Phantom Ranch

Description:

• At the bottom of the Grand Canyon, whether you travel in by foot or by mule, pretty much anything tastes good. Would the food at Phantom Ranch taste as great on the rim as alongside Bright Angel Creek? That's hard to say.

  Every evening, just three options are offered: a steak (drench it in steak sauce and you're in heaven) or vegetarian dinner at 5pm, and a hearty beef stew at 6:30pm. The vegetarian plate comes with a lentil loaf (better put steak sauce on this, too) and the same side dishes as the steak dinner: vegetables, cornbread, baked potato, and salad. With either dinner, dessert is chocolate cake.

  The family-style, all-you-can-eat breakfasts are excellent, with heaping platters of eggs, bacon, and pancakes laid out on long tables in the canteen. The box lunch ($10) includes a bagel, cream cheese, summer sausage, juice, an apple, peanuts, raisins, pretzels, and cookies. Alternatively, you could pack your own lunch and, if necessary, supplement it with snacks from the canteen.

  Because the cooks here produce only a certain amount of food, hikers and mule riders must reserve meals ahead of time through Xanterra or at the Bright Angel Transportation Desk. As a last resort, inquire upon arrival at Phantom Ranch to find out whether any meal reservations remain. Up until 4pm, you can do this at the canteen. After 4pm, ask at the side window behind the canteen. Between 8am (8:30am in winter) to 4pm and from 8 to 10pm, anyone is allowed in the canteen, which sells snacks, soda, beer, wine, first-aid items, souvenirs, and film. The lemonade is fantastic.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010