The Best Place to Stay at Grand Canyon National Park
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- What’s the best place to stay at Grand Canyon National Park? The in-park options are limited to six.
I will address hotel options on South Rim first, the place most people visit, and make a few comments on the single lodge on the North Rim last.
There are two vendors that offer rooms on the South Rim of Grand Canyon, Delaware North, that runs Yavapai Lodge, with 358 rooms, and Xanterra, the successor to the Fred Harvey Company, that runs five hotels right on the rim, with 552 rooms available. Each has a website for booking and looking for discounts.
Yavapai Lodge is NOT on the rim of the Canyon, and therefore is not a favorite of mine. It requires a drive, a bus ride or a long walk to get to the Canyon Rim. It does, however, offer the lowest priced AC rooms in the Park with easy parking and access. I have a separate video about Yavapai Lodge.
Xanterra’s website does offer the invitingly titled “Grand Hotel,” which might better be labeled the Grand Scam. In some parts of the world “grand hotel” has special meaning, but not here, it is just a tract hotel NOT LOCATED IN GRAND CANYON national park-you have to go through the park gate, with waits up to three hours, every time you travel from the hotel to the Park. The website has been forced to clarify that the Grand Hotel is not in the park, and I see no reason to stay there.
If there were a Grand Hotel at the Canyon, it would be El Tovar, which opened in 1905 and has 78 rooms. If linen tablecloths, bellhops and maître d’s are your thing, the El Tovar is for you. To me, El Tovar has some problems. First, the rooms are expensive. The cheapest room is $372 plus taxes and fees, and that is for one full bed I a room that is sometimes described as “garden level,” or “street level,” but is actually in a basement. The lowest price room with a queen bed out of the basement is $458, which comes out to about $490 a night with taxes and fees (all other prices I mention in this video will be list prices without taxes or fees). That’s just too darned expensive for me. You can stay in a $225 cheaper room five minutes away from El Tovar, and then enjoy the ambiance by grabbing a drink at the bar and taking it to the lobby, or by using your savings to buy a meal in the fancy restaurant. The El Tovar is a public building. Walk on through and enjoy the ambiance for free! The other issue is that parking is very difficult to find, and it is a long haul from the parking lot to the rooms. I guess maybe that is why they have the bellhops. But you can do better.
What I call the modern twins, Kachina and Thunderbird Lodges, have 49 and 55 rooms respectively, and are right on the rim. These are bland, but nice enough places to stay. Neither has air conditioning, but they have evaporative cooling which is some help in the heat of the Summer. The parking is very limited, and once again you have to haul your equipment from the car to the room. Room rates start at $336 a night, but you can do better.
My top choice on the rim in the cooler months is Bright Angel Cabins. The Bright Angel Lodge was built in 1935 as a less expensive alternative to the El Tovar Hotel, and was designed by Mary Colter. The rooms are steps from the rim and Bright Angel Trail. I would not stay in the Lodge Rooms because of noise and odors, but the cabins are the best value starting at $233 a night, with the best cabins having a view and a fireplace, which go for $377 a night. Since I spend most of my time out hiking, I get the standard cabin for $233. I have a longer video with details about Bright Angel Lodge.
In the cooler weather, and if there are only two in my party, I choose Bright Angel Cabins. But if the weather is unusually hot, or if there are more than two in my party, I choose Maswik Lodge. Maswik is the only hotel not directly on the rim, but it is a five minute walk away. The big advantage is that it offers air conditioning and easy parking, in relatively bland, motel style rooms. Maswik rooms start at $262, but they are the most commonly discounted rooms on the rim, and are often available for under $100 a night in the slow season. I have a separate video on Maswik Lodge.
Finally, there is only one Lodge in the Park on the North Rim. Because I have had problems with rodent infestations in some of the North Rim rooms, the only room I would accept on is the Western Cabins, the most expensive rooms, unfortunately. The Western Cabins are $325 a night. Now, a word of caution, the North Rim Lodge was badly managed for years by Forever Resorts.
I hope you enjoy your visit to Grand Canyon, and thank you for watching this video.
Excellent summary of the available options and I especially like your explaining that you speak from a position of experience.
Thanks, I am always happy to share what I have learned. In fact, I just got back today from a two-night stay at Maswik, $70 a night!
Very helpful advice.
Thanks for watching!
I agree with you.
정말 멋진 곳 함께 합니다. 언젠가는 저도 여길 걸어볼 날이 있겠죠. 8:10
I hope so much you get the opportunity to visit Grand Canyon, it is a special place. My brother will be in Korea next week!
My ex and I visited the Grand Canyon maybe 30 years ago. Stayed at El Tovar and enjoyed every minute. The room was lovely, dinner was wonderful (had a table by a window overlooking the Canyon at sunset), and we had a great time. Divorced now, and i couldn't afford it, so I'm really glad we had that one night.
