Our First Grand Canyon Adventure: Winter Camping on the South Rim
Our first Grand Canyon trip came together somewhat unexpectedly and, as it turned out, just before COVID changed travel for a while. One Saturday in December, we were talking through possible adventures when we realized that we could drive to the Grand Canyon in a day.
We chose dates in February and started planning a tent-camping trip. Winter camping at Mather Campground was first come, first served, so we would have to arrive without knowing whether we had a site. We began looking at backup options and figuring out which campsites might accommodate our larger tent.
Then we started watching the weather forecast. Wind, fog, rain, snow, ice, and sunshine all appeared at various points. It became increasingly clear that winter in Arizona involved quite a bit more weather than we usually encountered at home in Southern California.
With four cold nights ahead of us, we changed plans and rented a van to sleep in. We enjoy tent camping in cold weather, including snow, but freezing temperatures combined with rain sounded wet and complicated. We had converted a rental van for another trip and knew it could make a warm, comfortable little camper.
Turning a Rental Van Into a Camper
We picked up the van the day before leaving and parked it at home for the temporary conversion. This process is always fun.
Foam puzzle mats covered the floor for insulation, followed by our REI Trekker sleeping pads and two thick Coleman sleeping bags. We added our regular sleeping bags, pillows, and extra blankets for the nights when temperatures were expected to fall into the 20s.
The bed folded in half when we needed more room inside the van. Two Osprey Transporter bags held our clothing, a plastic tub contained cooking supplies and other camping gear, and our Yeti cooler carried the food.
For curtains, we used binder clips to hang thin throw blankets across the side windows. They blocked campground lights and gave us privacy. I also liked to imagine that they kept the van warmer, although I doubt they added much insulation.
Winter Camping at Mather Campground
We left early the next morning and had an easy drive to the South Rim. The park was calm when we arrived, with no line at the entrance, which made us hopeful about finding a campsite.
Mather Campground was the only campground open during our February visit. Only one loop was available, but there were still at least a dozen empty sites to choose from. The cold and incoming weather probably helped.
We selected a site that was flat enough for sleeping in the van and had plenty of space around it. After driving through the loop to compare our options, we returned to the first site we had liked.
That afternoon, we became acquainted with the park and walked part of the Rim Trail. The next day, we hiked down the South Kaibab Trail to Cedar Ridge and climbed back to the rim.
After the hike, we stopped at Camper Services near the campground for showers. Tokens were available inside, and each one provided five minutes of hot water. The private stalls had a dry area for changing and a separate shower space. Electrical outlets near the sinks allowed me to dry my hair before going back into the cold. We had the entire shower room to ourselves.
Waking Up to Snow
Most of our days were chilly but sunny. Rain arrived overnight toward the end of the trip, making us especially grateful for the van.
On our final planned morning, we opened the door to find the campground covered in several inches of snow. We had fallen asleep listening to rain and awakened to a white forest. Snow rested on the picnic table and softened the trees around our campsite.
We went to Bright Angel Lodge for a warm, simple breakfast that we did not have to cook in the wind. When we tried to leave the campground afterward, the van shifted on the slippery road. The rain had frozen beneath the fresh snow, leaving a layer of ice that we could not see.
We decided that the safest choice was to stay another night. Instead of rushing home, we spent the day close to Grand Canyon Village, walking through the snow and seeing how completely it changed the canyon.
By the following morning, the clouds had cleared and the sky was bright blue. We cooked breakfast at an overlook, took in one more view, and began the drive home.
Our first Grand Canyon visit stretched into five days and gave us nearly every kind of winter weather. We hiked the Rim and South Kaibab trails, watched sunrises and sunsets, found birds and other wildlife, and had time to explore the historic buildings when the rain came down too hard to stay outside. Waking up to that silent, snowy campground was something I will never forget.
