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Phantom Ranch unofficial Home Page

How many people can I make a reservation for?
For one to twenty people. If you have more than ten, you must go through the Group Reservations office at P.O. Box 699, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023, or fax a request to 928-638-0982. You may call Phantom Granch Group Information at 928-638-2709 and request a group contract information sheet. I have had trouble getting my mail answered in the past, but recently their turn-around time has been a couple of weeks. Much better!

How do I cancel a reservation?
For a normal reservation, at least 48 hours prior. If weather is inclement, that is to say, physically snowing, they have been known to cancel at the last minute with no penalty. For a group reservation, at least 30 days prior, or you forfeit your deposit (which in Feburary 2008 was 50%).

What do I get for my money?
If you stay in the dorm, you get a bunk bed in a single-sex dorm. The bed has a real mattress (not plastic), sheets, pillow, spread, and blanket in the winter. The dorm is heated/cooled according to the season. It has a small bathroom with toilet, hot water sink, and shower. There are hangers on the wall for your pack and picnic tables outside for your convenience.

If you stay in the cabin, you get a bunk bed in a four to ten person cabin. You stay only with members your party: they do not send strangers into your cabin. The cabin has a heater and/or cooler, a toilet, and a cold water sink. You get a key that locks the cabin and opens the shower houses, one male, one female.
You get a towel (not a washcloth) and there is shampoo/soap in the shower. The cabins have a small desk, reading lamp (very dim bulbs), and chair. They also have hot and cold running mice, so keep your food safe. In fact in March of 2002 there was a ring-tail cat in cabin 8! He was even louder than the mice!

How about food?
Food is purchased separately. Breakfast is all-you-can-eat pancakes, bacon, eggs, canned peaches and hot drinks. There is an early breakfast for those hiking out that day and a later breakfast for the stay-overs.

Lunch is a sack lunch consisting of a bagel with cream cheese and jelly, a small summer sausage, apple, raisins, peanuts, a powdered packet of electrolite replacement drink, cookies, pretzels, and a napkin.

Dinner is all-you-can-eat steak, baked potato, green beans, corn on the cob, cornbread, and green salad with hot drinks OR stew, cornbread, and green salad. Dessert is chocolate cake. The vegetarian meal is like the steak meal with vegetarian chili in place of the steak and served at the same time as the stew meal. This is new as of July.

Can I stay and not eat?
Yes, and a lot of hikers stay in the dorm and bring their own food. If you bring a backpacking stove you can cook outside, but not within the rooms.

Can I eat and not stay?
Yes, if meals are available, and you have to reserve them in advance. Often backpackers in the campground eat dinner at the Ranch.

What do I do once I get there?
Most people hike down one day and out the next, so all they do is collapse. There are a number of day hikes in the area for those spending more than one night. See the Day Hike section. During the spring, summer, and fall there are Ranger programs and some Ranger hikes.

How much does it cost?
As of February 2009, costs were $214.54 for the ten person cabin, and $36.29 for one space in the dorm. Breakfast was $19.46, lunch $12.27, Veggie Dinner was $25.88, Stew dinner $25.88, and steak dinner $41.33. These prices change periodically (actually, they always go up).

What is available in the canteen?

FIRST AID AND SUNDRIES: Band-Aids, Moleskin, Ace bandages, Muscle easing salve, Rolaids, Advil and Aspirin, sunblock, Lip Balm, Tampons, Intensive Care Lotions,Pepto Bismol.

BEVERAGES: Coffee, hot cocoa, herbal teas, iced tea, lemonade, Glacier Bottle Water, Tecate and Bud beers, wine. BEER CANNOT BE TAKEN OUT OF THE CANTEEN!!!

SNACKS: Peanuts, Oreo cookies, fig bars, plain and peanut M&M's, Snickers, Gum, Lifesavers, Trail Mix, apples, bagels with cream cheese and jelly, summer sausage, Cliff Bars.

Fishing licenses and tobacco products are not available.

OTHERS: Print film for 35 mm cameras. Kodak disposable cameras. AA, AAA, L132 and 9 volt batteries, Flashlights, bandanas, Exclusive hats, postcards and tee shirts.

When is the canteen open?
During summer from 8 AM to 4 Pm and 8-10 PM. During winter 8:30 AM - 4 PM and 7-9 PM. No sales during meal hours. Last call for alcohol at 3:30 PM and 1/2 hour before last closing. Credit cards, travelers checks and cash. No personal checks.

