The 5 Best Places To Camp At Bryce Canyon National Park, According To Visitors

With its candy-striped rock spires interspersed by majestic evergreens and set against the cerulean blue of the Western sky, Utah's Bryce Canyon is one of America's most unique national parks. Every year, around 2.3 million people flock to the park to marvel at its scenery and wander through its surreal landscapes. Rather than spending the night at a hotel, some visitors choose to immerse themselves in nature by camping. This is an excellent choice for anyone who want to witness the light flicker across Bryce Canyon's hoodoos, from golden dawn to fiery dusk to arid dark-sky nights, when the stars glitter like thousands of diamonds. 

To assist those who are planning to camp while visiting Bryce Canyon, we conducted research to identify the top five campgrounds in and around the national park based on a few factors like distance from the park, quality ratings, and popularity. We assessed this criteria based on visitor ratings and reviews on Hipcamp, Tripadvisor, and Google, gathering together the perfect list of campgrounds that are both within the national park and just outside.

As one of only two campgrounds within the national park itself, North Campground slid into the top spot on our list, earning an overall rating of 4.3 on Tripadvisor, a 4.5 on Google, and a 99% positive rating on Hipcamp. The campground has 100 campsites, with designated areas for RVs and tents, available at $30 per night. We ranked North Campground ahead of the other in-park campground due to its slightly higher ratings and higher numbers of reviews across different sites. The fact that it's open year-round, whereas Sunset Campground closes completely during the colder months, also helped boost this spot. One Tripadvisor reviewer expressed why they preferred North Campground to Sunset Campground: "We found this better than Sunset because the roads were smoother and the ground was drier, less muddy. The location is better too, a lot closer to Sunrise Point, the Rim Trail, and the lodge."

What visitors seem to love most about this campground is its location, tucked in a pretty pine forest right in the center of the park. From North Campground, the Visitor Center, the General Store, hiking areas like the Fairyland Loop, and famous vistas like Sunrise Point are all within a mile's walking distance. One Tripadvisor reviewer exclaimed, "... nice shady tent sites — can access hikes right from Campground! Amazing! Don't have to deal with full parking lots because you're right there on fairyland, sunset, sunrise — really great!" Many reviewers also appreciated the cleanliness of this campground; on Tripadvisor, it has an overall cleanliness rating of 4.5 out of 5, beating out Sunset's rating of 4.2 in this area. 

For many visitors, North Campground's excellent location seemed to make up for its lack of showers and hook-ups, though it does offer basic amenities like bathrooms with sinks and flush toilets along with trash and recycling collection. Do keep in mind that tent campsites close when temperatures are below freezing. 

About a mile southwest of North Campground is Sunset Campground, the only other campground located within the boundaries of Bryce Canyon National Park. This campground has 99 campsites for both RVs and tents and earned an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5 on Tripadvisor, a 4.5 out of 5 on Google, and a 94% positive rating on Hipcamp. 

Like North Campground, Sunset Campground's sites are located in a lovely pine forest and cost $30 per night. One of the main differences between the two campgrounds is that, compared to North Campground, Sunset is a little farther from the Visitor Center and the General Store, though Sunset is closer than North to Sunset Point, an east-facing canyon overlook with a view of Thor's Hammer, a striking rock formation that resembles the mallet of a giant being. Sunset Point is also the start of the renowned Navajo Loop Trail, which winds past some of the most iconic rock formations in the park, like Twin Bridges and Wall Street, a section of Bryce Canyon where the trail passes through a narrow slot canyon with soaring walls.

Another important difference between the North and Sunset Campgrounds is that Sunset has portable rather than flush toilets, and it completely closes from November 1 to April 14. Despite its more basic amenities, one Tripadvisor reviewer expressed a preference for Sunset Campground over North Campground, saying that "The campsites are nicer at Sunset Campground and afford more privacy and have more tree cover."

Outside the boundaries of the park, Ruby's Inn RV Park & Campground emerged as a visitor favorite based on our analysis, boasting a Google rating of 4.4 across a whopping 1,903 reviews, a Tripadvisor rating of 4.1 across 1,177 reviews, and a 92% positive rating on Hipcamp. While Red Canyon Campground and The Riverside Ranch RV Park, Motel, & Campground received slightly higher overall ratings, Ruby's received the most reviews of any campground in or near Bryce, underscoring its unusual popularity. For this reason, we chose to rank it ahead of the other two campgrounds outside the park.  

