You may want to know that camping in the National Parks is actually a great experience. The camp grounds are nice and moat have facilities. But they are very hard to get because they book up early. So if you want to stay in the camp grounds be sure to book them at least 3 months out and check the average weather before you book. It may be a better idea to stay in a hotel if it’s going to be 90 degrees at night with no breeze and no chance of rain.
But for your first peek into the campgrounds at the Grand Canyon, we were able to stay at Mather Campground in a tent camp site. We were on the Aspen Loop, camp site number 190 which was close the the water station and not far from the bathrooms. There were showers but we had to drive to them because the were at the entrance of the campground, right behind the grocery store. They also had laundry facilities and fires were permitted. Overall, this was the most luxurious camp site of our entire trip.
I know part of the fun of camping is building a camp fire, but to be honest after all of this camping… building a fire is more of a hassle than it’s worth. In reality, all you need is a basic campsite cooking kit.
Every campsite we stayed in had a fireside presentation from the park rangers to tell you about the park and things you can do and see as well as fun stories to entertain you. And because most of the cool national parks are in desert areas of the United States, there is a good chance there is a fire ban in effect to protect the plant life in the area, so check before you start a fire.