Probably the best food we had in the area!!
Spotted Dog Cafe ~ $8.99 buffet breakfast, great to stop for a quick breakfast on the way to Zion. They also serve dinner.
Cafe Soleil ~ Local and organic ingredients. Great place to pick up something on the way to Zion. Breakfast and Lunch.

First, I'll talk about the pro's. Being within walking distance to the entrance of Zion National Park is definitely a pro, but that's the biggest one there is. The staff are very helpful and friendly, too. And it was nice to have full hook-ups, including Cable TV (although I didn't watch it that much). Plus the views are gorgeous. Now for the con's: terribly overpriced, very crowded and close quarters, DIRT & DUST EVERYWHERE! I have to belabor that one for a while. There was no grass, no soft pebbled rocks, no landscaping whatsoever, just dirt, gravel, dust, dust, and more dust. After a week staying there, it will take me a month to get rid of the dust and dirt, inside, outside, through, and in places I had no idea dust & dirt could accumulate. My poor puppy will take two or three baths to get cleaned. Also, there was NO working WIFI the entire week, despite advertising they had WIFI. I have a feeling it hasn't worked in a long time and they just don't care to fix it. It was terribly inconvenient. I couldn't get T-Mobile cell coverage or Internet except very early in the mornings, either. Also, they had dumpsters situated in two places toward the front on the park, which meant those of us toward the back got to haul their trash a long distance every day with the added bonus of getting dirty and dusty in the process. The town of Springdale is ridiculously overpriced, too. ($5 for a single scoop of gelato!!!) Next time, I'll either stay at a campground in the park if a spot is available or I'll stay 20 miles or so outside the park and have much nicer accommodations for less money.

Our first time RVing and stayed here a few nights. River sites have no sewer to dump but dump station is behind the restrooms. Location was perfect and we were able to walk to the park which is about 0.5 miles away. With 4 young kids it took us about 20 min. Plenty of restaurants to eat. One night, we had a louder crowd next door but most other guests were respectful. Plenty of spacing between river sites.

Reason for 3 stars, it’s a gravel lot. For the amount we spent, they could do some upgrades here. Other than that, great location to the National park.
Our site had a full hook up which was great.

The wifi, Did Not Work!

Other than that, they did have a laundry facility available, and the overall park was well kept.

Planning ahead helps. I booked a river site on the first day available and got a river site which is a super big bonus. Location is so key in Zion especially during COVID times. Getting into Zion on shuttles is tricky nowadays, but plan ahead to rent ebikes across the street at Zion Adventure Company. Keep in mind that sites are pretty close but the great location overrides that and the views are so cool. They have a nice little pool, clean showers, and they sell firewood at the desk.

I assume they overbooked, because I reserved, got a confirmation, saw the charge pending in my account. Then a few days later I see my pending charge cancelled. Called the resort, they claimed they had no record of me, despite my pending transaction and confirmation. Would not recommend EVER, unless you want to chance having a spot or not. We drove days to get here and now we have no where to park, our passes are useless. We have dogs so boondocking in 99 degree weather isn't an option, hence planning for a RV park.

Overpriced for what the space you get, in a tent, you're pretty much on the site next to you. The ground is hard packed which made it hard to get the stakes in the ground. The site next to us were sleeping in their SUV, and they were running the motor at night to keep themselves cool.

Showers are nice, but for the price and the crowding, I'd rather stay outside on some HipCamp property and utilize a shower elsewhere that you can use without camping.