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dw and I are in the beginning stages of planning a grand canyon rim to rim hike. I'm sure that someone on this esteemed board has stayed at Phantom Ranch while doing a grand canyon trip...I kind of think its morally wrong to even think about staying in a hotel on such a nice hike (rim to rim), but my wife thinks it would be fun. anyone care to share some details about this place...or their opinion on hoteling while hiking. Really I would like some info on the ranch itself.

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I have stayed at Phantom Ranch many times. It seems it never changes. The cabins are usually reserved for the mule riders. There are dormitories that house 10 people in each on five bunk beds. There is a shower and towels and soap are provided. Sometimes you can change a dorm reservation for a cabin if there are cancellations. Some cabins have bunks but we have had a queen size bed a couple of times.

They serve breakfast and dinner each day with two seatings for each. Hiker's breakfast is real early about 5am and there is a later one at about 6. I don't much like their breakfast and would rather eat whatever I have brought with me. You can get an early morning cup of coffee at the back window for a buck. I really like the stew dinner they have. It is served with salad and cornbread with chocolate cake for desert. A steak dinner is also served with baked potato. All meals are all you can eat. You can buy wine and beer.

During the day from about 8am until 4 or 5pm you can purchase bagels and sausages, raisens, peanuts, candies and some sundries. They also sell Phantom Ranch T-shirts. They take a credit card or cash.

We stayed at Phantom Ranch last year and thought it was very good. As a vegetarian their veggie meal was delicious

A year ago at Thanksgiving my wife and I stayed at the campground. Power
was out for two days at the ranch and their guests were FREEZING (it was about 22 degrees at the bottom, single digits at the rim). The vendors lent out old sleeping bags, but I was really glad to be in my tent with a 15 degree down bag. I have to admit, their food smelled really good.

If you forego the hotel and camp instead, be prepared for the peskiest critters you'll ever find. The ringtails at the campground are incredibly bold. One of the neighbors left candy bars in a pack (they thought it was funny), which inspired the ringtails to systematically empty every pack in sight. They can easily climb the poles provided for hanging packs and won't be shooed away.

The Cabins and dormitory are very rustic and far from a Hotel atmosphere. The dormitory has a shower, very basic indeed. The cabins only have a bathroom and one must use the community shower. You will have more privacy in the cabin than the dormitory but then again the cabins are harder to get.
The mess hall/eatery has the same menu every day. For dinner you have two options and I always chose their famous beef stew. It's out of this world. You do have to reserve all your meals prior to your arrival, even your sack lunch.

In response to mountain goat's reply:

We backpacked from NRim to SRim in Oct03. We spent 2 nights at Phantom Ranch in the campground. The campground was about 1/4 mile away from the Ranch. The hike between the campground and the Ranch worked wonders to loosen up the muscles that had pretty much locked up from brining us down from the NRim. By the second morning we were ready to climb out. The climb out wasn't easy, but, it turned out to be less punishment on the body than the pounding you take hiking in.

The Ranch food was the greatest, make sure that you reserve your meals well in advance. We had breakfast as well, if you are hiking out, make sure to get the early 5am bfast. You want every bit of hiking time before the sun starts hitting you. We didn't purchase the lunch meals, the bfast and the evening meal were more than enough.

The Ranch is a good spot to reload on fruits and gookenaid for the hike out, less to pack in.

And don't forget the Ranch is the only place to get Ranch T-shirts. Nice place to get a souvenir t-shirt, and you didn't have to hike it in, and it's clean and doesn't smell.

Enjoy!

Do the dorms have lockers or other storage for personal belongings? I'm thinking food, meds, other stuff I wouldn't want to schlep around all day.

I stayed there a few summers ago, and I don't remember seeing anywhere to store your items, other then your bed... It'd probaly be a question to ask the Park Service