Mather Campground

Easy access to the rim of the Grand Canyon via bike or shuttle bus. Pull through and back in spots for dry camping are all paved with large picnic/tent areas, Pull through spots seem to be more level than back in sites. Potable water fill with hose connection is on the passenger side at the dump station. Lots of elk in the area. Reminder - PLEASE DO NOT APPROACH THE WILDLIFE! Lots of people trying to get close selfies / pictures with the elk, feeding ravens and petting squirrels. Animals are fast learners. People are not. Cell service is hit or miss throughout the park. We got decent service for AT&T and Verizon in the Fir loop, as well as all along the South rim.

Elk, mule dear and ravens galore - fun to watch. Keep your food and trash in your vehicle at night or when away. Ravens are especially clever and persistent. Elk will wander bravely throughout the campground day and night. Please drive slowly and be careful as they have little fear of cars or people. Do not approach elk. Obnoxiously BRIGHT interior LED lights in bathhouse need to have a switch or timer installed, at night these pierce directly into nearby sites through open door and windows.

First of all there is plenty of Verizon reception here in this campground. We were able to watch our football game on the TV with using our jet pack. We were able to text and talk on our cell phone with no booster or wi-fi.
When we checked in, the ranger or person at the desk gave zero instructions. I think he may need a different position.
Showers close at 1:00 pm so no shower after a long hike. Hot showers are $2.50 for 5 mins. There is a bill changer in the laundry to get quarters,

No signal in the campground. 5G near the entrance station. At GC Village there's enough for voice call but data was very sluggish. Chase Bank has decent wifi.

That said, we got to see so much more of the Grand Canyon by camping here than we would have outside the park (although it looked like there were some good boondocking spots in the Kaibab Forest). Dry camping but enough filtered light for solar, sites not super close, pavement was pretty cracked and messy in places but we have a short popup so it didn't matter much.

We have two young boys (7 and 6) and went about a mile and a half down both South Kaibab and Bright Angel and it was really cool and doable - heed ALL the warnings about water, fitness, ability, hiking in the morning, and not going rim to river to rim unless you have been training hard for it. Saw some pretty sick people not doing well at all on the upper parts of the trail.

Great location with fair amenities. We had a true 30’ Class A with small tow. I would not recommend anything much larger lest you find yourself unable to fit in a spot or maneuver turns. The park is rated for 30’ or less so beware.

We were on the Aspen Loop in Spot 11 for one night which was very tight & somewhat precarious. Spot 34 (two nights) was much more ample, but is directly adjacent (like 20’-30’) from the blockhouse restroom so we opted for our patio to face the road. Not the best layout, but we made do. One bar of cell coverage at Spot 11 and No coverage at Spot 34. That with a cell phone booster so just assume you will not get anything.

Restrooms were clean. No showers. Showers near registration shack, but were closed for the “season.” If the campground is open, FYI, it’s the “season” and should be open. My 11 yr old did not enjoy watching a tenter giving himself a full-body wipey shower across the way.

Dump station is not up to par. Dual entry/lanes with shared island, but only one sewer drain and it gets super busy. Why not two to expedite dumps? Also, there was no flush or filling hose/spigot on the island. Two spigots near outer lane which will require a 25-50’ hose depending on lane & fill location on rig. Again, slowing down the dump & fill process. Dropped a star for this.

Overall, can’t beat being centrally located. Market Plaza nearby along with many trails (paved & dirt) for biking & walking. If you can get a reservation, best place to stay.

The best part about this campground is we were actually in Grand Canyon National Park, so we were able to access the Grand Canyon any time we wanted during our stay. The views were phenomenal.

Our campsite (210 in Oak Loop) was not very level and therefore tough for our 20ft camper. We saw lots of campsites that were more level and would’ve been better options.

The campground itself was spacious as sites were not on top of one another. There was lots of wildlife present as well.

Additionally, we had absolutely no service on our AT&T phone. We had better service inside the Grand Canyon itself than at our campground. Verizon service was okay and usable.

Remember to buy an annual National Parks Pass so that you don't have to pay that crazy fee when entering the Grand Canyon National Park. The campsites feel private and are in a natural pine grove of trees. Camping in October, I was happy for a site that got sun. You will hear road noise from all the tourists driving around, which made my rating lose one star. The hikes around the Grand Canyon are really wonderful and worth your time. The campsite has washers, dryers, and showers. It's a great deal at $18.

We were fortunate to get a site as we booked it only two weeks before our arrival on September 5. It was ideal as it was right in the park and there was a shuttle to take us around, although we were in the farthest loop out so it was a bit of a walk to the shuttle stop. It was very busy, but quiet during overnight hours. The campground seems to be old and could use a little TLC but it met out simple needs.