Best Cabin Camping near Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

Good campground in the Grand Canyon National Park. Great bike trails to get around. Bathrooms could use update but clean. Elk right in the campground… And I mean right in the campground!

The camp ground was not very well Maintained but check in was easy. All AMPs are 50 so they give you a converter if you have a 30 amp RV. If you do you end up having a converter the circuit may trip. You would still need to pay the entrance fee into Grand Canyon National Park. Our site was 62 and we were close to the bus stop for the free shuttle bus around the park. If your RV does not have a shower when you check in they will provide you shower tokens which is about 1/4 mile away from the site. The weather is cold and can be as low as 20 degrees at night.

This is a great campground in the Grand Canyon National Park it is close to the village, you can bike and hike fom this location. There is also a bus stop at the entrance to this campground that will take you all around the canyon to see all of the sites. All of the spots are pull through and have water electricity sewer and cable. The cell service is ok depending on where you are at. There are a lot of people from other countries that stay at this campground so you meet a lot of nice people. The campground is very close to the rim and many amenities. There is also elk that will come through and graze. We stayed for seven days in August during the rainy season very pleasant.

Feel like your camping while you're actually not when you stay here! I visit the Grand Canyon every year with my old work buddies from Winnipeg and it was the first time we had a decent budget to rent more than a tent site last year. Lo and behold we stayed at this tiny home rental, which is safe to call a cabin, and we were so pleased we'll definitely do it again next year.

I stayed here in May on memorial day weekend.  It was extremely hot at the rim of the Grand canyon and cooler here.  The campground has two bunkhouses - one for men and one for women.  And I believe there are a couple of cabins available too.  They book up very quickly.  The campground has a store with food and basic items and you can reserve a meal in advance as well.

If you win the lottery, this is the place to stay!

Let me clarify. This place is amazing, but the only way to get here it by winning a random lottery for a room (link is HERE). It's such a popular location (for incredibly good reason), that you have to enter a lottery, pick some dates, and cross your fingers. All 3 adults in our group entered, and one of us was picked. Hip hip hooray!

It's located on Bright Angel Creek, just a little bit from the Colorado River. In order to get to Phantom Ranch, you have to be insane enough to want to travel down inside the earth about a mile (most people call this the Grand Canyon), in the sun, covered in red dirt, with your backpack, and enough salty snacks and water to feed an elephant (or you can rent a ride on the mules) That said, if you have the drive and insanity and muscles to get you there, the reward is awesome lemonade, night time ranger talks, conversations with mules (because you might just be that tired at the end of the night), unbelievable experiences meeting other fellow hikers, and delicious comfort food.

Okay, now you can't possibly expect the Ritz when you get here. It's not about that. It's not even close, but it's 5 star in a totally different way. Keep in mind, that this Ranch has been here since the early 1920's. And supplies were either local to the area at the bottom, or brought by mule. So it's not fancy.

What to expect: There are a few ways to stay at Phantom Ranch. First are dorms. There are about 10 bunks per dorm, and it's women and men. Women in one, men in the other. Each dorm has a toilet with a door (modern plumbing) and a shower with hot water. There is also a sink. Each person claims a bunk and that's theirs for their stay. The other way is to rent a cabin. More expensive, but more private. If you rent the cabin, you and yours are the only ones sharing it. Because it's "out of the way", not all the modern conveniences work all the time. So expect it to be a little rustic, but it's all part of the experience. The cabins and dorms have air and heat, so it's a more comfortable experience than camping in a tent.

There is potable water scattered around, a few composting toilets if you are away from your cabin, picnic tables, two outdoor amphitheaters (normally a daytime ranger program at one, and a night program at the other). Inside the canteen you can purchase drinks (alcoholic and non), hiking essentials (toothbrush, sunscreen, salve, etc) and a selection of souvenirs. They even have a little library of books to read, and games that you can borrow and play.

There are some meals available, but you need to order them in advance (or check with them each day to see if they have enough for you to order it). The two evening meals are beef stew and steak. Not cheap, but so worth it! They come with fixings like cornbread, veggies and such, and always dessert. You can also order a veggie option. Breakfast is family style (as is dinner) and was pancakes, bacon, eggs etc when we were there. Coffee and juice too. There aren't many options, but think about it...all the groceries have to be delivered by mule. Make sense? Breakfast is offered at 2 different times (your choice) so you can get hiking early, if you want. Dinner is at different times, too, depending on what you order.

While you are there, you can buy a postcard and have it mailed from the Ranch, by mule! Cool little way to tell your loved ones "look what I did!".

So much to say about this "little piece of wonderful"! You really just have to see it for yourself!

