Thither & Yon

Climbing to the bottom of the Grand Canyon – and then, inevitably, clambering back out – is a quintessential national parks experience. As soon as we started planning our trip, I knew we needed to add this hike to our itinerary.

Except “planning” is a bit of a strong word. As Laura pointed out in her journal, this Southwest road trip was a last-minute undertaking. Because of general life complications and omnipresent COVID uncertainty, we didn’t plan this expedition – we just did it. We didn’t know anything about the trails, distances, elevations, and logistics involved in a Grand Canyon trek until after we arrived in Arizona. Not the way we usually travel, but hey, adventure!

For most people, an up-and-down hike into the canyon – covering 16 miles and nearly 5,000 feet in elevation differential – isn’t a day trip. In fact, the National Park Service specifically warns against it. But overnighting options are limited. There are only two backcountry campgrounds, and securing a campsite isn’t easy: competition for same-day permits is fierce, and the park’s COVID procedures during the time of our visit made things extra complicated.

As it happens, there’s one more place to stay overnight at the bottom of the Grand Canyon: Phantom Ranch.

What Is Phantom Ranch?

Built in the 1920s, these guest cabins are near the confluence of Bright Angel Creek and the Colorado River. The accommodations are simple, but considering that everything needs to be brought in a backpack, on a mule, or in a raft, the fact that this place even exists is a little magical. Until I stumbled upon Phantom Ranch while searching around for camping options, it never occurred to me that one could climb down the canyon and sleep on a real mattress. (In a room with electricity, running water, and air conditioning, no less.)

Not that Phantom Ranch needs to advertise. Because of its unique setting and small size – currently, there are only 11 guest cabins – some consider the ranch to be one of the most exclusive hotels in the world. To get a shot at a reservation, you need to enter an online lottery 15 months in advance. If you’re lucky, you’re invited to put down a deposit. If not, you’re encouraged to try again next month.

How To Get In Line for Phantom Ranch Cancellations

Clearly, a 15-month advance reservation wasn’t a viable option for people who were making up a trip on the fly. But after combing through some old forums and calling the Bright Angel Lodge, I discovered that you can get on a waiting list to snap up any last-minute cancellations at Phantom Ranch. It seems that the process can change a bit from year-to-year, but here’s how it worked on our trip:

1. You need to call the Transportation Desk at the Bright Angel Lodge (at 928-638-3283) the day BEFORE you want a reservation. The desk officially opens at 5:30 AM local time, and you want to call as early as you possibly can. The first morning I tried, I called at 5:34. The line was busy. I redialed four times before I finally got through, and wound up fifth on the waiting list. On the second morning I called at 5:30 on the dot, and I was in second place. (A note about time zones: don’t forget that Arizona doesn’t observe daylight saving. This effectively means that in summer, the Grand Canyon is on Los Angeles time, and in winter it’s on Denver time. If you’re not sure, double-check the local time online.)
2. Getting on the waiting list is only half the battle. To stay in the running, you need to show up in person at Bright Angel Lodge at 6:45 AM the following day. If there’s a cancellation, they’ll offer it to the people present according to their place on the waiting list.

(February 2022 Update: I’ve confirmed that this is still how things work. As always, I’ll post new info if I learn that anything has changed.)

It’s a pretty clever process designed to select for people physically present in the park, dedicated enough to jump through two days of hoops, and ready to make an early-morning hike into the canyon. It also requires you to have a lot of flexibility, which was right up our alley. We’d booked a simple Airbnb about 25 minutes outside the park for our first night, but that was all. We intentionally didn’t make any other reservations. We knew it was a slim chance that we’d snag a night at Phantom Ranch, but after some quick searches on accommodation websites, we were confident that we could find a fairly inexpensive last-minute room in Williams if we were really in a bind.

