Best Cabin Camping near Grand Canyon, AZ

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.

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.

What can I say- it’s the Grand Canyon- amazing bike trails- MUST BRING BIKES

The whole area is beautiful, clean and right at the Grand Canyon.  Hook ups were all great.  Great market nearby.  Everything walking or biking distance.

Nothing spectacular about the the camp but, very close to the Grand Canyon. We camped during Thanksgiving. It got below freezing so packed for colder weather.

Full hook up right by Grand Canyon. Free shuttle buses every 15 mins to the rim and various visitors centers. $85 a night in January a nit steep!

site: seemed geared towards RVs.
amenities: not very clean. attractions: bus to Grand Canyon available. I would probably not go camping here (just drove through checking out the campground).

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!

We were at the Grand Canyon Trailer Village for four nights in October 2020. We had everything we need in a pull thru site that was generally level. The cell service at this location was pretty bad, but there were areas that we could drive to a few minutes away that gave us perfect Verizon service when we needed to do some work. That said, if you have the option to bring a cell phone booster, we had some neighbors mention how effective that was for them. The most amazing thing about this park was that elk would wander through all day and night and they wouldn't hesitate to get close to the RVs. If you want a full hookup site to explore the Grand Canyon, there's really no better option. Highly recommend it.

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!

This was the only place we could reserve and stay within Grand Canyon so we were thrilled to be able to get a reservation around Christmas time. The other campground (Mather) was first-come first-serve and we did not want to take our chances. This is truly an RV park. We did not need full-hook ups for our van but that was all that was available. 53 dollars plus taxes. No showers, no laundry. The services are normally available in the nearby market plaza village but all shut due to COVID presumably, despite restaurants and gift shops in the same area were open. This is a place for big rigs staying a while. Very few vans, massive RVs with big noisy generators so it may not be your cup of tea if you have a small van and seeking a more quiet experience. Nevertheless you can stay a few minutes walk from the rim of Grand Canyon. Can’t really beat the location while camping.

This was an ideal place to stay with an RV at the Grand Canyon. The bathrooms were nice enough and the sites were a decent size- I wouldn't say private, but it worked for us. The real draw of this campground is that it's close to all the main hiking areas and central part of the park.

This place was ok, no showers or laundry due to Covid. But there were great bike & walking trails that would have taken us to the Rim of the Grand Canyon if we could have found it, lol. It was getting dark & we forgot a map... Which you would need! The Elk walking thru the Campground was awesome!!

Stayed here right before the big snowstorm that hit Grand Canyon. Walking distance to the market and accommodating staff helping plow us out of 7” of snow!

Overall great stay. Be sure to stock up on propane before getting to the site! There was no propane available in the area and had to drive to an hour down to Williams for a refill.

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!

FHU sites for all, $75/night.

Pro: inside Grand Canyon NP.

Cons:

1. Showers are at Mather Campground, $2.50 for 5 min ending at 2045.
2. Bathrooms are barely serviceable. Rather use my own instead (usually don’t due to limited black/grey tank sizes). When paying for CG, I look for good bathrooms.
3. No camp sink.
4. Water spigot next to sewer. Questionable how others have used it.

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.

We stayed at the RV campground, it was clean and peaceful. I love the trails nearby that take you directly to the Grand Canyon, the market, and Mather Campground. The restrooms are clean, no showers. We had a full hook up. When we woke up in the morning, it was fantastic to see about 7 deer or elk not sure what they were. They’re so huge! They were drinking the RV hookup water. Not sure if they pulled the hose out but it was impressive.

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

The area is located between Zion and Grand Canyon North Rim. If coming from Fredonia (basically from Zion) you have about 6 miles of gravel road, but have 23 miles of gravel road between it and the North Rim. It’s not the smoothest gravel road I have been on, but I made it there going slowly in a sedan. I’d recommend a truck or SUV for the 23 mile gravel drive if possible.

you have to bring your own sheets and bathrooms and kitchen are in a shared area. A beautiful and peaceful place though!

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.

General: It is disappointing when the National Park Service outsources its campgrounds to an “authorized concessioner” who, in turn, puts profits over maintenance as is the case with this campground. However, if you want to camp within the Grand Canyon, this is one of two choices. This one is primarily for large RVs but for anyone who wants FHU sites. 

Site Quality: Sites on one side have the advantage of paved streets/camper pads while the ones on the other side are mostly dirt. As would be expected in an RV park, sites are close together with zero privacy between them. Although the sites appear level, they are not completely so. 

Bath/shower house: Only two bathhouses, each with three stalls and two sinks for the entire 123-site campground. If you want a shower, you have to go to Camper Services (drive or a 10-minute walk). The bathrooms were last cleaned two days before we arrived and when we left after four nights, they still had not been cleaned. No ADA access or stall, surprising in a National Park. 

Amenities: The only “amenity” would be the shuttle service to take you to various points in the Grand Canyon, but this is offered by the park service, not the concessioner. 

We chose this “campground” because we were meeting friends who needed the hookups. We don’t mind paying for a nice RV park when needed but $75 was a hell of lot to pay just for hookups and no amenities generally offered by other RV parks. IMO, two stars is a generous rating for this campground, but you are a captive audience if you want to stay within the park with hookups and they know it!

This is an outstanding rv park. We brought our 38ft MH and toad into Grand Canyon for this trip and it was plenty accommodating.

The spots are quite large and we were lucky enough to get one with a large treed area next to it. Full hookups and all.

Great walking distance to the South Rim and easy access to take the toad for a drive to Desert View.

This place is very very popular and fills fast, so always make reservations. Never expect to just pull in and get a spot. Keep an eye on it online...we got our spot for two days due to a cancelation. When we checked to see if we could extend by a day, we were told they were actually overbooked.