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    South Campground

    4.1 (36 reviews)

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    Our tent #52
    Lisa W.

    There isn't much choice when it comes to camping in Zion near the popular hikes. You have South campground or Watchmen. This is first come first serve for south campground . Upon arriving early (8-10am) the entrance booth will say "full" which isn't true. They don't really keep track, go and look for a camp site anyways. Other reviews will tell you to come around 10 (when everyone is checking out) I say its WRONG! Come earlier! On popular days (Thursday-Saturday) come as early as 8! We came at 10 exactly on Thursday and could not find a spot! We talked to some people and somehow managed to find the last (undesired) spot in the campground. Here's how it works: 1. Pick up the envelope at the entrance and fill it out 2. Drive around and stop at your desire campsite and check the yellow ticket on the pole for the date and how many nights they are staying 3. Even if the current campers aren't out of their campsite but checking out the same day, you can claim it by putting your top half of the yellow envelope there (we didn't know this until someone told us) 4. Wait til current campers leave 5. Another option is be aggressive and ask campers if they are leaving Also, everyone is EXTREMELY nice, just ask and anybody will help you. We were shy first but realize it's freaking Utah man, not California. We got help from everybody! Campsite: Really close to your neighbors... Campground is hard and full of rocks, good luck staking your tent to the ground. Our campsite (52) was probably the worst. No shade, and somehow it was continuously wet due to the small creek next to us... So our fire pit and everything near the creek was wet. And by creek it's really not a creek you'll see it. No showers, we washed off in the Virgin river, which was nice and refreshing after a hike! Bathrooms were pretty dirty... Looks like they don't clean it often. But plenty of toilet paper and have soap but no paper towels. Campsite is close to the visitors center... You can catch the first bus out. Which is highly recommended on popular hikes. Campsite hosts are extremely nice! They wave and do their camp runs hourly. Since the campground is so close to your neighbors, make friends or hope you don't get loud partiers. We got unlucky for one night and had a group of Vegas partiers. Easily fit 2-3 cars. Beware of bees! They love meat. We cooked steak, salmon, Cioppino, bacon and they swarmed us. Also watch out for cockroaches at night! We thought it was our campsite but walked around and saw tons everywhere! But only one night... If must be something in the weather for them to come out. We luckily found only one roach in our tent... It's not the best campground but it's a better alternative to being outdoor and not paying for that pricey hotel room. Also look up at night, the stars are amazing.

    A picture is worth a 1,000 words.
    Navid D.

    Just an amazing campsite. Watchman had electric hookups, but our reservations were canceled last minute due to construction and we were saved two spots at the South Campground to accommodate our two RVs that required at least a 35' back in or pull through. This site is perfect and close to all the areas you'd need to use to get to the shuttles and other park facilities. Been to Yosemite and this has by far blown us away. Totally different. And you have cell coverage. That's good and bad however you want to look at it. Bathrooms are near by with flushing toilets and running water. Very clean. Robin Mueller did a great job to ensure we got our spots since our reservations that were made 6 months prior, were cancelled. Looking forward to being back maybe this summer and next year for spring break again.

    View I wake up to
    mong linh n.

    We arrived to zion national park at 3AM on a Thursday. As you enter, the first campsite is Watchmen, it is a walk on, so we checked it out. the sign said it was full, so we just pulled out. we drove around the corner to South Campground, as you pull in, it will say site is FULL, and then theres a sign that says line forms here. You pull up and wait in line until hosts appears around 630-7AM. we pulled up and was the second car in line around 3AM. around 630-7 there was tonsssssssss of cars waiting behind us. luckily its NOT a holiday wknd, so being 2nd in line was wonderful! the host said theres a few spots open, and asked us if we wanted to be near the river. we said YES! we got campsite 82 or was it 92..it was directly across the opening to the river. and close enough to the restroom. and it is steps away from pra rus trail? which leads to the visitor center and the shuttles (10 mins walk to it) campsite was $20 a day, and check out is 11AM. if you wish to stay longer you can renew before 11AM. bathrooms were uber clean! water is only located near the restrooms for drinking and cooking. showers? you have to go to visitor center where you rent all the gears for hiking. its $4 for 5 mins. pretty pricey! lived camping here!! will def do again!

