Mather Campground

No complaints at all. Beautiful campground, big sites, lots of nice trees, but still enough open sky to use starlink, cell service was solid (Verizon), bathrooms were clean, close to the canyon. Will definitely stay here again.

*One thing: we were here in mid May, before it got crazy. Who knows how things change during the busy season.*

We stayed for 7 nights in mid April and were able to get the sites from FF and from cancellations on Recreation.gov. FF has to be renewed daily but they only have 15 sites so you need to be in line long before the office opens at 8am (I got there at 7:30 and there were at least 10 parties ahead of me on a Tuesday morning). You are not guaranteed the spot you had last night but the rangers do seem to try to work with you. I think there are a disproportionate number of tent sites offered FF and they are very strict about not allowing RV’s in those sites even if a campervan can fit into it. If you are able to reserve a site, they do not ask about your vehicle when you check in. In fact, you don’t even technically need to check in. You can just drive on through and occupy your site (making sure that your initials are on the site post). Anyone arriving after hours can go right to their site and check in in the morning. It is a beautiful campground and very convenient for experiencing all that the South Rim has to offer. You can walk or bike to showers, laundry, and the market and take the shuttle to just about everything else. Good vibe too!

We stayed for 4 nights There were limited sites available but that may have been more to do with the fact that some areas weren't plowed yet. We came about a week after their 20+" of snow. The sites were plowed but we had to walk through knee-high areas of snow to get around your rig. We enjoyed it, though!

We had a pullout site which I thought would be good, but be aware of trees being very close to the camper. We had to use leveling blocks, but we usually do at most parks. The roads in the campground are windy so smaller campers are a must!

We immediately saw elk grazing around the campsites, which was fantastic! We also saw the ginormous aggressive ravens so don't leave garbage or any food-related items out!

None of the sites in Mather campground have electrical connections, so be aware of that. With the beauty of the trees also comes the challenge to use solar. They do have some limited generator hours in some loops. We ended up having to use our generator for a few hours since we were hit with multiple days of rain. I did try to limit as much as possible since the majority of the folks around us were tent campers.

We walked to the shuttle area on the main campground road since the trail was still snow-covered. The buses were easy to figure out but were JAM PACKED at the visitor center, so be aware.

Easy check-in and no additional fee as we had the America the Beautiful pass. The parking area was level and we were right next to the heated clean bathhouse. It is quiet there in the winter with lots of elk and deer roaming around. Please mind your belongings as the ravens are sneaky opportunists. The buses were continuously transporting folks around even with the snow. A big bonus for visiting that time of year is the scenic Hermit Road is open to private vehicles. We heard a big snowstorm was coming so left a day early. It was a good plan as the park became locked down waiting for the plows to come in. Looking forward to visiting again without snow next time.

checked on a whim and managed to snag a tent site on the pine loop on the friday of memorial day weekend. wild luck! then we showed up to the park entrance at 5 pm and there was zero wait!!! i guess high gas prices kept people at home?

anyway, our site and the neighboring ones were very roomy with room for lots of tents with plenty of trees for hammocks. pleasant and quiet with some resident elk passing through from time to time. great value considering the location and nearby amenities. we availed ourselves of both the market and the yavapai lodge which are about a 5 min walk away. the rim itself is more like a 25 min walk away.

we had decent verizon coverage at our site, but didn't test the speed. was good enough for casual phone use.

We are a class C technically 32ft, but I figured that rounded to 30 ft. There are 5 spots recommended for 30ft “trailers” (120, 121, 128, 172, 185) so I booked 172 for two of our three nights (wasn’t available one) and figured if we were an RV without a toad we should be fine. Our third night was in #182 that was for 27ft and we were still fine… In fact we preferred #182 to the “large” spot #172 because it was slightly more level but also closer to the leaking water faucet at #183 where the wildlife came to drink. Spot #183 has a muddy spot but you get super close to a cow elk and deer who line up for a drink. The blue bus picks up by the ranger station and from it you can access everything. Great spot and $18 a night.

Last, the rangers are very chill and almost not interested. They are there to do a job and do it. No ‘karens’ here

We stayed here for three nights Afyer Memorial Day. Lots of tent campers, as most RVs go to trailer village (full hookups) but the sites at Mather are larger and in the woods (though there was plenty of sun for our solar). Bud stop and bike trails right at entrance to campground to see the whole park. Marketplace store a short walk away. Skip the hookups at trailer village and enjoy this campground!

Stayed late March 2022. Checked-in at Camper Services and staff was very friendly and helpful. My T-Mobile was practically non-existent at campsite but about 2 bars on South Rim Trail. Fir Loop allowed generators during limited hours but I didn't hear anyone using theirs. It was very peaceful. There are no utilities at the sites but there were water spigots throughout. They were operating in late March. There were working restrooms throughout but the showers and laundry were only at the main camper services area and had limited hours during my stay. I did see elk one day grazing a few sites away. I also saw crows occasionally and were numerous and noisy. Easy to enter pull-thru site but like another review said, some sites had the passenger side toward the drive, not the picnic table. There are many trees and the sites are well spaced. My RV is only 20' long but would be tight for much longer RVs. The shuttle was convenient and there is a path to it from the sites. The path that runs on the main campground road, on the Sage and Pine Loop side will also take you to camper services and across Market Plaza Road to the Market Plaza with a general store and other shops and a restaurant.

This is the best place to camp if you really want to experience the Grand Canyon. Stayed at sites 206, 210 and 258. 210 and 258 best for solar. We have a Thor Vegas class A approximately 26.5’ (29’ with rear slide deployed). Towing a Jeep Cherokee. No problems with fitting on these sites. Restrooms not bad for a basic campsite.

The only complaint would be that it appears that a number of selfish campers made reservations and didn’t show up leaving about 25% of the sites vacant. Commented to the rangers and they said it happens a lot but people have already paid so they wash their hands of the situation and keep turning people away. Doesn’t seem fair.