Neat location in canyon but $44 steak dinner? It is hauled daily via mule train was the explanation. Cheaper to just eat the mule.

We took the mule trip down to Phantom and spent the night in early Nov. What a wonderful experience we had, and the Phantom Ranch was a very welcome portion of our trip! Somewhere with trees, and shade, and running water, and BEER! The staff here are wonderful-pleasant, welcoming, helpful, and well organized. The cabin is basic, but does have a toilet and running water, and electricity, which is more than in many places. The food was great - served family style in a large open dining hall that really gives you the oportunity to meet your fellow travellers.The showers are clean and easily available. A great pit-stop that will help you recover from the weariness of hiking or mule-riding. The fact that you can get any of this at all, is a testament to the mules and the mule-teams that make it possible!

Let's face it, you're at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and everything is brought in via mule train! The breakfast is standard: eggs, bacon, and pancakes--all you can eat. Dinner is served at two times: 5 PM--steak & baked potato and 6:30: beef stew or veggie chili--all you can eat at 6:30. All meals served homestyle, so you get to meet lots of new friends! The food is nothing fancy, but tastes great--and plenty of it! perfect after a hike down the Grand Canyon!

Friends and I have hiked into the canyon and stayed at Phantom Ranch every 2 years for over a decade. It remains blissfully the same. Reservations are a bit of a challenge to get, but anything worth doing, is worth a little effort. The food is always great, considering you don't have to haul it in on your back, cook it, or clean up afterwords. Beer is $4.50 and cold and plentiful. The cabins are functional and again, no hauling sleeping bags. And, the showers? There is no describing the bliss of a hot shower after a hike into the canyon. Also love the creek for soaking the sore tootsies. Never had a bad time here, not even when we hiked in July - which I do not recommend.