No cost, no frills NPS park for campers visiting Canyon de Chelly. No hookups, or showers,with bathooms and water nearby. Lots of trees with sites on the small side although there were a few larger sites available. Overall, an adequate place to stay for night or two. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is actually a nice park, with lots of shade, and is inside the park and adjacent to the Thunderbird Lodge and Canyon Tours. As noted by other reviewers, this campground offers no hook-ups, which is the biggest problem. The bathrooms were clean, but there are no showers. We didn't have any problem with mosquitoes, but the ants were terrible (make sure you bring a bag of ant killer granules to spread over your campsite). It's fine for an overnight stay, but you really need at least a power hook-up to stay any longer. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Site is free, no reservations taken, but there were plenty of sites available. There are limited sites for long RV's, but plenty were available during our stay in August. There was generous space between sites. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring/BBQ. There is plenty of shade from tall trees. The national park visitor center is within walking distance up the hill. Bathrooms were adequate, typical national park facilities. Generator usage was 6:00 am - 8:30 pm. Our "6" rating is only because of the lack of hookups. This is a very nice public campground and perfect for a visit to Canyon de Chelly. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Free campground and worth exactly what was spent. Thoroughly dreadful experience with horrific clouds of mosquitoes with blood appetites to make Vlad the Impaler blush, ants on every conceivable flat surface and filthy unflushed toilets. This could be a great dry campground with even a little effort at management - it's bewildering why the Park Service doesn't recruit a local concessionaire and charge a minimum fee that would maintain and improve the place. The location is fabulous there is little competition and there was quite a demand. The big upside was the reminder of how good it was not to be tenting. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is a FREE Department of the interior campground. There are NO hookups, but the campground is very pleasant with large trees. There are rest rooms with Lavatories and running water toilets, but no showers. We aren't huge on dry camping, but this was a very nice park for an overnight. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Not for those that like hookups. Generator hours start at 6:00AM. There is water and a dump station available. There are also flush toilets and cold water wash stands in the bathrooms. There are some long pull through sites, but many sites are short enough that tow or towed vehicles must be unhooked. All the sites are generously spaced. The campground is actually free, but this website would not accept zero in the nightly rate. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Park is "OK" but going downhill since they don't seem to come around to clean the sites as people leave as they used to. There are also packs of dogs roaming uncontrolled inside the campground, trying to find food, water, etc; and although they didn't seem threatening to us, people with pets had to be very careful. The locals seem to just let them go after they grow older. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This park located next to the visitor center for Canyon de Chelly is free. Yes, free. There are no hook-ups, but a dump station and water for fill-up are available. The location is excellent for visiting Canyon de Chelly and taking side trips such as Monument Valley. It has beautiful cottonwood trees for shade. We stayed 5 nights. Rangers speak frequently at the campground re: Navajo culture, pottery, and the geology of the canyon. The hosts were terrific. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is a free, public campground. There are a few sites (mainly in Loop 1) for 40' RVs, but they go early.
No reservations. The campground is nice for a few days of dry camping while exploring the Canyon de Chelly area. Picnic tables and grills at your site. The sites are fairly widely spaced apart. Off season we arrived about noon and got one of the few remaining sites large enough for us. Nice place and nice campground
overall. We camped here in a camper.
Remote, no power or water (at the time we stayed). However, the site was peaceful, with a nice trail leading off to the canyon and the aroma of sage and pinon in the air. The camp host, Howard, was very friendly, as were his two dogs and cat "Monday". We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
If you are adventurous and looking for a unique spot, this is it. The setting is classic southwest Pinyon-Juniper country. The sites are laid out in a thoughtful manner to enjoy the natural surroundings. Howard was cheerful on our arrival even though we had no reservation. The walking trail provided a really magical opportunity to see a part of the canyon not generally accessible, walk it in beauty!!! It's not "developed" but integrated into the beautiful locale. We awoke to a visit from a mountain bluebird; now that's happiness. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This was a really neat, but very basic campground. It is in the heart of the Canyon de Chelly area, and has wonderful short trails that can be taken without a guide. There are hogans available, and if you want a more “authentic” stay, these are the cats meow. 4 of our party did so and felt this was the best campground that we stayed in all week. But, those of us in the RV used our own shower and bathroom as the “facilities” were extremely basic. There was water and dump available, but we waited until our next night out. The campground host is wonderful and very accommodating. If you realize going to this site, that it is basic, and very red dirt, you will LOVE it!! We camped here in a Motorhome.
I have to say we loved this place although it has absolutely no services whatsoever - the only bathrooms are outhouses and we did not check those out :) They do have water available at the camp office, but none at the campsites. It really gives you the feeling of camping, in case you've forgotten after staying in all those paved RV parks! The ground here is the same red color as the rocks in Canyon de Chelly, and it is real dirt. The campground is set in the scrub on Canyon de Chelly's south rim and owned by a Navajo man we never saw - he has a resident camp host - a woman - who is quite a character, but checked us in efficiently and then came by later to see if we needed anything. We stayed here in October and we were told it would not be a problem running our generator as they did not have any tent campers then. I don't know what the policy would be during the summer. There are two friendly camp dogs, and a one mile hike you can take to the canyon's edge. My husband did the hike and said the scenery was spectacular. So, if you're in for a little bit of roughing it, this may be the spot for you. We loved the feeling of truly being out in the middle of nowhere. We camped here in a Motorhome.
If you want to see Canyon de Chelly, stay at the free NPS campground. If you want to experience Canyon de Chelly, stay at Spider Rock. It is an experience. The silence is amazing. Bring your generator. Fill your fresh water supply. Then prepare yourself for an adventure. When you first pull in the campground looks deserted and junky. The roads are rutted. But, you need to look past that. It is an amazing and magical place to stay. Make sure to hike on the walking trail. The closer you get to the canyon, the more silent the world becomes. Howard is super nice and an incredible host. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We're the ones the previous poster referred to that got stuck. Actually, we have a '39 5th wheel and a F350 Ford dually. The dually could get thru the mud but no traction to pull anything. Not a place for big rigs and would not come here again with the '39 footer. But...very nice for smaller rigs as long as weather good. Rain makes a goo stew. Howard is a nice guy and the area is gorgeous. Have fun. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This is an interesting place to stay at, much more secluded than the free campground located off the mesa. You are surrounded by pinion trees and other scrub plants, and all the sites are dirt and generally not level. Howard has a rim hike on the property that's absolutely awesome. You can be completely alone and reflect on how the native people lived here. Howard's two dogs kept me company on my hike, keeping me entertained by scaring the heck out of some wandering sheep. If it happens to rain while you are here, have fun getting out if you don't have 4 wheel drive. The dirt here turns to grease when wet making it tough getting out without a trailer, probably impossible with one. One party here with me had to stay an extra day because they got stuck trying to get their 30' 5th out, and they had a 4x4 Dodge dually. Once it dries it's fine, but forget coming here during the wet months in an RV. There is a dump station here and some non-potable water. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is a very special place. It's actually within the Navajo Reservation and very close to Wild Cherry Canyon which leads into Canyon de Chelly. There are no facilities, and very few campsites are suitable for big rigs, but they are wonderful. The place has a wonderful, remote feeling to it. There is a trail that leads along the edge (yes, edge) of the canyon that is wonderful to hike. Warning, the entrance drive is rutted and will require some planning to get through. In fact, I walked the entire route to the campsite to make sure it was doable. No problem if you take it slow. The owner is wonderful and keeps working to improve things. RVs should arrive with full gas tanks for 7:00 am to 9:00 pm generator use if you desire it, full water, and empty holding tanks. We camped here in a Motorhome.