    Beautiful night, before the wind came
    Heather S.

    By the time we came around to this campground, we had just recently camped at 3 other national parks. So we thought, the process must be the same - get to the campground as early as you can, drive around and look for an empty spot, if there's no tag on the post then the site is yours. However, when we got to Zion, we soon realized that they do it kind of different here where they assign you a campsite. Luckily for us, our campsite was near one of the popular easy hike and near the bathroom as well. Location wise, the campground is easy to find. It's right at the beginning of the entrance. There are pros and cons to that. Pros - other than being near the entrance, you are also near the visitor center and near a number of stores and restaurants just outside of the park's entrance. Very convenient if you ever you need more camping supplies or food. Cons - because the campground is near the entrance and a parking lot where visitors who aren't camping can park, it can be very noisy. Something I'd like to avoid especially if the main reason for camping is to get away from all that. Do be prepared. It so happens that on our last camping trip at the last national park on our list for this trip, there were a couple of mishaps. The ground at our campsite was really rocky that we could not even get one spike into the ground. We ended up holding down our tent with rocks. That night was really windy as well, good thing we tied down our tent pretty good lol. The next morning, we were woken up to very loud roaring of thunder. We spent most of the morning sleeping in our car. Although these all seem like misfortunes, it made our camping trip an unforgettable one.

    View from the campsite
    Danny B.

    This is no longer a first come, first serve campground. Reservations open up at approximately 10 am EST exactly 2 weeks before the date that you'd like to book. Similar to other national parks, there is no check-in process. You drive to your site, which should have your name pinned to a sign. Upon leaving, remove the note with your name on it and deposit it in the box at the entrance of the campground As for the site, I liked it. From the entrance booth of the park, continue driving straight ignoring the Visitor center/Watchman campground sign and it'll soon be on your right hand side. There are pros and cons with the site being situated not far from the entrance. As others mentioned, many cars pass through Zion and depending on your site, this could be slightly distracting if you are a light sleeper. There are two bathrooms within the campground. One was out of order, which made it a bit of an inconvenience for the entire campground to share two stalls in a pretty messy bathroom. Long lines in the morning meant it was much more convenient to just walk to the visitor center bathrooms, which were much larger and cleaner. It did take some time to find ground that wasn't too hard to put tent stakes in, and my particular site also seemed to have several large ant mounds. Lastly, the Pa'rus trail goes directly through the campground and I highly recommend it Other things about the site - You will have phone signal, and you are also within a short walk of the shuttle as well as the showers/laundromat at Zion outfitters ($4 for 5 mins). There are machines that will accept credit card payment and give you a shower token. Zion outfitters will also supply you with dry suits if you wish to hike the Narrows. I opted for the shoes/suit/walking stick package without the bibb, which was ~$44 after tax. Overall, a pleasant stay and one that I definitely recommend.

    Pa'Rus bike trail runs along the Virgin River @ South Campground
    Liz F.

    We arrived at the South Campground on a Tuesday morning around 10am and found the perfect campsite, #60! The campsite had plenty of shade all day and is right along the Pa'Rus bike trail and the Virgin River! We biked the trail and played in the River of course! We were just a short walk to the bathroom. The bathrooms were decent, sink with soap & flushing toilets, no showers, and no hand dryers or towels. There were deer in the campground, they just walk around grazing on vegetation and don't seem bothered by people. The park shuttle was a 3 minute walk from the campsite. We hopped on the shuttle and hiked the Emerald Pools and the Narrows, highly recommend both.

    Vivian W.

