The Best Campgrounds Outside Zion

Sometimes the hardest part of visiting a National Park adventure is finding a place to lay your head at night. These incredible destinations are more popular than ever, making campsites inside the parks crowded and expensive. Fortunately, just outside of many National Parks lie miles and miles of National Forests and BLM land, as well as private campgrounds and RV sites. Although these sites are a little farther from the park’s main sights, they usually make up the difference with more luxurious amenities, lower prices, or decreased crowds. With that in mind, we’ve collected the best campgrounds just outside of Zion National Park:

Paid Campgrounds

Zion Canyon Campground

$44/night

Of all the campgrounds outside Zion National Park, this one is the closest. Perched on the banks of the Virgin river, and just a ten minute walk from the entrance to the park, this is a spectacular base camp for any Zion adventures. Unfortunately, the price tag is hefty. Still, you get what you pay for with hot showers, laundry machines, free wifi, and a swimming pool. There is also a free shuttle to the nearby town of Springdale for groceries and a dose of civilization.

Quail Creek State Park

$25/night

Excellent fishing on a stocked local reservoir and a much lower price tag make the beautiful Quail Creek State Park an attractive option for water-loving campers less in need of modern comforts. Each campsite has picnic tables and fire rings and showers and restrooms are also on site. Although these campsites are about 45 minutes from the park, they are clean and gorgeous.

Hi-Road Campground

$40/night

By far the most popular parts of Zion are near the South Entrance. Still, park regulars swear by the East entrance for beautiful scenery without the crowds. The Hi-Road Campground has hot showers, laundry, wifi, and even a small store. Not only that, but the higher elevation of this side of the park makes those hot summer days a lot more bearable. Most importantly, you won’t be stuck in traffic getting into the park, leaving more time for adventures.

Free Sites

Smithsonian Butte

Bureau of Land Management

One great reason to rent a Moterra van is that it brings luxury and amenities with you wherever you go, and it goes just about anywhere. Some of the best camping outside Zion is on BLM land where you can camp pretty much anywhere you want. Smithsonian Butte lies just 25 minutes from Zion and rivals the park itself with its natural splendor.

North Creek Dispersed Camping

Bureau of Land Management

North Creek is a popular spot for locals and folks in the know looking to stay near the park but for free. Located just outside the town of Virgin, this site makes for convenient access to the park and also to town for grocery runs and other creature comforts. Like the other free sites on this list, there are no amenities. But that’s what your van is for!

Gooseberry Mesa

Bureau of Land Management

At 45 minutes from the entrance, Gooseberry Mesa is a bit farther than the other free campgrounds outside Zion. Still, we felt that the world-class mountain bike trails found here warrant its inclusion on the list. This is BLM land, so the camping is free and the amenities are non-existent. Nevertheless, for those who never travel without their bike, this is the best spot around.

If you’re like us, when you go to a beautiful place you want to spend your time exploring it, not reading and researching it on your phone. This post is part of our local recommendations series, designed to save you some screen time and point you in the right directions, so you can leave the stress of decision making to us and lose yourself in places of wild scenic beauty. Because we’re keeping it simple, we had to leave out some truly incredible places and experiences and stick to the best of the best. If you are looking for something specific a little farther off the beaten path, contact our itineraries department for a custom trip designed just for you.