In March 2024, I took a guided hiking trip to Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. The Grand Canyon encompasses 278 miles of the Colorado River and the adjacent areas. Phantom Ranch is located a little over half mile north of Bright Angel Creek’s confluence with the Colorado River. Phantom Ranch, with its rustic cabins, was designed by architect Mary Colter and opened in 1922.
March 22, 2024
My adventure to Arizona began one day before departing for the Grand Canyon. After arriving on an early flight to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, I joined two friends for visits to the Desert Botanical Garden and Papago Park. It was a pleasure to stroll through colorful desert fauna and then enjoy a short trek to the Hole in the Rock in Papago Park. At the park, we were treated to views of mountain goats on a nearby hill overlooking the Phoenix Zoo. Given the warm weather, we cooled down with blueberry cider at a nearby pub. Later that evening, we dined under the stars at the Oven+Vine in Midtown Phoenix. It was a delightful day!
March 23, 2024
The next morning, I met my hiking guide and companions in Scottsdale, AZ. We quickly bonded on our three-hour drive north sharing personal tidbits and travel stories. Once inside the Grand Canyon National Park, we stopped at the historic stone Desert View Watchtower depicting Hopi Indian murals. My hiking companions and I meandered along the South Rim Trail before meeting the group at the El Tovar Hotel. On our walk, we visited Pipe Creek Vista, Verkamps Curios, Mather Point, the Yavapai Geology Museum, and finally the Hopi House. We were mesmerized with canyon views and took plenty of photos. I enjoyed shopping at the Hopi House, purchasing a Christmas Ornament to commemorate this experience.
After checking in to the Kachina Lodge next to the El Tovar Hotel door, we met in the El Tovar Dining Room for an amazing dinner. Of course, I opted to feast on delicious trout. Our guide provided an overview of our next day before we retired to our rooms, dreaming of the adventure ahead.
March 24, 2024
I awoke a bit panicked to find snow had fallen overnight and was still falling. Thankfully, after a hearty breakfast at El Tovar and encouraging words from our experienced guide, our group felt ready for any challenge.
We boarded our van for a short ride to the South Kaibab Trail to commence our 7.4-mile trek. At the trailhead, we donned Yax-Trax footwear and our raingear, readied our trekking poles, and headed out. There were few people on the trail as we made our way down, enduring intense wind and pelting sleet for the first hour of our journey. I focused on my feet, rarely looking up or taking photos.
I remember stopping briefly out of the wind at Ooh Aah Point (.9 miles down), and I felt grateful for a restroom at Cedar Ridge (1.5 miles down). Thankfully, the weather began to let up after Cedar Ridge, and the sun gradually shined through. The ice quickly turned into a stream of water flowing down the hiking path. I was thankful for my La Sportiva gortex hiking shoes, now covered with red grim. Just after the halfway mark, we met a mule team going uphill – a first for me! By the time we reached Skeleton Point (3 miles down), our lunch spot, the clouds had largely cleared. I was happy to grab my camera and take a few shots.
After our sustenance break and more photos, we continued down marveling at views only one could see by descending into the canyon. We caught our first glimpses of the Colorado River and Phanton Ranch, a green oasis amongst the rocks. Our guide told us the river was brown in color primarily from upstream sediment, although it could also be a bright emerald-green when the water runs clear. You just never know!
We entered the green slopes of the Tonto Platform, taking another bathroom break at The Tip Off (4.5 miles down). Then, we continued down hiking several switchbacks, and once we neared the bottom of the trail, we passed over the South Kaibab Suspension Bridge. We continued on the north side of the river for about .5 miles, passing a beach and picnic area. Imagine our delight when arriving at the Bright Angel Campground. Phanton Ranch was only .5 miles away!
We seemed to pick up our pace that last half mile, excitement building for our first real glimpse of Phanton Ranch. I was thrilled to have my photo taken under the Phantom Ranch sign! Once arrived, we headed to the Phanton Ranch Canteen for a glass of its famous lemonade and decided who would be staying in which cabins. I agreed to bunk with another gal and two guys in cabin #5.
