After dumping our waste water tanks and filling our fresh water tanks at our campground in Holbrook, we made the easy drive to the Grand Canyon area, arriving in time for lunch. I had discovered a nearby National Forest Service campground by reading rvparkreviews.com. This campground is only 3 miles from the park's south entrance gate, and it is the nicest campground we have ever stayed in. When we arrived, the very helpful "camp host" directed us to a campsite that was appropriate to our size motorhome. It turned out to be a beautiful spot inside a forest of ponderosa pine. The sites are huge and private and the sound of the wind in the pines lulls us to sleep at night. Rick and SiSi startled two bull elk on their walk one morning. It's paradise! And only $10 a night!
The only down side to this campground is the lack of amenities. There are no hook-ups, no dump station, and no restrooms. They do have pit toilets, but no showers. They have water spigots available, but RVs can't fill their fresh water tanks since there is no well and all the water is brought in by truck and stored in a holding tank. None of this has bothered us a bit. We actually find it a kind of fun challenge to "dry camp" and try to see how long we can get by on our holding tanks, battery bank, propane, and generator. We were able to camp for six nights before we had to take on more fresh water and dump our waste tanks. There was a nearby private campground that, for a fee, allowed us to resupply and get rid of the waste.
We had three girls in their early 20's camped next to us in a tent for a few nights. We woke up one morning to 28 degree temperatures. Rick noticed the girls standing around in gym shorts and flip flops, trying to start a fire in their fire pit with twigs. He and SiSi went over and built them a proper fire, donating some real firewood. I then invited them over to the RV for coffee and blueberry pancakes which they called "amazing." They were recent graduates from the University of Indiana who had become friends in the university ski club. They were on a road trip, visiting the Grand Canyon and various other western sights before returning home to jobs and the real world. We enjoyed talking to them, and I got teary-eyed missing my own girls.
We need to take more advantage of these campgrounds. The price is definitely right. Have fun.
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