Phantom Ranch to open after 3 months. How to book Grand Canyon's most exclusive lodge
Phantom Ranch, the rustic lodge nestled along Bright Angel Creek, reopened on Tuesday, April 1. It was closed since Jan. 2 to allow the installation of new water and electric lines, according to park staff.
The lodge and canteen are open, but mule rides are still on hold.
Phantom Ranch is in high demand because it's the only lodging at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. To get a reservation, people must enter a lottery 14 months ahead of when they want to go there.
Here's what travelers should know about Phantom Ranch reopening.
Yes. Cabins at Phantom Ranch reopened on April 1. The cabins vary in size and accommodate two to 10 people. Each one contains beds, a cold water sink, a toilet, liquid soap and hand towels. Showers, bath towels, hot water sinks and liquid soap/shampoo are in a separate bath house.
Phantom Ranch's hiker dormitories remain closed.
The canteen, which serves breakfast and dinner for guests with reservations, also reopened. Breakfast ($32.84) includes scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon or sausage, fruit salad, juice, coffee and tea; dinner includes steak ($64.82), beef stew ($46.24) or vegetable stew ($43.47).
Stronghold Engineering, the contractor working on the $208 million Transcanyon Waterline project, installed new water and electric lines and performed what was described as "extensive excavation work" in the Phantom Ranch area.
The Transcanyon Waterline delivers water to the inner canyon and the South Rim. Project work like the new line installations at Phantom Ranch are designed to improve its reliability, and park spokeswoman Joelle Baird said it could prevent future closures of the lodge related to breaks in the line.
Park staff said there were 85 major breaks in the line disrupting water delivery since 2010. When breaks occur, it requires water restrictions and conservation measures that include closing hotels and lodges.
Xanterra Travel Collection, a concessionaire of the National Park Service, operates Phantom Ranch.
Xanterra also runs the historic El Tovar Hotel and the Bright Angel, Kachina, Thunderbird and Maswik lodges at the Grand Canyon's South Rim.
A cabin for two people at Phantom Ranch costs $222 plus tax per night; additional people cost $21.50 each. Phantom Ranch also has a group cabin that can accommodate 10 people available for $355.20 plus tax per night.
As the only lodging at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, demand for stays at Phantom Ranch is higher than supply.
Guests must enter a lottery for Phantom Ranch bookings 14 months before their planned trip. The April 2025 lottery is for reservations in June 2026. The lottery for July 2026 will begin May 1, 2025.
The Phantom Ranch lottery, which is free to enter, starts on the first day and ends on the 25th day of every month.
You can enter starting at 12:01 a.m. MST on the first day of each month at secure.phantomranchlottery.com.
Xanterra processes the submissions and notifies winners of the lottery. Then guests can book and guarantee their reservations.
Any unsold or unclaimed reservations are released to general availability a year before the stays. For example, June 2026 stays — unless they sell out in the lottery — would be available for general sale June 1, 2025.
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Guests can stay at Phantom Ranch for up to four consecutive nights per reservation, according to Xanterra.
Like the lottery for Phantom Ranch reservations, the hike from the South Rim to Phantom Ranch is a challenge. It's about a 7.5-mile hike down via the South Kaibab Trail, taking about four to five hours on average. The hike down is 10 miles via the Bright Angel Trail, taking an average of four to six hours.
The hike back up, on average, is about six to 10 hours, according to Xanterra. For every hour it takes to hike down, it takes two to hike up.
Mule rides to Phantom Ranch are canceled through at least Dec. 31, 2025, because of trail conditions, according to Xanterra.
When Phantom Ranch closed for the water line work, Xanterra said mule rides would be canceled through August 2025. Now they are on pause for the entire year.
Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who's covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic's consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Exclusive Grand Canyon lodge reopens after 3 months
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