Thanks for sharing those memories. I am just finishing a video about dining at El Tovar, where I note it is good for special occassions, but just to expensive for ordinary dining. Glad you could stay when you did. Thanks for your comment.
Wonderful advice, thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Useful information, thank you..
Thanks for watching, glad is was useful.
I agree.
I visit Las Vegas many times a year, and always wanted to take a day trip to here! Great video, and I will make sure to subscribe for more!
Thank you, and I will enjoy more of your videos of California!
Great suggestions and lots of helpful information. I have actually stayed in the Bright Angel cabins many years ago and I found the view incredible. When we went back years later with our kids, we stayed at Thunderbird which worked out well with us. New subscriber here.
Thanks for the input. I imagine with kids the extra space at Thunderbird is essential. I appreciate your subscribing and of course have returned the courtesy as well. Thank you for watching!
Last time, we stayed in Flagstaff and drove an hour and a half to see the south rim. We plan on going back this year so I’ll stay a little closer
I think that staying in one of the rim hotels really enhances the experience. It is great to get out at night to see the dark skies and the Milky Way, as well as the sunrise in the morning just steps outside your door. I hope you have a great upcoming visit!
@@GC-Hiker will do my friend. I’ll stay at the rim this year just to have that experience
@@rezzo_6fn659 Good for you!
Wow, I am glad to have watched this video before I booked a Grand canyon Lodge. Your video helps me to have better understanding of what I need to know and which room I should reserve. Thanks for sharing and great work.
Thank you. I hope you have a great visit to the Canyon, and staying on the rim I think enhances the experience.
In 1975, mum and i had a 15 day holiday from Australia to California, Nevada and Arizona. We stayed at the Grand Canyon Squire Inn.
The Squire Inn is still there, I have never stayed, but it is good to hear about. I am glad you had the opportunity to visit. When I travelled to Australia, I thought it was the country most similar to the US in attitude and approach. Do you find the US the same?
@@GC-Hiker Our Bus driver was very friendly, and i was allowed to take many photos next to him through the windshield. The Americans we did meet were so nice . The staff at the hotels were so helpful. . I have been able to relive our holiday by watching the latest driving videos on the same roads we drove on back in 1975. One photo i took from the front of the bus on Interstate 15 just before crossing the border into Nevada, where the road goes straight into the distance and the mountains on either side slope down to the road with a strip of white desert at the base of the mountains on both sides of the road and power poles on the right side of the road, i found the exact same spot when i paused one of the videos. The only difference was the the cars on the road were very few and far between, and i did not see one big truck.
Cảm ơn bạn đã chia sẻ à. Chúc bạn và gia đình buổi sáng tốt lành vui vẻ và nhiều sức khỏe à 😊. Like 20👍.
Thank you for your comment. I wish you and your family good health and good fortune as well.
Thank you for the analysis and your excellent recommendations.
Thanks for your kind comment.
Hello dear friend thanks for the useful information on the various accommodation available within the Grand Cannon area ❤.
Sure is amazing place to see ❤❤❤
Have you visited it before? If not, I hope you will be able to travel here to see it some time. It is one of my favorite places on earth.
참 멋진 자연입니다. 장엄하네요.
Yes!
Excellent advice and thank you so much for sharing.
Glad it was helpful!
Great video with valuable informaion. I appreciate your experience and I'm going to check out your other videos.
Thank you!
Agree Bright Angel cabins roomy, very clean, own bathroom,coffee maker, refrigerator, plenty of windows and closest to the Bright Angle trail and the rim..parking not bad, prices very reasonable...Stayed here many times...Detached cabin, the gem of them all. Unbeatable, if you are lucky enough to get one,luck of the draw!!!!! and no need for a flashlight here.The best for lodging without a doubt....
Yes, I really favor the detached cabin for the absence of neighbor noise, plus the ability to make noise myself when I am up and on the trail before sunrise. Thanks for your comment!
We stayed at the Bright Angel Cabins and LOVED it!
Great to hear!
Great advice, thank you for sharing.
Glad it was helpful!
I will be visiting Grand Canyon from Korea for the first time. I didn’t have much choice for coming march, so I chose Kachina Lodge with partial view. I hope it is as good as others. Thank you for your honest, useful information. I’m not a very good hiker but do you have a favorite trail?
Welcome. Kachina Lodge is very nice and conveniently located right on the rim trail. One of the best easy hikes is just walking out of your hotel on the rim trail and then heading east to the Yapapai Geology Museum. You can also have a great time just visiting the buildings and views in the Historical Village (where you are staying). The rim trial totals 20km long, so there are limitless hikes there, plus you are near Bright Angel Trail, and you can at least hike down that trail a little bit for a different view of the Canyon. I hope you have a great visit!
I appreciate the review of comparisons.
And I appreciate your watching!
Very informative! I’ll heed your advice!
I hope your trip goes well! Don't forget to get out and see the stars at night, it is now a "dark skies" park!
