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Rustic cabins & dorms in a stone lodge below the Canyon rim, plus a canteen offering meals.
Phantom Ranch is the only lodging at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, tucked along Bright Angel Creek near the Colorado River, roughly a 7-10 mile hike below the South Rim on either the Bright Angel or South Kaibab Trail. There's no road in — you arrive on foot, by mule, or on a river trip, and the stone-and-wood cabins and dorms run by Xanterra have been the reward at the end of that descent for over a century. Reviewers consistently call it a once-in-a-lifetime stop, with a 4.7 rating from over 400 Google reviews.
Simple cabins and dormitory bunks, a canteen serving family-style breakfasts and steak dinners, and the kind of exhausted-hiker camaraderie that comes from everyone having earned their spot the same way. Guests rave about the food and staff — one described family-style steak dinners as "worth the price," with seconds on everything but the steak and baked potato. A few note the canteen's snack-bar hours can run tighter than posted, so don't count on a walk-up drink outside a reserved meal.
This isn't a casual add-on to a South Rim visit — it's the centerpiece of a genuinely strenuous multi-day canyon trip, and worth planning a year or more ahead for.
413 reviews
a week ago
An absolutely beautiful and picturesque place to stay. We were fortunate enough to get a cabin at the bottom and it was a game changer. The beds were comfortable. The showers were nice and clean. We also got the steak dinner as well and it was delicious. We will definitely be coming back to stay in the future.
3 weeks ago
This was a once in and lifetime trip! A group of 4 of us hiked down the north rim, stayed at phantom ranch, and hiked out on the south rim the next day! The vibes and food were delicious. Everything was clean and inviting. It was a mentally and physically challenging hike but we are so thankful to be able to experience the beauty of the Grand Canyon!
3 weeks ago
3 weeks ago
Experienced Phantom Ranch for my first time last week (first week of June) and omg…what an amazing experience. I wasn’t able to get a room at the ranch originally, so I was camping at Bright Angel the first two nights, then a cabin opened up and I got to stay at the ranch and spend an extra day down in the canyon. Always check if anything opens up while you’re down there! The staff were all so wonderful. You can tell they love their job and feel lucky to be working there. I booked breakfast two mornings and the steak dinner three nights in a row. Sooo so good. Worth the price. It’s family style, so you can eat until you’re full (minus the one steak and one baked potato per person). Many meal times they have additional openings as well, if you don’t originally book in advance, so it’s worth asking. I’d love to come back for Thanksgiving or Christmas one year.
3 weeks ago
We hike the Grand Canyon, Stayed at Cottonwood Campground. It was more difficult than I thought even though I feel like I can run a marathon reasonably successfully. IDK it just was crampy at the top push via South Kaibab route. Be prepared for carrying 2-4 liters of water. It was no joke & it was end of May 2026. Slight flurries on the north rim when we started at 39 d, but 85+ when we hiked out/up the south rim at 24 hours later at midday both times. And the ledges were no joke either. I have a healthy respectful fear of heights...and there are LEDGES of 500 ft vertical on one side with a rock wall or another drop on the other so be prepared & pay attention!