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Hit the Trail at Grand Canyon

Phantom Ranch, Grand Canyon, Sedona and the Southwest

Hikers on the Devil's Corkscrew portion of the Bright Angel Trail | NPS Photo by Mike Quinn
Hikers on the Devil’s Corkscrew portion of the Bright Angel Trail | NPS Photo by Mike Quinn

Hit the Trail: Phantom Ranch, Grand Canyon, Sedona & the Southwest  is dedicated to helping those planning a visit to Grand Canyon National Park and the southwest. Whether you plan on hiking, backpacking, taking a mule or a river trip, you’ll find information, tips and resources that will make planning your trip much easier, safer and a lot more fun!

Grand Canyon Weather

When most people think of Arizona, they think of heat, sand dunes, cactus, and rattlesnakes. Many do not realize that the only place you'll even find large concentrations of sand dunes in Arizona is near Yuma, right on the Arizona/California border! Even much of Phoenix rises over 1000 feet in … Read more

Grand Canyon National Park Links

You can download literature for planning your visit to the park directly from Grand Canyon's Park Trip Planning Publications page. The following documents are available there and will help you plan your trip here. The Trip Planner is an all around planner that includes maps and information that … Read more

Phantom Ranch Lodging & Dining

Dramatic changes are coming to the way reservations will be done for Phantom Ranch lodging. Starting with stays for January 2019 and beyond, Grand Canyon National Park Lodges (Xanterra) is converting to an online lottery reservation system for random selection of the bed space for … Read more

Phantom Ranch Area Day Hikes

There are some great day hikes to do from the Phantom Ranch/Bright Angel Campground area. Below are some of the hikes that I love to do when visiting the area, listed in shortest distance first. Trail descriptions are in PDF format and will open in a new window. They require free Adobe Reader … Read more

Grand Canyon Backcountry Permits

Backcountry permits are required for camping anywhere below the rim of Grand Canyon, including Bright Angel, Indian Garden and Cottonwood Campgrounds. The Canyon is divided into "Use Areas", and these use areas must be specified when filling out the permit. To find the use areas for the area you … Read more

Grand Canyon Mule Rides

For a fun way to learn about other's Grand Canyon mule rides or to share your experience, visit this Grand Canyon Mule Riders and Wrangler Appreciation Facebook page. Follow along with Bryan and Kelli Millican as they share a slideshow of their mule ride to Phantom Ranch and back. Overnight … Read more

Sedona Information

Here you'll find general information and links that will help you in planning your trip to Sedona. Included are links to sites for lodging, dining, backcountry road conditions, weather, alerts and other useful information. External links will open in a new window. The Travel Management Rule is … Read more