Bryce Canyon camping fees and reservation window changes coming

A popular Utah national park says changes are coming. Bryce Canyon camping fees and the associated reservation windows will change December 28. Although the fee changes will only impact tent campers, the reservation window times may have big impacts on everyone.

Bryce Canyon camping fees change for tenters

Effective December 28, Bryce Canyon National Park will move to a “one size fits all” camping fee. Tenters will now pay what RVers have paid since 2013, $30 per night. Tent site fees will effectively go up $10 per night. Park staff found that non-hookup sites weren’t appreciatively different. They add that the flat fee structure is comparable to that charged by local campgrounds.

Regardless of site type, Senior Pass and Access Pass holders will continue to receive a 50% discount on all campsite reservation fees.

Bryce Canyon reservation window

Visitors will see Bryce Canyon transition its Sunset Campground to the same six-month online system that’s already in use in the park’s North Campground. However, the window allowing camping reservations will change on a seasonal basis. Here is the information regarding Bryce Canyon National Park reservations windows.

Sunset Campground will have a 14-day reservation window from May 18 through October 14. Sites for that time period will first become available to reserve on May 4, 2024. Any unreserved sites will still be available for visitors to reserve on the same day using Recreation.gov.

First-come, first-served camping at Sunset will run from April 15 to May 17, and October 15 to October 31, depending on weather. The Group Site will remain on a one-year reservation window. Sunset Campground will continue to be closed for the winter from November 1 through April 14.

Changes follow public comments

The changes to Bryce Canyon camping fees and the reservation windows were based largely on public comments taken by the park last August. The idea was to offer visitors a more predictable and standardized planning experience when making reservations. That idea received wide acceptance. Speaking of the public reaction to the fee changes, a park media release says, “Public comments were generally in support of this change. “

“With these changes the park sought to balance the peace of mind of advance reservations and the flexibility of shorter reservation windows,” said Park Superintendent Jim Ireland. “And, whether visitors choose to book their campsite six months, two weeks, or two hours in advance, their reservation fee dollars directly support future improvements to these popular campgrounds.”

For additional information about Bryce Canyon camping click here.

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