Grand Canyon

Travelers' Takes

Rates and Deals

Ten-X Forest Service Campground

More Photos
btwood2
btwood2
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
4
Photos
Editor Pick

Ten-X Forest Service Campground

  • April 3, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by btwood2 from Rodeo, New Mexico
Ten-X Forest Service Campground

Campgrounds inside Grand Canyon National Park were either too costly, or our 38 foot motor home was too big for their spaces, so we stayed instead at this delightful and perfectly satisfactory campground in Kaibab National Forest, less than 10 miles from the South Rim. Nightly fee was only $5, thanks to Bob’s Golden Age pass, which allows us to camp for half-price at most federal campgrounds (but not Grand Canyon’s Trailer Village, concessionaire operated by Xanterra).

At Ten-X, in a mixed forest of ponderosa and piñon pine, juniper, and Gambel oak, 70 spacious sites are spread out among three loops, with plenty of room between sites. Aggressive thinning had recently been carried out, burning some of the understory vegetation and blackening lower tree trunks. Small forest creatures and birds abound. Garbage receptacles are animal-proof, with retractable handles. Sites have tables, grills, and firepits, and vault toilets are spread out among the loops.

The site we chose, Space 58, was a very long pull-through on the far corner of the third loop, Moenkapi. So long, in fact, it could easily have accommodated two motor homes. We had plenty of room to set up our chairs in seclusion with a nice forest view. A mile-long foot trail began adjacent to our site. It follows the western circumference of the campground, and leads into a signed nature trail, which ends on the campground entrance road. Stays are limited to 14 days; we stayed a week.

I will always associate Ten-X with the uninvited hitchhiker who lived with us in our motor home for a brief time. Little scratchy noises up front, combined with peripheral vision glimpses of a small creature some nights led us to believe it was a mouse. But then we started finding turds; they seemed too big. Maybe a squirrel? One morning we found a towel near the dash shredded. Could it be building a nest?

The following week, checking into an RV park in Bullhead City, it was hotter than blazes. Stepping outside, I saw a tiny newborn creature writhing and dying (basically being cooked) on the asphalt beside our motor home. It had to have come from us. Googling newborns of small creatures that night, I found it: a baby rat. It must have been the last of the litter, because from then on, there was no more sign nor sound of our hitchhikers. Mama rat’s tragic choice of our motor home as a birthing nest must have led to her and her young’s demise.

From journal Lure of the Canyon

Compare Grand Canyon Rates

1. Enter travel information

City

2. Select websites to compare rates

Each selected website will open a new window.

Grand Canyon Travel Deals