Plans approved to expand forest campground near Grand Canyon
Aug 6, 2019, 4:15 AM | Updated: 9:01 am
Ten X Campground (Flickr Photo/Kaibab National Forest)
(Flickr Photo/Kaibab National Forest)
PHOENIX – A newly approved campground expansion project will allow more visitors to enjoy the great outdoors near the Grand Canyon.
The popular Ten X Campground, located about 5 miles south of Grand Canyon National Park, will get a major upgrade under plans signed Monday, according to a Kaibab National Forest press release.
The campground will grow from 70 campsites to 300 campsites as part of the renovation.
The new sites will accommodate a mixture of RVs, small groups and individual tents.
The @KaibabNF plans to expand and remodel the popular Ten X Campground on the Tusayan Ranger District about 5 miles south of @GrandCanyonNPS, based on a decision signed today by the responsible forest official. Details at: https://t.co/zj89U7fV3y @GCanyonNews @AZPubRadio @azds pic.twitter.com/j2B0pOPrWx
— Kaibab NF (@KaibabNF) August 5, 2019
“As the number of visitors to the Grand Canyon area has steadily increased, so has the demand for campsites and recreation opportunities,” Debra Mollet, the district ranger who approved the plan, said in the release.
“By expanding access to a developed camping experience, we also anticipate fewer impacts to forest resources from the dispersed camping that has been occurring.”
Ten X, which sits in a ponderosa pine/Gambel oak forest and features a half-mile nature trail, hasn’t changed much since opening in the early 1970s.
To increase its footprint to 345 acres, a gravel road will be constructed around the current site, and new camping loops will be added.
The campground just off State Route 64 also will get more ramadas, grills, fire rings and picnic tables, plus a new amphitheater.
Work, which is scheduled to begin in spring 2020, will be done in phases. There was no timetable for completion.
“With this project, we want to keep all the best aspects of Ten X while making it a place that visitors can enjoy for years to come,” Dutch Maatman, assistant recreation staff officer with the Kaibab National Forest, said in the release.
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