Phantom Ranch, located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, provides overnight accommodations for hikers and mule riders descending the steep, rocky canyon trails or rafters and kayakers navigating the Colorado River. The ranch itself, nestled along Bright Angel Creek on the north side of the river, offers rustic cabins and dormitory spaces for overnight guests. Bright Angel Campground, located just south of the ranch, includes 33 campsites.
Significance
Phantom Ranch, constructed in 1922, offered food, lodging and comfort for early adventurers and explorers, according to the Grand Canyon National Park website. It originally consisted of four cabins and a small lodge, but within 10 years grew to a total of 11 cabins and a large lodge building of stone and wood.
Even in the 21st Century, Phantom Ranch and the nearby campground can only be reached by hiking or riding mules down steep, rocky trails that drop one vertical mile from the canyon rim, or by paddling down the river. The only way out is back up the trail on foot or mule, or back onto the river.
Camping
Bright Angel Campground, located about a half-mile downstream from Phantom Ranch, has become the most-used campground in the Grand Canyon, according to the Camp Arizona website. Three primary trails lead to the campground: South Kaibab Trail, Bright Angel Trail and the North Kaibab Trail. The National Park Service prohibits at-large dispersed camping along those popular trails, which are considered "corridor" trails.
All camping within the canyon, including at Bright Angel Campground, requires a backcountry permit. Fees in the summer of 2010 included a non-refundable $10 payment plus $5 per person per night. The park limits camping at Bright Angel and other corridor campgrounds to two nights.
Features
Amenities provided at Bright Angel Campground include picnic tables, potable water and toilets at the south end of the campground.
Phantom Ranch offers meals, beverages and a small shop for its guests or visitors camping at Bright Angel. Meals must be reserved far in advance, according to Grand Canyon Lodges, which manages all reservations for the national park. The ranch accepts reservations up to 13 months in advance. In the summer of 2010, dinners ranged from t $26.10 to $41.68 and a sack lunch cost $12.39.
Activities
The area around Phantom Ranch and Bright Angel Campground offers access to a variety of canyon-bottom day hikes. The Hit the Trail website recommends the Bridge Loop, a 1.5-mile hike to and along the Colorado River, and the Clear Creek/Phantom Overlook hike from the North Kaibib Trail that offers a panoramic view of the ranch and river.
Considerations
Phantom Ranch and Bright Angel Campground reservations fill up quickly, as much as a year in advance.
The Grand Canyon's depth creates a variety of weather conditions from the top of the South Rim to the bottom of the canyon, with temperatures varying by as much as 20 degrees.
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