Can I get my gear carried in and out?
You can arrange this in advance, but you won't have access to the stuff, so don't send anything you will need while hiking. In 2008, this cost $60.83 each way, and you have to have your gear ready to go down at 4 PM the day before you start down, at 6 AM on the day you go out. There is a 30 pound, 36 by 20 by 13 inch size limit to duffels. They do accept internal frame packs, but not external frame without a duffel.

What if I want to backpack from Phantom?
You do not need a backcountry permit to stay at Phantom, but if you go backpacking from there, you will. You get a backcountry permit from the Park Service at P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023. You can call 928-638-7888 and get a backcountry planning packet mailed to you. You do not need a permit to day hike unless you re taking a group of twenty or more people on a 12 mile or more day hike (like a rim to rim to rim).

Which is the easiest trail?
None of them are easy: you still have to climb in and out almost a vertical mile. The Bright Angel is preferred during the summer months because there is potable water at Mile and a Half Resthouse, Three Mile Resthouse, and Indian Gardens. There is a running stream below Indian Gardens in case you get really hot and want to dunk your body to cool off. There are outhouses at Mile and a Half Resthouse and at Indian Gardens. The Bright Angel is also about three miles longer than the South Kaibab, which translates to at least one hour more hiking time, and usually more.

The South Kaibab is not recommended for climbing out in summer because there is no shade and no water. There are outhouses at Cedar Ridge and on the Tonto Plateau.

The North Kaibab is only open to the rim during the summer months. You may hike on the North Kaibab during winter to about Roaring Springs. There is water at Cottonwood Camp, Roaring Springs, and in the Supai formation. You also hike alongside Bright Angel Creek for the first seven miles.

During winter, Bright Angel will have more ice and is much colder because the upper several miles are in the shade most of the day. There is potable water at Indian Gardens in winter. The South Kaibab has better views, but is almost always more windy.

Most hikers go down the South Kaibab and out the Bright Angel.

Do I really need that much water?
When exercising in the heat, you should drink one quart of water for every hour you are hiking. If you will recall, nutritionists recommend drinking a gallon of water a day just to stay healthy, not even when you are sweating it all off! As a rule of thumb, if you are drinking enough to urinate normally, you are probably getting enough. This is why rangers want you to hike out the Bright Angel in summer: you can't really carry enough water to stay comfortable when the temperatures are over 100 degrees.

In winter you will not need quite as much water, but you still sweat off more than you think because the air is so dry.

A person who is accustomed to exercising in the heat will begin to sweat sooner and more copiously than someone who is not used to the heat. This would seem a waste of water, but the unaccustomed person will not begin to sweat until the body core temperature is at 100 degrees. This means they begin hiking in an overheated state and have to work harder at it to cool down. This further means that you cannot train your body to do without water: the better shape you are in, the better you sweat.

How about my trash?
You are expected to carry out your own trash and stuff that you brought too much of. You may leave the trash generated from your purchases down there: such as candy wrappers, beer cans, and the trash from your sack lunch. Every time I go to Phantom I end up carrying out some junk that some other hikers didn't want to bother to carry out, such as shirts, old boots, and such like, and I am getting tired of it. If you don't want to carry it out, don't carry it down in the first place.

So why can't I leave my trash if I get tired?
Last year five million people visited the Grand Canyon. One percent of those hiked at least one mile below the rim. That means a half a million people. If every one of them tosses aside a tissue or an apple core or a cigarette butt, the Canyon will be full of trash in no time.
Follow the principles of Leave No Trace . The main things you have to remember in the Canyon are:

• Carry out all of your trash, including toilet paper, cigarette butts, and leftover food (if you utilize the outhouse, you may deposit the TP in the usual receptacle: no use getting carried away).
• Do not feed the animals, and keep an eye on them because they will steal from your pack while you are wearing it. Squirrels on the Corridor trails are aggressive because they know they can get food from hikers. They are not cute: several people a day are bitten by these animals and must undergo the Rabies series of shots. They also carry diseases such as HantaViris and Bubonic Plague.
• Stay on the trail and do not cut across the switchbacks. It is amazing to me that so many people hike out the Bright Angel because it is less steep and then cut the switchbacks anyway.
• Do not carve your name on any rocks or trees. If you want people to know you have been there, buy a tee shirt.

Take only pictures, leave only footprints, kill only time.

You are not allowed on or off the mule without the assistance of the wrangler. In 2006, the overnight mule trip to Phantom was $360.54 for one person, or $641.57 for two. That includes one night in a cabin and steak dinner, breakfast, and a trail lunch. From mid-November through the end of March, the mule riders may stay two nights.

Do I really have to be in great shape to do this?
You have to be able to hike at least seven miles and down (and then up) almost a vertical mile. Most people think it is tough walking to the mailbox and back. You don't have to be in great shape, but the better shape you are in, the more you will enjoy yourself.