Once we settled into our cabins, a few of us met up at the picnic tables outside the Canteen for wine and brews before dinner. The tables were a great gathering place for ranch and campground guests to share stories. There are two mealtimes at the Canteen, the earlier being 5:45 p.m. for the steak dinner. We were scheduled for the 7:15 p.m. dinner time with beef stew, and I could hardly wait! Preceding each meal, the Canteen meal host gives a short humorous speech to the hungry crowd. (It’s important to obey her rules!) The meal was fabulous, including salad, bread, stew, and dessert. It was wonderful to commiserate about the highlights from our day. Our guide provided a plan for our next full day at the ranch before we departed for well-deserved slumber.
March 25, 2024
We enjoyed coffee waiting for us outside of the Canteen before meeting up with our group for a sunrise loop hike around the Colorado River. Heading south from the ranch, we crossed the Silver Suspension Bridge to the Bright Angel Trail. We then took the River Trail east before meeting up again with the South Kaibab Trail we came in on yesterday. Fortunately, we finished the three-mile trek in the nick of time for our growing appetites and our scheduled 7 a.m. breakfast.
The morning meal was filling with choices of bacon, sausage, eggs, hotcakes and fruit. It felt luxurious to sit there sipping coffee and talking with my companions and newfound kindred spirits. We shared our love of the outdoors with stories of hiking adventures.
I loved our free day at the canyon! I took the opportunity to purchase a commemorate t-shirt and address Phanton Ranch postcards to family and friends. Then, a friend and I did a four-mile roundtrip hike on the North Kaibab Trail to check out the terrain and vistas. After a lunch snack, I spent over two hours lounging at a beach I had entirely to myself. It felt surreal to relax in 60-degree temperatures, waive at the rafters, and study the canyon walls all around me. I will never forget these wonderful moments!
At 3 p.m., I met up with the guide and a few other hikers to hike the Clear Creek Trail for an overlook of Phantom Ranch. Since it felt very warm, I did not complete the entire six-mile RT hike with the group. Instead, I opted to turn around after views of the ranch (4-mile RT) to capitalize on a shower in the women’s facilities just across from my cabin!
The 5:45 p.m. steak dinner will live long in my memory! One thing is certain, the Canteen does not skimp on its meals. With our steak, we enjoyed salad, roasted potatoes and vegetables, and a dessert. Again, we had interesting conversations with companions and newfound acquaintances. Our guide provided the plan for the following day, and we departed for one last evening in the historic cabins.
March 26, 2024
Morning came to soon. At 5:45 am, we enjoyed another hearty breakfast, chatting with two hikers all the way from Poland. After gathering our things, we headed out and up around 7:30 a.m. on this blue-sky day.
We took our time going up, stopping for water, taking in the vistas, and snapping plenty of photos. As we approached Cedar Ridge, we noted many day hikers, which had been few during our earlier descent. Given many schools in the U.S. were on Spring Break, we weren’t entirely surprised by the crowds at Ooh Aah Point and above. However, I did not expect the ice-covered trail as we neared the canyon’s summit. Because Bright Angel trail was closed for maintenance, South Kaibab Trail was very lively. Our ascent became more treacherous because of the numerous tourists descending without proper foot attire. I couldn’t wait to finish! Haha!
We finished the hike just after 1 p.m. A friend and I summited the trail together and happily posed in front of the South Kaibab Trail sign. We had accomplished a dream, hiking to the bottom of the canyon and lodging at Phantom Ranch!
Our group loaded up the van and traveled about 90 minutes to Flagstaff for lunch at the Beaver Street Brewery. As we approached Flagstaff, we noted the beautiful snowy landscape. In fact, snow flurries followed up for about 20 minutes on our drive towards Phoenix, until the sky turned blue again. Two hours later, the guide dropped me at the Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel to enjoy a relaxing evening before my early flight home the next day.
Memories of this trip will be forever etched in my mind! I experienced bliss on the trail and at the historic Phantom Ranch! Exploring the Grand Canyon in this way has made me greatly appreciate its grandness! If you have ever been to the Grand Canyon and/or Phantom Ranch or are planning a trip there, I’d love to hear from you!
