Best Cabin Camping near Grand Canyon, AZ

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 two nights in Trailer Village RV Park at the Grand Canyon. We made reservations for our site four months ahead. That was necessary as the campground was full when we arrived! The sites were a good distance apart and there was green space between the RVs. Our site was on the end of a row, and there was a large grassy buffer between the site and the road. We even had plenty of room to put up a tent. Picnic tables, charcoal grills, and full hookups were all provided, including, to our surprise, cable TV! There was no WiFi and our Verizon cell signal was 1-3 bars throughout our stay. No video streaming, but text and email were fine. We have a 17' travel trailer and that plus two vehicles fit well into the parking garage area. There is also an overflow parking lot and you can pick up the Blue Line bus right at the Campground entrance station,which we did! Public bathrooms were clean and stocked, although we did not use the showers so cannot comment on those. Trash and recycle were available close to each loop.

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.

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...

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

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!!

Beautiful full hook up sites. We arrived after dark and didn't know what to expect. Set up and dozed off. In the morning we discovered a quiet peaceful campground surrounded by forestry. Moose gently walked through mornings and afternoons. See the vid of mama Moose calling her baby so it doesn't get lost An asphalt bike and walking trail at the edge of camp leads directly to the south rim visitors center after a 15 minute stroll. Grocery store with camp goods, souvenirs, deli, post office and coffee are also only a stroll away. They are only out of sight and there is no noise. Bathrooms available but no showers. Picnic table and grill included. Asphalt driveways and level parking. Can't wait to return!