We hiked down the South Kaibab Trail to Bright Angel campground, spent two nights camping at the bottom of the Canyon before hiking out along the Bright Angel Trail. We did not use Phantom Ranch for eating as had food with us but we did stop by for a drink that we had been recommended to try. They sell the best lemonade you will ever have, maybe the location helps but Lemony as it is known is oh so refreshing.
Phantom Ranch itself blends in really well at the bottom of the Canyon, nestling in amongst the trees. A picturesque spot - next to the river, what could be better.

To make it easy I just put here the summary and review of a whole hike which include the review to this topic.We did a 2-day Rim to Rim hike starting from North Rim via the North Kaibab Trail down to Phantom Ranch and on the next day via the Bright Angel Trail back to the South Rim. It started on Day 1 with the Transcanyon Shuttle, which departed at 1:30pm at the South Rim from Bright Angel Lodge. They drive in a convoy of several smaller busses of up to 10ish people. Fee was 85$ which is ok for the 4h30min ride. They stopped two times for a break. I would highly recommend this service. Staff is very organized and friendly. We arrived around 6pm at the North Rim Campground. We got our camping spot and camped there for the night. The general store has everything what you need. Don't forget the earplugs. The next morning we enjoyed a coffee at the store and took of for the hike at 8am. The North Kaibab Trail in short us awesome and really beautiful. From the Cottonwood Campground further to the Phantom ranch was partially exposed to the sun which is a little rough around noon time. Overall we loved the trail and it is one if our favorites now. We arrived at the Phantom Ranch and had a permit for the Campground. This csmpground is extremly beautiful directly next to the river where we took a bath. We also had a reservation for a SteakDinner and Breakfast at the Phantom Ranch. 40$ seems to be a little high but the food was very good. The family kind restaurant served huge steaks, medium cooked with salat, baked potatoe and sour cream, peas, corn, corn bread. It was perfect after the long hike. A beer for 4$ was one more Pro on my list :) .. We had the early bird breakfast at 5, pancakes with sirup, coffee, tea, peaches, bacon and eggs ... perfect starter. We loved this place and would loved to stay here longer, however, this mornig we started our 2nd and final hike to the South Rim via Bright Angel trail. This trail is also awesome though it goes almost always uphill, first miles only little but the final miles of this 10mi hike is kind of challenging. There are enough drink water stations, which was one reason why we didn't choose the South Kaibab Trail. We also did additional 3mi hike to the plateau, which should be done to see the Colorado river and the beautiful mountains around. This starts near to the Indian Campground. Overall again a very scenic hike though tough and demanding imo.

The Phantom Ranch is an oasis of food, new friends, bonding with nature and relaxing. It is hard to describe the feeling down there. When hiking, it is a surreal scene to happen onto-coming in all sweaty in 100 degree weather to the dining area where everyone is playing card, talking, reading, writing and having a cold beer or the great lemonade with the $1 refills. A long cool shower in the dorm, a short nap in the confines of other tired hikers, and back to the dining area for a cold beer. The breakfast and dinners were great. The steak was good but the stew was spectacular! Our table asked for another bucket and our helper gladly brought another. We had about 3 bowls each and even obtained the recipe which they had printed out.

The Phantom Ranch is not the best accommodations, but it is the best atmosphere for a select few. It is the experience that makes it a 5 star for me. Memories for a lifetime!

We booked our GRAND CANYON MULE RIDE and stay at PHANTOM RANCH 13 months in advance..so needless to say, we could not wait to get there. The mule ride and overnight stay at Phantom Ranch exceeded our expectations!!
Thank you to our Cowboy Guides, Gregg and Utah for getting us all safely to the bottom then back up to the rim of the Grand Canyon. It was AMAZING!!!
Thank you, too, to the wonderful staff at the Phantom Ranch for greeting us with ice cold lemonade, preparing and serving us a wonderful steak diner and hearty breakfast the next morning. All the food was wonderful. Everything tastes better at the bottom of the canyon!
Check in was easy and we were immediately shown to our lovely little cabins. They were adorable and completely what we had expected. They are cabins folks...not luxury suites so if you are expecting something different..stay up on the rim!
Once we got settled into our room we made our way back to the main building which functions as a reception, office, lounge, gift shop and dining room. After a long ride down the canyon on mule....we needed a beer :) The temperature on the canyon floor is much higher than on the rim and the day we were there it was over 100 so that beer tasted great! Considering how much work it must be to get that beer down to the ranch..it was priced perfectly!
When you take the overnight mule ride and stay at the Phantom Ranch, your steak diner and breakfast the next morning is included.
Meals are served 'family- style' in the main building.
Diner was at five ( listen for the diner bell) and I think our breakfast was around 6:30.

I am not usually one for the family- style meals as I am still very much in love with my husband and enjoy staring into his eyes when we eat :) But, I must say,it was a nice experience to sit with fellow mule riders and hikers and share our experiences of the day over a wonderful meal!
The servers were friendly and quick to serve when something was requested at the table.
The steak diner was great and the hearty breakfast the following morning was wonderful.

There are no showers in the cabins themselves.You are given a key to the main shower building which is separate. It is a short walk to heaven! Believe me, after a long hot dusty ride to the bottom..you need a shower! Flip flops would have been nice to have so if you have room in your bag ..bring them. Also, a bathing suit would have been nice as the Bright Angel Creek is close and is a nice place to cool off in.

Be sure to take a walk back to the bridges and the Colorado River before you leave.

Soak in every moment of it...YOU ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE GRAND CANYON!!!
What more could you ask for?
Book it..NOW!!!

A special thanks to our mules, Mahoney and Chalula. They were wonderful.!!