NOTE: please read up on traveling to the bottom of the canyon before you go. Make wise choices about what time of year you want to travel. It was April when we went, and although it was about 50 degrees at the South Rim, it was close to 90 degrees at the bottom. In the summer, they said it can get to about 120 degrees in the shade. So please plan accordingly for snacks, water, travel, clothing choices and temperature

I stayed at Bright Angel Campground this past May for one night with my boyfriend, and I would not go back and stay there again.

The Campground its self has a beautiful setting with about 40 campsites nestled in the Grand Canyon along the bright angel creek with Phantom Ranch close by. Which offers a snack bar with beer, advance reservations for full meals, cabins or hostel style bunks, mule rides in and out of the canyon, and some shade and picnic tables to sit at and enjoy your snacks. If this is your style, I recommend trying to stay here rather than Bright Angel Campground or Cottonwood.

Major complaints being the camp sites were only about a foot apart, and other Campground users were VERY rude with their noise and super bright white headlamps at all hours of the night.

My advice is, if you are hiking through the Grand Canyon and want to camp at the bottom, skip Bright Angel and opt for Cottonwood instead. Much better spacing on campsites (and way less, maybe 10 sites total), more privacy, and you cannot tell when people at the Campground are using their headlamps for any reason, makes for a much more restful and enjoyable Grand Canyon hiking experience.

Hiked from Bright Angel Trailhead to Phantom Ranch in one day. After Indian Gardens Campground trail has a couple of areas that are less obvious of direction but overall is easy to follow to campground. Campground requires a permit from NPS, and typically needs to be reserved about 6 months in advance. There are fees required for permit. A permit can be difficult to obtain. There are many camp sites with some close to the river and some away. Campsites are overall smooth and free of rocks, and maintained. All campsites have 2 ammo boxes to hold food, a picnic table, a small concrete square for cookstove, and a stand to hold packs off the ground.The squirrels are bold and will go after ANY food left out. It is necessary to remove all food and plastic bags from packs and put in ammo boxes. Most sites have trees for shade. There are bathrooms with toilets, sinks, and running water. A sink to lightly wash dishes, and water to fill up water bladders and bottles. There is a Cantina a short walk across the bridge with pricey food that requires reservations, drinks for purchase, some necessities, souvenirs, and books and boardgames to use at the Cantina. Staff is helpful and friendly. There is a special Junior Ranger program specific to Phantom Ranch. Mules can be ridden down from the top, and there are cabins and dormitories that you can stay in with a reservation. There are two rivers nearby the campsites and a few small hikes nearby.

Gorgeous and wild. Clear water to swim in, trees to hang from, and sandy beach areas to chill and relax in. I don’t want to say too much because it may give away spots that are for the people that want to get away from everything and everyone. I enjoy the outdoors in AZ because of places like this.

We spent 2 nights down in Phantom Ranch at the beginning of Feb. I had never hiked the Grand Canyon before and didn't know what to expect. We hiked from the south rim down Kaibab and were really lucky to have amazing weather. It was pretty amazing to hike for hours and then end up at this tiny community (Phantom Ranch) down at the bottom of the Canyon. Phantom Ranch consists of several small buildings, including a canteen which serves as a store, mess hall, and from 8-10pm, bar. There are also small cabins you can rent but we stayed in one of the shared bunk houses with 10 beds, toilet, shower and sink. You will have a set meal time for breakfast and dinner (no lunch) and it is family style dining. Breakfast is at 5:30a.m. or 7:00a.m. and dinner also has 2 seatings, I think at 5:30 and 6:30. You have to have all of these meals reserved in advance. It was super fun to get to know fellow hikers and share a meal of stew and chocolate cake (which I guess is the standard meal there) and then play games and drink beer for a few hours. We were lucky enough to be there during a full moon so one night we walked about 10 minutes down the path to get to a sandy beach right on the Colorado River - didn't even need our headlamps because the moon was so bright. During our day down at Phantom Ranch we lounged around the picnic tables in front of the canteen, reading, and also hiked up to a ridge that overlooked the Colorado and part of the Kaibab trail that we had hiked down the day before.

There is plenty of potable water at Phantom Ranch so you can fill up your water bottles before you start your hike out. You also need to carry your trash back out with you. Trash from things you buy at Phantom Ranch can be left there.

We hiked out via Bright Angel trail which I loved! not as steep as Kaibab with beautiful turns and beautiful pockets.

