Reservations for lodging and meals are made up to a year in advance, so they can be extremely difficult to get, especially from spring through fall. Phantom Ranch offers cabins and male and female dormitories. A backcountry permit is not required for those staying in the lodging.
A backcountry permit is required for camping anywhere in the Inner Canyon including Bright Angel, Indian Garden and Cottonwood Campgrounds. Learn more about obtaining them here.
You'll find information on ranger programs, day hikes, a Phantom Ranch area map, and other useful information pertaining to this backcountry outpost.
Mule trips to Phantom Ranch are only offered from the South Rim. The mules go down the Bright Angel Trail and back up the South Kaibab with one night at Phantom Ranch. A mule cannot be taken in only one direction.
Any river trip in the Grand Canyon is a multi-day adventure. The canyon is divided into two halves, the upper and lower. If you do only one half, you either have to hike in or out from Phantom Ranch. There are a variety of trips using small oar boats on up to very large motor-powered rafts.
Duffel services, guides, weather, Phantom Ranch FAQs, fishing regulations, mileage calculators, sunset and sunrise times, and other miscellaneous topics.
This section discusses both transportation for getting to Grand Canyon as well as shuttles from airports, in-park shuttles, and rim-to-rim shuttles. Your regular Trains, Planes and Automobiles!
The companion Facebook page with photos and updates for Grand Canyon National Park, Phantom Ranch, and parks and recreation areas throughout the Southwest.
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The buildings at Phantom Ranch were designed by a woman named Mary Jane Colter who worked for the Fred Harvey Company. The Canteen and earliest cabins were built in 1922.
Mary Colter was also the architect for some of the most interesting buildings on the South Rim: Hopi House, Hermits Rest, Lookout Studio, Desert View Watchtower, Bright Angel Lodge and its accompanying cabins. She is highly influential for starting the rustic architecture in the western national parks referred to as "Parkitecture."
