Red Canyon, located between the town of Panguitch and Bryce Canyon National Park, is a fantastic area for outdoor recreation set among stunning scenery. Unfortunately, most people simply drive through on their way to the more famous national park next door. Little do they know that there is so much to do in Red Canyon, and the campground there is the perfect base for hiking, mountain biking and just plain old sight seeing.
The campground at Red Canyon features nicely spaced camp sites that provide some semblance of privacy. The grounds are nestled among Ponderosa pines on the south side of Highway 12. Surrounding the campground are brilliant red rock formations that almost make you feel like you’re sleeping among the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon.
Red Canyon Campground has 37 sites with picnic tables, fire pits, charcoal grills, and tent pads with flat, soft surfaces. Other usual campground amenities include faucets for drinking water (which tastes very good BTW) bathrooms with flush toilets, running water and showers, and a dump station for those of the RV persuasion.
Of course, while you’re there, you hopefully won’t be hanging around at camp all day, because the area surrounding the campground is an outdoor recreation rompus room. Trails spiderweb throughout the canyon where you can hike, and mountain bike. In fact, right inside the campground is the trailhead for the Buckhorn trail, a scenic path that, when connected to the Golden Wall Trail, makes a short five mile loop. The famous Thunder Mountain Trail is nearby, and right by the campground is the Red Canyon Trail, a paved bicycle trail that is perfect for road biking or just having a family ride right from camp.
The Red Canyon Campground is operated by the U.S. Forest Service. Sites cost $15 per night, and $24 for group sites., and are first-come-first-served, no reservations are taken. Check the campground website to current rates and information.
To get to Red Canyon Campground, drive up Highway 89 to SR 12 just outside Panguitch. The campground is located 4 miles east of the turnoff on the right side of the road just past the Visitor Center.