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Phantom Ranch is a historic oasis nestled at the bottom of Grand Canyon. It is on the north side of the Colorado River tucked in beside Bright Angel Creek. Make sure to put in your Phantom Ranch reservations, as its the only lodging below the canyon rim, and can only be reached by mule, on foot or by rafting the Colorado River.
The rustic cabins and main lodge are built of wood and native stone blending with the natural beauty of the setting.
Our cabins and dorms do not have phones or televisions, but a pay phone is available at Phantom Ranch (credit card or phone card ONLY).
The Phantom Ranch Canteen serves breakfast and dinner, which must be reserved in advance. If you have special dietary needs, such as glucose intolerance or food allergies, please advise the reservation agent at the time of booking. Phantom Ranch will do their best to accommodate all special requests.
You must hike out your own trash.
Hiking is one of the most rewarding ways to see the Grand Canyon, and is also the most difficult. The walk to Phantom Ranch is approximately 7.5 miles down the South Kaibab Trail (average hiking time is 4-5 hours down) and 10 miles on the Bright Angel Trail (average hiking time down is 4-6 hours, average hiking time up is 6-10 hours). A good rule of thumb is for every hour it takes to hike down, it will take two to hike up. Summer temperatures can reach 120° F (49° C). Winter conditions can be icy and treacherous.
Cabin, two people $154.80
Additional person in cabin $13.00
Dorm, per person $52.92
Group Cabin, Flat Rate $253.00
Breakfast, per person $22.50
Sack Lunch, per person $14.50
Steak dinner, per person $44.72
Stew dinner, per person $27.45
Veggie dinner, per person $27.45
Duffel service $70.00 each way
All Phantom Ranch reservations must be made in advance. Space is extremely limited. You can’t have extra people stay under your reservation. People may not double-up in the bunks or sleep on the floors.
Scored a reservation due to a cancellation. Was able to fly into Vegas early am and hike to Phantom same day via south kaibab in time for a shower before veggie dinner.
Wished we had a second night to explore before hiking back up bright angel. Note the early checkout time. Still a great experience and so glad we did it!
Food was good, served family style. Unattended bags subject to search by crafty local wildlife. Comfy cabin with thin windows, could hear neighbors easily. Showers ok.
Be sure to check out the short walking tour, downloadable online. Enjoy!
My three boys and I hiked down in the summer heat of 2005. It was 90 degrees at the southern rim and 115 degrees at the river. Thank God for a ranger who gave us a 20-minute death and misery lecture and recommended we spend the night at Phantom Ranch. In fact a man from England died that day from hyponutrenia, even though he had plenty of water. We were able to reserve a room only because of a cancellation. We headed down the next morning before sunrise. We spent the day relaxing at Phantom Ranch. Amazing dinner. The air conditioning in our four-bed cabin never stopped and it never got comfortable, but it was 115 outside! The next morning we started back up before sunrise, each of us with a gallon of Gatorade we made from powder and the sink in our cabin. So we didn’t get the breakfast. We finished our Gatorade on the climb up. I want to go there again and sit and read again with my feet in the ice-cold creek that runs by Phantom Ranch. Beautiful.
One of the best places on earth if you can reach there. Cabins have bunk beds, AC and Bathroom. Outside views are gorgeous. Canteen serves food and beverages. Night sky is beautiful.
There is also a camp ground.
You will need to register well in advance to get a booking.
It's probably the most famous place in the world to get an ice-cold lemonade, and the reputation is well deserved. We stopped recently on our north to south canyon crossing, and Phantom Ranch was a welcomed sight on the journey. The history of this place is amazing, so many great people along the way making it what it is today 😁🌵🏃♂️😎
Our family of four hiked to Phantom Ranch in December 2021. The Grand Canyon saw a decent amount of snow leading up to our departure, and the first 2-3 miles of our descent and last 2-3 miles of our ascent were snow covered.
The entire Phantom Ranch process from the hike to the accommodations to the food to the camaraderie absolutely must be experienced. We reflect upon that trip probably more than anything else we've ever done as a family, and we cannot wait to return.
