Jeffrey S.
Yelp
When passing through the entrance gate to Bryce Canyon, I inquired about the campgrounds in the park. There were two rangers that day, and the one on my side of the booth very matter-of-factly explained that in the park, there are two campgrounds: North, and Sunset. The other ranger turned, leaned over, looked me in the eye, and half-whispered, "But you want North!" That's good enough for me! We pulled ahead not more than a quarter of a mile, turned left, and found the self-pay kiosk with the map.
North Campground abuts the rim of Bryce Canyon, and is made up of 4 different loops, A-D. Loop A was marked just for RVs, so as a tenter, I stayed in Loop B. Although it wasn't marked for it, I've read elsewhere that Loop B is for RVs, but that wasn't my experience. I don't know that you could get big RVs into Loop B. Neither has hookups or individual water, but water is available in the restrooms.
My visit was in the off season; the peak season apparently begins May 6 this year. That's relevant for a few reasons. First, I rolled in at 10am and still had the choice of a few campsites in Loop B. Loops C and D were both closed, as I'm told happens each winter when there's hardly anyone camping in the park -- remember the altitude, and how much snow there is! In the summer, I would guess all loops are open, but I'm not sure you'll get a spot if you don't get there early. It appears that there are a few (13) RV sites that you can reserve ahead of time, but all the tents sites and the remaining RV ones are marked as walkup in the reservation system. However, as I sit here in early May perusing the reservation system, I only see two available days in any sites between now and September. You can only reserve sites in the peak season, and reservations didn't open this year until March 31. Be sure to visit the official website for each year's season and booking dates. For tenters, Sunset Campground has 20 reservable sites and a reservable group site; but it's closed during winter.
I think Sunset Point gets a lot of the tourist action, and the most popular trails lead out from that campground. But for my money, North Campground had a great vibe, especially in the offseason. You can walk to a few hikes from this campground, just by following the road south until you can jump up on the Rim Trail and meet up with the Fairyland Loop trail. At that point, you could also keep going south on the Rim Trail and check out Sunrise Point or Trek all the way to Inspiration Point (or Bryce Point, really) but that's a long walk. If you don't mind a little stretch, bail on the Rim trail and head over to the General Store for treats. All while leaving your car parked at camp and getting exercise.
I need to mention the bathrooms. When we rolled into camp, they had just been cleaned -- we watched the staff drive away and the floors were sparkling from the mopping. That bathroom is hands down the nicest one I've ever used while camping. The one right there in Loop B, to be specific and to not set too high of expectations if they're not all so slick, must have been redone very recently. Everything worked beautifully, and they had hot and cold running water, nice toilets, new tile, and the same composite backsplash/windowsill material that I once chose myself for a bathroom remodel. It was well lit, but note that you do need to bring your own soap as it's not provided. TIP: This is true in most campground bathrooms. Load up on the small soap pumps and hand sanitizer and bring it with you, and you'll be one of the most popular campers around.
Our neighbors were super chill, there wasn't traffic all night long, and we didn't have to cope with any dust. The campsite held our two small tents well, but you'd struggle to get more than that in there. One biggie or two smallies is capacity, at least where we were. The pads were sorta gravel-y and we had our own picnic table and fire pit; the fire pit was one of those had a grate over the edge of it that could be used a grill if you really needed to, but I've never found them to be terribly functional.
A tent site will cost you $20 a night, and an RV one is $30. You grab an envelope at the kiosk, go find a site, and when you have, fill out your envelope, tear off the stub and place it on the post with the campground number on it and go turn in your payment.
I had a blissful experience at North Campground. After completing the Fairyland Loop, we walked back into camp, grabbed a cold drink, and just relaxed as the sun went down. We were treated to a soft purple sunset. After cooling and letting whatever magic from the day sink in that would be possible, we stoked up a fire, set out a pie and a cinnamon roll on the grate to warm, and while they slowly reclaimed their perfect gooey state, I made some ham and egg burritos with fresh tomatoes, inhaled them, chased them with more beverage and those delightful pastries. As the last light of day went down, we each went to our tents to end the day.