    FIRST COME FIRST SERVE CAMPGROUND! Lava Point Campground is also another first come first serve campground, however they have no water and pit toilets. Watchman Campground is first come first serve from December 1 to February 26, however the number of camp spots open to that varies. South Campground has 126 spots and it still amazes me how fast this campground fills up. We arrived at 10am MT and wow.... we were SO LUCKY to get a camp spot. Literally every camp spot was filled and my friends and I were running to each asking people if they were leaving or not. I thought we were seriously not going to find one but finally, we did. Thank goodness. We got Campsite 40 which was right across the restrooms. Tips: - Even if the campground sign says "full", I would still go in and check it out because you never know if someone is leaving or not. -I highly highly highly recommend getting there early to reserve a camp spot. On our trip, I've seen people come between 5-7 am, just waiting and asking around if people are leaving and if they can take their spot. - The ground is quite hard and rocky so I recommend bringing a yoga mat or those camping foam pads to sleep on with your sleeping bag. How to Reserve: 1. Get a yellow envelope at the Kiosk when you enter the campground. 2. Find an open camp spot. Ones that do not have the yellow tag or the "occupied" sign on the wooden posts. You can also read the yellow tag and see when the campers are leaving or how many nights they are staying. 3. Fill out the envelope. 4. Tear off the tab and clip it on the wooden post. 5. Put the payment in the envelope (takes cash or card). 6. Put the envelope in the payment cylinder. Price: $16 per night; $8 per night for Senior or Access Pass Maximum: 6 people per site; 3 tents; 2 cars or 1 car + 1 RV They have restrooms and firepits. Lots of insects in the restrooms at night, be aware! Showers are also available at the Zion Outfitters (I think that's what the store is called) near the entrance where the shuttle takes you to Springdale (behind the Visitor Center). It cost $5 for 7 mins, quite expensive. This is an awesome campground since you're close to the visitor center (walkable) and are surrounded by Zion's beautiful red rocks and mountains. You are also close to the shuttle since the first stop is at the visitor center. Mule deer also stumble upon this campground.

    Our perfect campsite
    Tiffany L.

    2 friends and I camped for the first time in late June. We were fortunate enough to get a really sweet spot with views of the red rock along the river. Each spot is spaced out enough so that you are not cramped or hear your neighbors next to you. We arrived around 8AM to stake out for a site. We asked the people before us if we could take their spot after they were done packing. We were able to park our car there as they were cleaning up and left to hike Angel's Landing for the day. Each site is $16/night and you can stay there for a good amount of days (you can ask the rangers at the entrance). The restrooms are dispersed around the ground and all within a few min walking distance from where you are. Each have 3 stalls and 1 sink and were kept clean. I didn't find it crowded at all when washing up. There's a drinking fountain where you can get water outside of each restroom along with trash bins. There are no trash cans on your campsite so make sure you have a bag to collect your rubbish. Each site has a campfire pit, however we were cautioned that we could not use it due to fire hazards during this season. There are no hookups and no showers. There are public showers at Zion Outfitters just outside the park entrance for $5 for 5 min. Our site was 5 min walking distance to the Zion park info center which has the nearest shuttle stop. You can dispose of your propane can at the entrance of south campground. Tips: - Arrive EARLY - there is no specific time you can enter and stake out for a campsite. Many people are packing and leaving their site around 5-6AM. 7:30-8:30AM would be a reasonable time to come. - Before you enter into the campground, pick up a payment envelope so that you can drop your money in after you have chosen your site. You can pay by cash, check or credit card. This saves you a lot of time going back and forth. - Make sure you tear off the slip on the payment envelope and fill out the info and clip it onto the post on your site before leaving. This ensures that you have reserved your spot.

    T H.

    One of the best campgrounds ever. First come first serve only... so line up in front of the kiosk. Our site had lots of shade due to the trees. Only 5 min walk to the park shuttle and 2 min walk to the river.

