HikeArizona.COM

REI Co-op will bring more camping opportunities to the Grand Canyon area.
The outdoor retailer and adventure travel operator recently purchased 20 acres of land south of Grand Canyon National Park for a Signature Camp that will host guests taking REI's Grand Canyon trips.
https://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/ ... 975080007/

What do REI Grand Canyon trips include?

REI offers 14 tours and trips at Grand Canyon National Park. These range from a two-night weekend hike that includes a night at Phantom Ranch ($2,599) to a seven-night trip that starts at Grand Canyon and also includes Lake Powell, Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly National Monument ($4,299).

I can't imagine paying the price for that only to show up and be in Valle, 20 miles from the park, and out in the open like that. With that kind of money, why not get a hotel room?

What is an REI Signature Camp?

REI's Signature Camps, located near national parks, cater to outdoor adventurers who want to camp without sacrificing amenities like hot showers and flushable toilets.

Something the NPS campground already has, though it isn't fancy.

More proof that idiots with no sense and too much money will dump their money into anything trendy, hip, or what they read in an (online) magazine. Well, it is their money, they can spend it however they like.

Cool. Moving on.

Optimistically, this could take some pressure off the GC campgrounds. I'm not sure that I'm so optimistic, but it's worth a try.

big_load wrote:Optimistically, this could take some pressure off the GC campgrounds.

Most likely, I wouldn't want to camp near the people that can afford to camp the REI CG.

Will just make it more of a zoo

If you look at the area around Valle using google maps you will see there are several other campgrounds. I found, "M and M" Little Oasis Campground, Airstream A "Glampsite", Under Canvas, Clear Skies resorts which appears to be Yurts (from the imagery) and then the Flintstones Place. Maybe there will be people who just love REI, but it sure seems like there is already abundant options in the Valle area. Perhaps market saturation has been reached?

If REI were to open it in Tusayan, then I could see it being needed. I don't expect this would have much of an affect on GCNP campground issues, or increasing the park visitation in any noticeable way. Certainly not for those prices.

If you've ever been to Valle, you couldn't pay me enough to camp out there. It will be cold and windy for much of the year (did I mention wind?). I'd rather camp out in the rustic hotel rooms at the Grand Canyon Inn. At least that place has a bar to unwind in.