Desert View Campground

Located on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park at an altitude of 7,463 feet (2,275 m), Desert View Campground sits 23 miles (37 km) east of Grand Canyon Village and offers a peaceful setting. Due to high demand, the campground requires advanced reservations during its season, usually mid-April to mid-October, and you may book reservations up to 6 months in advance. Desert View does not hold back any campsites for first-come, first-served camping during peak season and does not have a wait list or call back system. There are 50 campsites. Most are sized for tents or small RVs and travel trailers, up to 30 feet (9 m) total length front bumper to rear bumper; vehicles over 29 feet may not be able to negotiate turns without damaging resources or the vehicle. There is a limit of six persons, two tents and two vehicles, or one RV or travel trailer, per site. There are no group sites, and affiliated groups such as clubs, Scouts, organizations or large family gatherings cannot break up into separate sites. All campsites are dry sites with no utility, water or sewer hookups. Each has a campfire grill for fires and cooking and a picnic table, and there are two water faucets within the campground. Men's, women's and accessible restrooms have flushing toilets and sinks with no hot water. Desert View has no showers, laundromat or dump station; the nearest are at Mather Campground in Grand Canyon Village, 26 miles (42 km) west. A general store and a gas station in the Desert View area carry limited groceries and firewood. The campground lies beneath a mixture of pinyon and juniper trees, providing most campsites with ample shade, and is less than half a mile (0.8 km) from the rim of the canyon. A visit at sunrise and sunset yields spectacular views of yellow, orange, red and violet hues in the canyon walls, where layers of rock display billions of years of geologic history, and the Colorado River flows 277 miles (446 km) through the bottom. Wildlife abounds on the South Rim, including elk, mule deer, coyotes, lizards, songbirds and the endangered California condor, which nests below the rim but can be seen soaring several thousand feet above the canyon in search of carrion. Desert View provides one of the widest views of the Grand Canyon and the Painted Desert. A short walk from the campground stands the historic Desert View Watchtower, which displays architect Mary Colter's talent. Within five miles are an aviation memorial, a trading post and market, and the Tusayan Ruin and Museum, which offers glimpses into the life of a small Ancestral Puebloan village 800 years ago.