This amenity-rich camping haven is located less than a mile from the park in Bryce Canyon City, known for its rustic cabins, cowboy cuisine, and hiking trails. Ruby's has 240 campsites, including RV, tent, and group sites, as well as cabins and tipis, in case you didn't bring your own shelter. This campground is known for having amenities galore, with modern bathrooms that have showers. It's also close to the park shuttle, has full RV hookups, offers free WiFi, and boasts a pool and hot tub. There's also a camp store, laundry facilities, and a nearby lodge and restaurant, Ebenezer's Barn and Grill. Tripadvisor reviewers expressed appreciation for the wide range of amenities available at Ruby's, stating "... the amenities around are amazing. The campsite was pretty good with soft sandy dirt and a little grass. The best feature to this place is the showers near the "tent only" area ... Not sure how they do it, but it truly was soft water. Great surprise after camping 8 days without such a luxury."

Ruby's is only open in the warmer months, from April 1 to October 30. It's also a bit more expensive than North or Sunset, with the lowest price for a tent site at $36 per night, although you'll pay more for a tipi or RV site. 

Red Canyon Campground is a little gem of a campground located about 12 miles northwest of the national park. With only 37 sites, this one is smaller than the others, but its high ratings on Tripadvisor and Google caught our attention. While the campground was not listed on Hipcamp, it was flagged by the company Moterra Campervans as one of their top 3 favorite campgrounds around Bryce Canyon National Park. 

According to camper reviews, the greatest thing about this campground appears to be the gorgeous scenery. Other spots we've covered so far are surrounded by dense pine forest that often blocks pretty views. As in North and Sunset Campgrounds, there are tall pine trees at Red Canyon Campground that provide shade, but don't block the incredible views of the pink limestone rock formations. One Tripadvisor reviewer raved about the scenery: "This is by far my favourite campground during the road trip through Zion and Bryce ... The views are breathtaking; you always see the Red Canyons around you, especially during sunset, the ones at the opposite side of the road are beautifully lit." However, one drawback of this campground that was mentioned frequently in reviews is the background noise from the nearby road. The campground is just off Utah's Scenic Byway 12, which links Bryce Canyon with Capital Reef National Park, one of Utah's most impressive red-rock destinations. 

Although it's a smaller campground, Red Canyon comes with decent amenities to complement the views, like flush toilets, showers, and drinking water. Every campsite has a picnic table, a firepit or grill, and a tent pad, and costs $30 per night. Another great thing about this campground is that it's close to hiking and biking trails, like the Buckhorn Trail and the Red Canyon Bicycle Trail. Keep in mind that this campground opens in late April and closes in early October. It is a first-come, first-served campground, meaning it does not take reservations.

Similar to Ruby's is another larger tent and RV campground boasting abundant amenities: The Riverside Ranch RV Park, Motel, & Campground. It scores a bit higher than Ruby's on Tripadvisor and Google, but since it's about a 24-mile drive from Bryce Canyon National Park, it fell into last place. For those traveling between Zion and Bryce National Parks, however, this may be a bonus. The location is also ideal for those with ATVs, as an extensive network of ATV trails is accessible nearby. 

Besides offering special amenities like bathrooms with showers, laundry facilities, and some of the largest RV sites in the area, Riverside Ranch also has an onsite restaurant, the Red Dirt Diner. Visitors can fill up on hearty dishes like wings, burgers, and "cowboy corn": deep-fried corn, cream cheese, and bacon smothered in ranch sauce. 

Similar to Red Canyon Campground, Riverside Ranch is a place that comes with beautiful views, depending on where you choose to camp on the property. Some sites offer shade, others are more out in the open, and some are situated along the Sevier River — perfect for angler-campers — with striking views of red cliffs and even wildlife. "This was the perfect home base for our Bryce Canyon travels. The host was very friendly, the Red Dirt Diner was delicious, the views were incredible, and the wildlife was a big bonus, too. We saw lots of birds, deer, and even a beaver and muskrat floating down the river!" gushed one Tripadvisor reviewer about their stay at Riverside Ranch. 

For this list, we identified the top campgrounds in and around Bryce Canyon National Park based on several factors, including distance from the park and overall reviewer ratings on Tripadvisor, Google, and Hipcamp. Regarding distance, North and Sunset campgrounds are in the park and therefore the closest. Ruby's is less than a mile from the park, Red Canyon is around 12 miles out, and Riverside is the farthest away, at 24 miles. From there, we weighed the number of ratings for each campground against its overall score to determine the order we placed them in.