Thank you for your advice. We would love to stay at the Blue Angel cabins. We are planning the beginning of Oct. 2025. It is still very hot there now. Do you think the cabins would be too hot for next October?
They may be hot in the day, but the evenings cool down substantially. I was there last week and it was 51 degrees in the morning. They have multiple windows and a ceiling fan. I would avoid staying there in the middle of Summer though. I hope you have a great stay!
Hi, first thank you for all the helpful videos.
I’m going to hike north kaibab to bright angel next Fall and wondered if you had stayed at Kaibab Lodge outside the north rim by chance?
On North Rim, I had rodents eat my trail food and ruin the hike (no re-supply available at 2 am), and if you read the reviews of Kaibab Lodge you may well see referrals to rodents. The only relatively rodent-proof rooms are the Western Cabins at North Rim Lodge, if you can get one. Otherwise, be sure to use a rodent-proof box for protecting your trail food. Fall on North Rim is particularly beautiful with the Aspens in full color. I am confident that with planning, you will have a great hike!
Looking at Maswik. When you say routinely discounted, where do you find the discounts?
Currently, Maswik discounts most rooms 20% for a two night stay and 30% for a 3 night stay (code STAY2 or STAY3 on the Xanterra reservation form). I think it is best to book as far in advance as possible. They have two room sales a year, one in late July (XMASJULY) and one right around Thanksgiving (CYBER), where better rates are available. I cover some of this in this video: ua-cam.com/video/c0_e2wHB9RM/v-deo.html
Best of luck!
@@GC-Hiker Thanks so much for your reply. Planning our first hike next October. Enjoy your videos and appreciate your candid reviews.
@@tdebo64 October is a great time to hike! It makes sense to get the room reservations now, although October is prime season and discounts are harder to come by.
Hello. Is a car rental necessary around Grand canyon or is there some public transportation for hikers? Thank you im advance
There are free public buses within the core of the Grand Canyon Village area: www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/shuttle-buses.htm
However, the Western US is very car oriented. If you want to go further in the park, for example Desert View, you will need a car. Also, for getting to and from the park, a car is all but essential.
US car rentals are generally inexpensive and available at all major airports. If you compare the cost and convenience of public transport versus a private car, you may well find the private car more affordable.
When is your trip planned? Xanterra just announced a 30% rate reduction for rooms during the slow season in 2023/4. www.grandcanyonlodges.com/offers/thankful/
@@GC-Hiker Thanks so much for sharing this information with me. I really appreciate it. I am subscribed to your channel
Thanks so much, I have returned the courtesy. @@ViajesYrecuerdos-lv8uc
Ωραίο μέρος καλή διαμονή😊
Thanks for watching!
Does the Kaibab express still run from Williams to the GC?
The train is still running.
Aramark was a disaster at the Crater Lake Lodge as well.
Ugh, that is sad to hear as I have reservations on North Rim coming up soon. The amazing thing is at North Rim, the park service owns the lodge, so all the money is paid for Aramark's operating costs and profit, and they still cannot do an adequate job.
@@GC-Hiker yeah, it was so bad that the NPS fired them ahead of contact expiration, something that is rarely done. You'll find details on the Internet. I really avoid Aramark now. And caution: they often hide behind subsidiaries.
@@shumandaniele I will take a look for that Crater Lake information, thank you. I guess I should gird myself for a challenging visit on North Rim. At least I have been forewarned.
@@shumandaniele Thanks for those tips. I read some of the articles about Crater Lake, and it is amazing the NPS acted. North Rim is managed by an Aramark subsidiary. It really is too bad it is the only option, as I have two sets of reservations this season.
I started looking at how the park concessions are awarded and how rates are set. It is a bit complex, but the tough thing for consumers is, that for example, Maswik Lodge increased 41% in one year. It is hard to believe the Park Service allows such large increases.
If I get time, I will try to make a video on the issue. Thanks for your comment.
@@GC-Hiker glad I could help. Being a NP enthusiast myself and reading about all the vendor issues makes ME want to be a concessionaire, but that's not really in my wheelhouse. BTW per your advice I booked the Bright Angel Lodge for a trip this fall and requested 6151 or 6152. Crossing fingers!
#1 for real people: sleeping bag on any mesa about halfway down.
Fair enough, I am working on a video about camping at the Canyon, although officially you need a permit to sleep below the rim.⛺
*_Hello.... I'm sure the Grand Canyon National Park is managed to cater to adventurers who want to enjoy the beauty of the grand canyon, I really want to come here as soon as possible.... greetings from Indonesia_* 💯👌👍⛰🏕
I hope you will be able to visit, Grand Canyon is really a special place.
@@GC-Hiker Yes, it's true that the Grand Canyon really invites my adventurous spirit 👌👍
I hope you will be able to make the visit sometime soon!@@GAPTEXPLORE