AutoCamp Zion Review

We have returned from our Bryce and Zion trip to southern Utah! In addition to visiting those gorgeous parks, we were super eager to visit the newest AutoCamp property: AutoCamp Zion. We’re going to give you everything you need to know about in our AutoCamp Zion Review.

AutoCamp Zion Review – Layout, Location, Vibe – and Events

We have now visited 5 of the currently 6 open AutoCamp properties. AutoCamp Zion was the one that was the newest of all the camps we visited.

Layout

The layout is classic AutoCamp.

There are two centerpieces: the clubhouse/pool and the lawn. Like AutoCamp Russian River, there is a large lawn. Unlike Russian River, it’s surrounded by Airstreams, not tents. As is the case with all the AutoCamps, there are little side “cul de sacs” or private lanes. We’ll review each and every camp site separately.

We wrote a very detailed review of the clubhouse, General Store, and pool.

We love this drone overview of the campground:

Location

We loved the location. Let’s look at the specific location, Virgin, Utah, and also Southern Utah a as whole.

Virgin, Utah

Virgin is a good location. The “negative” is you’ll be about 22 minutes from the entry to Zion National Park main park entrance. Note the dashed line – that indicates the bus you need to take to get to the main part of the park.

The town of Springdale is closest. There are services there – restaurants, outfitters, and more. It’s far more expensive in terms of hotels than the hotels farther out.

Southern Utah

Southern Utah is chock full of parks and hiking! Zion and Bryce are about 90 minutes apart, to give you a sense of distance. NP = National Park. NM = National Monument. NRA = National Recreation Area.

Vibe

The surroundings in Virgin River are gorgeous! It helps immensely create a really wonderful, natural vibe.

We visited AutoCamp Zion in mid-September. Honestly, the campground was empty! We were there 3 nights. On the second night, a very small corporate group arrived. Other than a few people walking to campers with overnight bags and computer bags, we never saw or heard from them again.

Unfortunately, the firepits were never turned on.

Events

There was absolutely nothing going on while we were there. There was supposedly morning yoga advertised on the website. We didn’t go looking for it, but there was no sign of it anywhere. Certainly no signs announcing it or pointing to it, and no people on mats on the lawn in the morning while we were around.

This was very disappointing. There were great activities at the other AutoCamp locations, especially AutoCamp Russian River, which had the best vibe and the best activities. AutoCamp Zion had NO vibe. Again, they were only open 4 months, and the camp was almost empty. Our hope is this changes and improves with time.

Dog Friendly Travel

As is the case with all the other AutoCamp locations, AutoCamp Zion is dog friendly. For $75, you’re not only allowed to bring your dog, but they’ll give you a blanket, a bowl, a list of dog friendly places to go and some doggie treats. Dogs are allowed everywhere on the grounds. Dog friendliness is one of the best features of AutoCamp!

A Few Areas for Improvement

The lack of events, discussed above, is obvious.

Our camper was not outfitted with a cast iron frying pan! Considering you cannot cook indoors (no cooktop!), you MUST cook over the fire. You have to ask for one. They ask you to leave it outdoors. They get really covered in soot and are making a mess in the campers. Fair. However, tell people when they check in. Also, we asked for some olive oil to use in the pan. We believe other campgrounds provided it. We will likely add oil to our Pro Tips article. It’s a must to bring to AutoCamp.

The other issue: they have a significant septic smell problem, like AutoCamp Cape Cod‘s long standing problem. Since AutoCamp Zion is a larger property, there are multiple septic fields. The smell was significant both in front of the clubhouse, towards the parking area. Also, it was very strong in the area of campsites 112 – 114, which are downwind of the septic areas in front of campsites 204 and 205.

While you will not know your campsite location prior to check-in, you can make requests of area. While we loved our campsite location that backed to the view of the mountain, we wouldn’t advise being near this area or any other septic areas.

AutoCamp Zion Review

The staff at AutoCamp Zion was among the friendlies of all we met. They worked hard to make sure the General Store was properly stocked. They answered all our questions and helped us with the cast iron pan.

The future is bright for AutoCamp Zion, even with the serious nearby glamping competition. The property is terrific and the staff is great. They do need to work on offering free on-site activities like music, even when attendance is low. Mostly, they need to do something about the septic smell.