    Site 91. There was plenty of space for multiple tents & cars. Not far from trails & river. Not much shade at this spot but we'll be back!
    Lynn H.

    Wish we got a more shaded spot but we didn't reserve quick enough, oh well. Still a nice campground! Pretty quiet considering how busy Zion is. Rangers were nice and helpful, bathrooms were decent. It was really hard to get tent stakes in, ended up skipping half of them, good thing it wasn't windy. Camp site had more than enough space, could have easily put 3 tents up, several cars and still had room which was much more than the sites I'm used to. Had deer wandering through my site often during our stay, that was pretty cool. Didn't get to do much hiking since I had kids, but someday I'll go back for that. There is a stroller friendly trail though by the river & visitors center. Zion is beautiful and a must visit! Drove through the tunnel also, it was a bumpy ride inside it but really cool and the views on either side are amazing! The lines for the shuttles are insane so I am glad I decided on not going deeper into Zion for hiking, as much as I wanted to.

    Don't be surprised if you have visitors during meal time
    Jennifer P.

    South Campground is a first come first serve campground for all you spontaneous campers out there. It's $16 a night - $8 if you have an access pass. There's running water (no showers), clean restrooms (I saw about 2 restroom buildings in the entire camp), a picnic table, fire pit, and two parking spots per site. Each site is extremely spacious with enough room for 2 tents. 6 total people to each site. Before you enter the site, there will be a sign out that either says "camp full" or "vacant." Do not be discouraged if it's "full." Park your car in a line and at around 6:30am a ranger will come out, give you an envelope, and allow you to quietly drive around the campground to try and find an empty site. Usually you can see campers packing up - kindly ask if they are leaving and they would be more happy to reserve the spot for you as you wait for them to pack up & leave (Campers are the nicest!) Finding an opened site has more to do with luck then being the first car in line. Although being early does not hurt. It's quite possibly one of the best first come first serve campgrounds I've been too. The rangers are extremely friendly and helpful. The Virgin River runs through along the edge and makes sleeping + relaxation super peaceful. You're a 5-10 min walk from the Visitors Center and shuttle buses (these come around every 4 min so there's never a need to rush. Stress doesn't exist here). And the Zion Market is less than a 5 minute drive away. Beautiful Zion rocks surround the mountains. Trees are bountiful, but do not block your view of the Milky Way at night. Plus, you can see deers roaming freely without anyone bothering them. South Campground made camping a breeze!

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    South Campground Reviews in Other Languages

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    Review Highlights - South Campground

    Located by the river AND the visitors center, which also happens to be a location for shuttle stop.

    Mentioned in 12 reviews

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    Watchman Campground - View from our campsite

    Watchman Campground

    4.2(128 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    Stayed 2 nights (Friday-Sunday) in Watchman @ $45/night for an electric hook-up site. Was…read moreconvenient to charge my EV, as well as plug in my induction stove for cooking convenience!! This was my first time staying on-site of a National Park, and I fear it has spoiled me. No lines to enter the park, no excuses to dilly-dally, just straight to nature. Made reservations online, was able to switch to a different site that opened up very conveniently online if you are on the fence about sites. They have a refund/cancellation policy, but you'd have to check their website for details. Checked in around 11:45am, and lady at the booth asked if next I could wait until check-in of 12pm (ok??). When I walked by the booth later to ask questions, the booth was closed and it was self check-in. Maps available in the covered vestibule. Heated bathrooms were nice, restrooms themselves were decently clean. Stall trash cans for feminine products wasn't overflowing. Outdoor sink for pots/pans (bring your own detergent); someone had left a sponge, which was nice. Bought firewood + starter @ Walmart in prep, and made a nice fire one evening. I did shower at Zion Outfitters twice ($4 per 5 minutes), which is walking distance to the campground (~10 min depending what site). Same walking distance to Zion Canyon Brew Pub, and a ~30 min scenic walk to Springdale.

