If you’re camping at a National Park on one of their established campgrounds, there is a chance showers will be provided in one of their facilities. Not every campground or National Park may have showers though, so you may need to ask a Park Ranger for their campground amenity list and possibly travel to another campground to rinse off.
The shower stations provided can cost up to $5 or run on a token system and usually come with a time limit to preserve water and allow every visitor a chance to wash up. Campgrounds do not provide towels or soaps so you must bring your own.
If the park you are in has very limited shower resources, you can expect a bigger crowd meaning longer wait times for the showers. Even if a park does not have showers, there are many ways you can clean off and feel that same refreshed feeling a shower provides.
Which National Parks Have Showers?
Most popular National Parks will have coin-operated showers spread out across various campgrounds. Parks like Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon offer showers by first come first serve at some of their campsites.
The showers are usually minimalistic with locked stalls or curtained partitions, hot or cold water, and enough standing room for one person.
Some campgrounds will include showers with a reservation or additional cost, but others may require a fee for walk-up visitors to use the showers. Prepare for your shower by calling ahead to get the most up-to-date information on each campground.
Great Smoky National Park and Zion National Park are two of the numbered parks that do not offer shower services at their established campgrounds.
If you’re camping within a park that does not have showers, there are often showers provided outside the park at other campgrounds, gyms, or truck stops that you can pay to use. You can also use a portable shower, nearby lakes or streams, or wipe yourself clean until you find a real shower.
How to Shower in National Parks
- Stop by the visitors center on your way into the park or call ahead to find out if the National Park you are visiting offers showers, and if so where and how much they cost.
- Once you have tracked down a shower within your park, find out about their payment system. You may need to bring quarters to use for their coin-operated payment system or purchase tokens.
Showers are often limited to 5-10 minutes and will automatically shut off on their own once you’ve reached your limit so make sure you are prepared with everything you need.
Soaps and towels are not provided, so you will need to bring your own. It is also advised you have shower shoes or sandals on to protect your feet from any dirt or fungus on the shower floor. Everyone who uses the shower has been in the outdoor elements, so who knows where their feet have been.
A quick and fun way to clean up is bathing in nature. Visitors are permitted to use flowing lakes and rivers as a bath source as long as biodegradable soap is used.
The freshwater will instantly wash off any excess dirt and oils and leave you feeling clean again. If a natural shower sounds right for you, try using Sea to Summit wash or Dr. Bronner’s biodegradable soap (we prefer Dr. Bronner’s).
A minimalistic way to clean yourself while camping is using baby wipes or bio wipes to wipe your body down head to toe. This is what Tyler did when he did van life.
This method works well in a pinch if there are no showers or water sources nearby. Be sure to collect your wipes to throw away after you are finished.
Can You Use a Portable Shower in National Parks?
Portable showers are a convenient and eco-friendly way to shower outside of established bathhouses if your campground does not have one but there are a few precautions you must take to preserve the environment.
Any water that is used to rinse off the human body or dishes is considered grey water and must be collected and dumped responsibly. If you plan on bringing a portable shower with you, you must have a way to collect your shower water.
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You can get creative and use a small kiddie pool or big bucket to stand in, and some portable shower companies sell water collectors.
As long as you can catch the majority of your water and dispose of it in a proper water dumping area, you will be doing your part to protect nature around you.
Before you start showering, be sure that you are at least 200 feet away from your campsite and any water sources nearby.
Although you’re using a water collecting system, some excess water is bound to splash off you a bit, so being away from living quarters and lakes or streams will prevent runoff water from contaminating mother nature.
Another way to protect the land around you is using biodegradable shampoo or conditioner when showering.
It’s often scentless, protecting you from bugs and bears, and will not harm the environment if it escapes your shower. If you want still want the experience of a warm shower, use a solar shower and allow it to sit in the sunshine where it can absorb its warmth for you to use.
Although you can use fresh lakes and streams around you to bathe, it is highly recommended you bring your own water for a portable shower system.
This is partially due to the fact that portable showers do not have a water filter and taking gallons of water is not prohibited. Be sure to pack extra for your shower system.