In the summer of 2016, my husband expressed interest in hiking the Grand Canyon rim to rim with me. Immediately I thought, "no way"! No showers, no electricity, no cell phone service... Why would anyone do this? But he was serious! I had never backpacked and slept in a tent without having some kind of civilization around or modern conveniences nearby. We began training by Keto diet and walking everyday. Since we live at sea level, we couldn't really simulate the elevation change but walked stairs at a nearby hospital frequently. We eventually progressed to carrying our weighted backpacks for 5+ miles. I lost 20 lbs, had more endurance, got stronger and a little more confident in his plan. We booked our permits, plane tickets and arranged for the care of our 4 boys to get to school, soccer, etc. while we were gone. We left on October 31 and flew to Phoenix, AZ. After a few days of sightseeing with Jason's parents around the south rim, we drove up & left our rental car on the North rim. It was closed for transportation and all services already.

On November 2nd, we began our hike from South Kaibab trail to North Rim which was about 20.5 miles. The first stop was Bright Angel Campground that night which was about 7 miles into our hike and an elevation change of 4,780 feet. Going down was mostly easy but hard on the knees and toes. The view was amazing and I took lots of pics along the way. By the time we made it to Bright Angel campground, all of the creek sites were taken. We found another one quickly because it appeared to be filling fast. Each site had a picnic table, backpack / gear hanging pole and locking military-type box to store food and toiletries. The sites were level and there was a separation between them by vegetation. There was a ranger station and toilets in campground. Deer walked around freely nearby. There was a water spigot next to us to fill our bottles and bags. We didn't encounter a rude person there- everyone was willing to answer questions and offer advice from their own experiences. After a mountain house meal and an attempt to clean off in Bright Angel Creek(way too cold), we went to bed exhausted and ready for the next day of hiking...

After years of trying to get a Phantom Ranch reservation, I was thrilled to finally secure a spot for myself and my husband in October, 2020. However, I was just notified that my reservation was arbitrarily cancelled because of maintenance. I understand that repairs periodically need to be made, but I have no recourse. My reservation, even though it was very difficult to get, can not be moved to a different date. All that time I spent securing the reservation, all the plans I made to travel to Arizona, don’t count. If I ever want to visit Phantom Ranch, I have to start all over again. Incredibly unfair and disappointing. If you get a reservation, don’t get too excited or make expensive plans to visit. It can be taken away with no compensation. So incredibly unfair.

If anyone is hoping for a secluded backcountry experience, they will be disappointed with Bright Angel Campground. However, everyone else should be pretty happy with this beautiful place.

We went in December and the leaves were all yellow, making the creek especially pretty. For those used to roughing it, the running water may not be a huge deal but it's pretty nice to have that luxury after a long day of hiking through the canyon. Plus, if you forget any supplies/food you can just run over to Phantom Ranch and purchase them. 

Of course, the hiking experience is the main draw of this place. I don't think anyone is making this trip just for the opportunity to stay here, but Bright Angel Campground certainly doesn't take away from the overall experience. From the South Kaibab Trail, it doesn't take long to get here, we made it down in just over 3 hours. From there you can just take the day to relax and soak in the beauty or go off on a side hike.

Sites are fairly close together, but we didn't find that to be much of a problem. I do wish our fellow campers were more respectful of the red light rule, but noise was not a problem. The numerous deer that just hang out all around you made more noise than the campers, and that was just fine by me.

Hiked the GC with 7 of my girls and stayed one night at Bright Angel. I wish we would have stayed longer! Between the ice cold creek to soak your feet in, the canteen for snacks and beverages, and the actual toilets - this Campground made our trip!

What a phenomenal place to camp.  After a long hike have an awesome place like this to stay is amazing.  To camp here requires a long days hiking and the anticipation of an even longer day getting out.  Camping along bright Angel creek is absolutely the most amazing place ever.  Any other campers that you would associate with at this place have also put in a long day and are always fantastic neighbors.  You must swing into the Phantom Ranch Store to grab a cold lemonade and enjoy the company of the guests at the ranch.  The daily Ranger talks are interesting and informational.  Plan early and reserve a campsite at Bright Angel Camp.

Campsites are pretty close together but sit along the side of the river which is amazing in the hott months to soak in. It’s not very deep but amazing. Campsites are crowded but there was a ranger talk which was amazing.

The hike to and from the campground is challenging- BUT also rewarding. Near phantom ranch. Near small creek. Enjoyed the ranger speaking time.

A perfect rest stop for a rim to rim hike of the canyon. Nice sites and basic amenities. We even saw a rattlesnake while we were there!

We stayed here after a day of hiking down from the rim. Be sure to have your permit! We can in February because that was the easiest month to get a permit.

The sites are close together, but each one has a rack to hang your packs from, ammo cases to store your food away from ground squirrels, and a picnic table. The squirrels are serious business here. There was a crew cutting back trees the in the morning and we watched a squirrel chow down on one of the worker's breakfast.

The campsites have bathrooms WITH FLUSH TOILETS AND RUNNING WATER! I was floored to be at a "back country" site with those amenities. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised though, Phantom Ranch is just a few feet away and has running water and even vends beer and wine. Of course we had to go and try a Bright Angel IPA since we were hiking its namesake.