How long will it take me to hike out?
It depends on how fast you walk. Many people enjoy taking the whole day. They like to stop and explore and just enjoy the trip. More people take the whole day, but they don't enjoy it. They are too pooped to notice anything along the way.

My friends and I take anywhere from 3 to 4 1/2 hours to hike down, and the same to hike out. Many of my compatriots who are not in stellar shape take seven hours to get out. There are also those who take ten to twelve hours out. Hiking out the South Kaibab in under three hours is a push -- those of us who do it are in pretty tough shape.

Look at it this way: if you hike down the South Kaibab, that is seven miles. If you walk two miles an hour (which is a good, steady pace), it will take you three and a half hours to get down with no rest stops. The Bright Angel is 10 miles. At two miles an hour, this will take you five hours. If you walk one mile an hour, it will take you twice as long. I would strongly recommend that you take a long day hike somewhere near your house and time yourself. Then you'll have a better idea of how long it will take you to get in and out of the Canyon. It will also let you know how your boots fit and how your pack feels. All of these are good things to know.

How can I get in shape for this?
I'm glad you asked. Check out the handy, dandy, get in shape page.

If I get into trouble, a ranger will help me, right?
The Park Service prefers those new to the Canyon to stay in the Corridor, which includes the Bright Angel, South Kaibab, and North Kaibab Trails. This is because a lot of people get into trouble, particularly in the summer. If one is in trouble in the Corridor, there are emergency phones, water (on the Bright Angel and North Kaibab) and plenty of other hikers. However, if one is in trouble there may not be a ranger available immediately.

First off, your cell phone won't work, so forget that. Second off, once you contact a ranger they may not be able to get to you right away. They have a whole National Park to take care of. Once a ranger does come to your aid, he or she will decide if you have a true medical emergency. If not, you walk out on your own, Clyde. If you do have an emergency, they may opt for a helicopter drag-out but it is expensive ($2,000 or more) and you have to pay for it. The helicopter cannot land just anywhere, so you may have to drag your body out to a landing site.

I was told that during the summer, there are 1,000 to 1,500 day hikers going through the Phantom Ranch area. This means that they are each hiking a minimum of 14 miles and climbing out 4,300 to 4,800 feet in the same day in temperatures up to 115 degrees. This results in five to six emergency drag-outs each and every day in the summer. Not to mention all the people who think they are going to die until the ranger gives them a drink and tells them to keep walking.

So the rangers want you to stay in the Corridor for your health, but due to the fantastic numbers of hikers moving through, many if not most of whom are sadly underequiped and underexercised, rangers are really overworked in the summer. So you cannot depend on a ranger holding your hand if you get in over your head.
Therefore carry plenty of water and food, rest often before you become exhausted, have some emergency gear with you, and make up your mind that you will get in and out all by your lonesome.

Where do I leave my car?
There is parking near the Bright Angel Trail at the lodge, near the train depot, or near the backcountry office.

As of this writing, private cars are not allowed at the South Kaibab trailhead. You must get the Kaibab Tram to the trailhead. There is a hiker special which leaves the Back Country Office and the Bright Angel Lodge early in the morning. Times vary, so check when you get there. Any other time, pick up the blue tram to the Canyon View Information Center, thence the green tram to the Kaibab trailhead.

It can take up to an hour on trams to get to the trailhead and then to get back, so plan ahead. You can, of course, drive around the road barriers, but don't. If you see cars parked at the trailhead, they belong to the rangers and the Ranch staff. If you are caught there, even if dropping people off, you can be fined. There is a reason for this: when the Park Service closed this trailhead, it cut search and rescue calls dramatically. Once again, those of us who plan ahead and prepare are penalized by those who wander down aimlessly and haplessly.

Do not leave valuables in sight. If you have a hotel room on the rim, you may stash items with the bell person while you are hiking. Otherwise, the hotel may charge a fee to store your things.

What about a shuttle if I want to hike rim to rim?

Hire the Trans-canyon Shuttle to take you around. As of this writing, the fare is $65 per person one-way, $120 round trip. For groups of 8 or more the fare is $55 each. For groups of 12 or more the fare is $50 each. Some charters are available and the minimum charge for this service is $500. Charters are available for any group that needs a different departure time and one van, which holds 12 people. For children (ages 0 - 12) the fare is $50 each. Infants and toddlers must have a car seat provided by the adult passenger.

Reservations are required and can be made by calling 928-638-2820. As far as I know, the shuttle keeps running on a day-to-day basis once the North Rim officially closes until the roads actually snow over and are physically closed. For more details on a rim to rim hike, look at my new rim to rim site.