    The campground is located right inside Zion National Park, so you will need an entrance pass to get…read morein. The area is very clean and well-maintained. Note that there are only electric hook-ups available (no water hook-ups), so you'll need to prepare accordingly. When we visited, the campground wasn't crowded, and booking a spot was quite easy. The atmosphere was quiet and open--perfect for resting after a day of exploring Zion. We really enjoyed the experience and highly recommend it to anyone looking to enjoy nature inside the national park.

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    Watchman Campground
    Watchman Campground - View from our campground

    View from our campground

    Watchman Campground

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    Zion National Park - Don't feed the squirrels

    Zion National Park

    4.8(1.6k reviews)
    1.2 mi

    After Capitol Reef's stunning colored, sculpted mountains and Bryce Canyon's hoodoo amphitheater,…read moreZion offer s soaring mountains on each side of you, river, and many more non-hiker friendly trails besides the deadly Angel's Landing. It is an exceptionally well designed park with the free town and park shuttle system that centers at the Visitor Center and has many paved trails. - As you drive into Zion, you will go through the Zion-Mt Carmel tunnel - a 1.1 mile pitch black dark tunnel with no lighting, just a few windows of the stunning mountains as you drive through - The park and shuttles are free! Stay in Springdale for the closest location. The Best Western was very nice and Shuttle stop 4 - Favorite easy trails in my order of preference: -- Riverside Walk (2.2 miles, 57 ft elevation change, 1.5 hours) - paved path along the Virgin River in a Canyon -- Pa'rus Trail (1.7 or 3.5 miles, 50 ft elevation change, 1-2 hours) - start at park shuttle stop #3 (Canyon Junction-shuttle only stops going downhill - Not from the Visitor Center) for a 1.7 mile walk on a paved trail near the Human History museum, past the campgrounds and to the visitor center. If you start at the Visitor Center, then you will have to turnaround at Canyon Junction and it is 3.5 miles. - The Grotto Trail (1 miles, 35 ft, 0.5 hour) - dirt trail paralleling the road from Stop 6 (Grotto) to Stop 5 (Zion lodge) - saw and heard a wild turkey. - Weeping Rock Trail (0.4 miles, 98 ft, 0.5 hour) - short but steep paved trail ends at a rock alcove with dripping water - Lower Emerald Pool (2 miles, 150 ft, 1.5 hours) - paved trail to a small pool. It had been dry, so it was underwhelming but if it had rained more, it might have been better. If you are adventurous and like a good view and danger, then try to get a permit to hike Angel's Landing. Someone died the week before we arrived. In the park, there are 9 shuttle stops where you can get off to hike. The following stops have toilets (may be a pit toilet or flush toilet): stop 1 Visitor center - flush, 2 Zion Human History Museum - flush - but you have to walk a bit to get to the museum where the toilet are located outside, 5 Zion Lodge - flush -inside the lodge, 6 Grotto-pit?, 7 Weeping Rock-pit?, 9 Temple of Sinawava - pit.

    Deducted one star as this place gets super crowded - like HUGE crowds…read more My husband and I went to Zion National park in 2021 and absolutely loved our trip but Zion was overrated due to the crowds, and it's wild. Wait times are crazy, hiking places are LOUD, and people are loud in general, which is why I deducted 1 star. The park itself is beautiful, love nature so much but I wish it wasn't as crowded (reminded me of Disneyland crowds or other places). We did angels landing hike, it's tough but gorgeous and a few other hiking trails which we enjoyed, but they do get crowded so it's tough on narrow hikes due to a lot of people and I feel it's a safety hazard.

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    Zion National Park - Very cool late February & early March dry flowers.

    Very cool late February & early March dry flowers.