It takes some work to get here (aka hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon) but it is worth it! Nice campground, sites are a little small but they have a picnic table, food box and a place to hang your pack/boots. It also had running water and a bathroom with full plumbing.

Great place to stay and well worth the effort to get there!

There are so many inspiring view points at the Grand Canyon and many hikes you can choose to take on, but not many are brave enough to really hike down into the gorge of one of the most infamous landmarks in the world.

I stayed up top two different times, it is just way more convenient than going to the bottom with all my gear. And while it does have its benefits, you can't even compare the feeling of hiking into your site and finding something so amazing. It is like apples and oranges.

But this camping experience takes some planning, you have to have a permit to make it. While you can go down the trail itself for a ways and it is just fine, taking on the trail all the way to the bottom does require this permit for stay. Don't think of it as an issue, think of it as a safety precaution which helps them know who is making this long travel.

it is a completely different world at the bottom than the top. No longer are you looking at the Colorado River from what appears to be a million miles away, instead you see it in all its majesty. It no longer looks like a blue/green marble instead it is a force of nature to be seen with massive rapids.

What is great about getting to the bottom is once you arrive you have amenities again like water and warm restrooms. Picnic tables and fire rings are scattered just like the campgrounds up top. And if you are one of those people who choose to move forward even further they do have even more hiking you can do through the valley.

It is pretty spectacular.

There are a few things I noticed about the site that weren't ideal. It is first come first serve so if you start your hike a bit later in the morning you might not have a space available. I didn't see that anyone had that issue but I can only imagine during busy months it could become a problem.

Also, since you have to pack in all your things I would suggest packing a bed pad of some sort, a lot of jagged feeling rocks and in areas that are more clear it is very hard packed so can be a little tough.

Everyone here seemed very cool, I mean they all had basically the same mission in mind so can't beat that!!

We didn't have the pleasure of staying at Bright Angel Campground, because we had bunks a Phantom Ranch, but what an amazing place to stay! At the bottom of the canyon, how many people get to say they've been there?

It's hard to get there, since you have to hike over a mile down into the earth to find it, but if you've reserved your spot in advance, it's an amazing opportunity! You MUST have a permit to stay at this campground, and it takes months to get one, so please plan in advance.

You can not hike down and get a spot at the campground. You have to have a permit.

Cost: $10 for the permit and $8 per person with 30 sites for small groups (1 to 2 tents) and 2 spots for larger groups (up to 7 tents, I think)

Once you have a permit, and arrive at the campground, it is first come first serve to pick a spot.

The sites aren't terribly private, but they are incredibly unique. Each features a spot on the water, or just across the trail from the water, and it's on the Bright Angel Creek, just a half mile from the Little Colorado River. Each site also had a lock box (like a cooler with latches) for food to keep it from the ravenous, and none to shy, squirrels, as well as a metal "T" post for hanging your packs and shoes. NOTE: Keep your packs UNZIPPED so that the squirrels don't chew holes into them, if they manage to pull circus stunts and find them on the poles. The cool part? Those poles are part of the old telephone line/system in the canyon! Great little piece of history being repurposed!

I assume that everyone at the bottom has the stamina and gumption to get there, so they respect everyone else that did too. And those that were crazy enough to try, without athletic ability, have a newfound insane appreciation for what it takes to do it at all, and respects everyone even more, so privacy at the campsites isn't an issue. It's a privilege to be there at all.

There are bathrooms, potable water, emergency phone, boat beach for soaking tired feet in icy water, ranger station and lots of good company. I highly recommend it, if you are just crazy enough to try. You won't regret the memories!

This site is incredible! The staff at the cantina are friendly, the camp grounds and facilities are clean and the scenery is breathtaking.

it’s right next to the river so it’s easy go take a dip and cool off. running water in front of the store and the store serves beer and food. can’t beat that when hiking for days.

like the previous reviewers, you need to have reservations to stay at the ranch. i looked for a reservation, they were full, put my name on the lottery list, and got a spot the next day. Super lucky we were. Hike down not bad, about 4 hrs down, and hike up not too bad about 4 1/2 hours. Its was 123 when we arrived at the ranch before 10. we left south rim at 530. we soaked in the stream alongside the ranch which was a much needed cool down. food was good, the mess hall was filled with hikers from all over the world. dorm rooms were cooled by a swamp cooler. bunks were clean, showers were cold, and bunkmates were full of info and funny stories.

We stayed at Phantom Ranch when we hiked into the Grand Canyon and it was the highlight of our trip! It’s tucked away in the bottom of the canyon and you can dip your toes in the river after a long day of hiking!

He kept it clean and even has ice. Best time ever