CLARIFICATION: Since publishing this post, commenter Ravi Palanivelu pointed out that these instructions only apply to stays that are cancelled two days or less before they’re scheduled to begin. But what happens if someone cancels their reservations with more lead time – say, several weeks or months out? I called Xanterra’s Grand Canyon reservations line and confirmed that in that case, the inventory is instantly released into their general availability calendar. The bad news? The agent told me those cancellations are re-booked almost instantly. He said he’s often still on the phone confirming the initial guest’s refund when he sees the cabin get reserved again. Still, if you’ve got more than a couple days of lead time, you should consider keeping an eye on the online reservations system, just in case. You might get lucky! If not, you can follow the steps outlined here for a true last-minute Hail Mary.

How We Scored A Phantom Ranch Cabin

Since we’d never been to the park before, one of the first things we did after arriving was to head for Bright Angel Lodge to find the Transportation Desk. The roads around Grand Canyon Village take a little getting used to, but once we found the hotel, we were pleased to see the Transportation Desk just inside the main entrance, right next to reception. The staff were incredibly friendly, and not only did they confirm the whole process for me, but they told me that all the Phantom Ranch guests had already confirmed their stays for the next day, so I didn’t need to be there at 6:45 in the morning. It was disappointing news, but I was glad to know in advance that we could make other plans for the day.

All the same, when I called the next morning at 5:30 to get back on the waiting list, I made double sure that I didn’t need to be at the desk at 6:45. The woman on the phone replied that yes, all their Phantom Ranch guests for the day were indeed confirmed, so it was safe to have a leisurely breakfast. We warmed up some coffee and stale pastries and took advantage of the Airbnb’s wifi to get some work done, plan hikes, and look for a room for the night. At about 8:30, we got an unexpected call from Bright Angel Lodge. The woman I’d spoken with earlier said they’d had a sudden cancellation for a queen cabin, and she wondered if we were still interested in hiking down into the canyon. Today.

We took it.

After a little happy dance, we scrambled to assemble our packs. By the time we repacked the car, checked out of our room, and landed at the Bright Angel Lodge, it was nearly 11 AM. Because of the park’s COVID procedures, shuttle service was significantly altered during our visit – which meant some more logistical wrangling and an extra three-mile walk. We didn’t get to our trailhead until after noon. That’s much later than we originally intended to start, and we made the hike down in the absolute worst heat of the day, but hey – we’d hit the Phantom Ranch jackpot! We knew we’d have a bed waiting for us at the bottom, which is more than we ever expected. In fact, our luck was exceedingly good: we scored one of the queen cabins (most cabins have single or bunked twins), and it was probably the most private cabin at the ranch. And, thanks to putting our names on the waiting list for the following day as well, we managed to snag it for a second night, which staff assured us never happens.

Tips For Trying It Yourself

If you’re hoping to try your hand at a last-minute Phantom Ranch cancellation, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Brace for disappointment. The odds aren’t in your favor, so don’t count on it happening. We got lucky – very lucky – but I think we had some other factors working in our favor. For starters, we visited in very late April, which is busy, but nothing like peak summer traffic. We were also visiting during a strange period in the pandemic: people were traveling – especially to national parks – but vaccination had just begun to open up to everyone, and there was still a fair amount of general uncertainty that may have produced more last-minute cancellations than average.
2. Be flexible. We got our phone call at 8:30 in the morning for a same-day opening. It was easy to say yes because we had nothing else booked: no tours, no restaurant reservations, no places to stay. We had some contingency plans for the day, but nothing confirmed. There’s a lot of freedom to that kind of travel, but it has downsides.
3. Go all-in on the process. To get on the waiting list, be prepared to dial that phone right away at 5:30 AM. (Or maybe even a few minutes before.) Consider checking in at the Transportation Desk in the evening to see if you can find out how likely a cancellation is, and make sure you can be there no later than 6:45 the following morning. This takes time and energy, and it may mean that you have to plan other activities around it.
4. Make sure you’ve got a working phone. A small detail, but an important one if you’re going to make a 5:30 AM phone call or receive a call about a last-minute opening. In our experience, cell phone service outside Grand Canyon National Park is pretty decent, but it’s much more limited inside. If your phone uses the Verizon network, you should be good most places along the South Rim. But if you use AT&T or T-Mobile, don’t expect service once you get through the entrance booth.