    Zion National Park - Friend met on Kayenta Trail

    Friend met on Kayenta Trail

    Zion National Park - The squirrels here have no fear! The even strike a pose for you! LOL

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    The squirrels here have no fear! The even strike a pose for you! LOL

    Watchman Trail

    Watchman Trail

    4.1(27 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    Epic journey for those ready for a moderate hike up the mountain but don't have stomach for…read morebalancing atop the narrow ridge of Angels Landing trail (such as me). The hike is very scenic and the views are amazing from the top! If you are camping, you can see your campsite from atop. This is still a moderately strenuous hike, so be sure your health is ready for some serious steps. The trail consists of both steps, flat paths and ascending paths without steps. There were just a couple spots that narrowed where I felt a little dizzy walking near the edge...yes, I am a chicken when it comes to heights. It didn't bother my wife. Be on the lookout for the beautifully colored aqua blue rocks during your hike! We also enjoyed some flowers that decorated the trail side. This was our favorite of three hikes we made on this day: 1. Watchman Trail 2. Narrows Riverside Walk 3. Lower Emerald Pools NOTE: Don't let your kiddos throw/kick rocks down as the trail zig-zags up the mountain and a rock could hit another hiker below and seriously hurt them.

    I really enjoyed this hike!! It ended up being quite a bit longer than I'd anticipated but I think…read moreit was worth it. It starts near the visitor center but wraps around the canyon face to end with a lovely overlook view of the canyon, with the watchman mountains to your left and the visitor center/springdale straight ahead. It's rockier than I thought it would be here, definitely watch your step. It took me a solid couple hours to do round trip and I'd already done several hikes that day/was tired so bear it in mind! But of all the hikes I did in Zion, this was actually one of my favorites (aside from Angel's landing). Would recommend!

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    Watchman Trail
    Watchman Trail
    Watchman Trail - Views from along the trail

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    Views from along the trail

    Zion National Park

    Zion National Park

    4.9(17 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    Zion is ICONIC. I was a little nervous given the shuttle system (thought it would be so chaotic it…read morewould make the morning rather blah), but they actually do a dang good job keeping the shuttles moving fast and frequently! I wanted to park at the visitor center (one of the only areas with unpaid parking; if you come later and by later the internet says 7-8 am -- good chance you have to park in neighboring Springdale and pay). I arrived around 6:20 am after a 35 min drive from Hurricane; it was still near totally dark when I arrived. There were still good number of parking spots but the lot was prob already over 1/2 full by then. I used the bathrooms (pretty decent for visitor center bathrooms; the soap is oddly watered down tho but works lol). The visitor center itself wasn't opened yet and the shuttles don't start until 7a but people were already lining up. I hopped in line around 6:40 or so, and when the park rangers let us approach the boarding platform, the line was wrapping around several times already. The good news tho - I only had to wait for the 3rd bus to come, since the buses carry so many folks. I don't think I even waited 15 mins to get on the shuttle, since several come right at the start of the shuttle service. I did ride in to the grotto first since I had the earliest angel's landing time permit. The trail was not busy by any means but did have quite a few folks already on it. When I got all the way out to Angel's landing I saw a guy propose to his (now finance) a little after sunrise. It was STUNNING (both the view, and the cuteness of the proposal!). I also went to the temple of Sinawava and did some shorter hikes. Shuttles come frequently enough you're really never waiting longer than 10-15 mins at a time. It's a very smooth system they have and definitely better than having hundreds of cars trying to all park at once! Good thing they have it :) Overall Zion isn't my fave NP of all that I've visited, but it's VERY up there. I would absolutely go back any time - hoping to do the narrows eventually (I did the river walk, but didn't want to get wet). Should be on everyone's bucket list to visit at least once imo!!

    What a beautiful place. It did not disappoint. Zion National Park is just as beautiful in person as…read morein photographs. I visited twice earlier this week. Beautiful landscapes, great roads, plenty of pull outs, not too crowded. I am so grateful to have made this drive to see this extraordinary place.

    Photos
    Zion National Park
    Zion National Park
    Zion National Park

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    South Campground - campgrounds - Updated May 2026

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