Categories: TRAVEL

Bright Angel Lodge at Grand Canyon South Rim

The Bright Angel Lodge at Grand Canyon’s South Rim is a beautiful, cozy place to stay if you’re looking for accommodations at the top of the Grand Canyon. It is located near the rim of the canyon, and has many fringe benefits designed to make a stay there intriguing and welcoming. Here are the top ten reasons to stay at the Bright Angel Lodge.

1. Bright Angel Transportation Desk. You may ask yourself, why would I care about a desk? The Bright Angel Transportation Desk happens to be where everyone must check in who is planning to hike down to Phantom Ranch. Phantom Ranch is the only place at the bottom of the Grand Canyon that has meals and lodging. You have to make reservations up to a year in advance. When you arrive at the Grand Canyon South Rim, you are required to check in at the transportation desk to let them know you have arrived for your stay and that you are still planning to hike to the bottom. Because Phantom Ranch accommodations are so limited, this helps them find out if there are openings so others can take advantage of someone’s changed plans. The advantage of staying at the Bright Angel Lodge is that you don’t have to travel anywhere to check in because it’s right next to the front desk of the hotel! And, if you’re packing a bag for the mules to carry down, you also drop your bag off at the Bright Angel Transportation desk the night before your trip down to Phantom Ranch.

2. Dining options. The Bright Angel Lodge has many different choices for dining. The Bright Angel Fountain, open mainly during the day, sells snacks, sandwiches and ice cream. It’s right out by the rim, and offers easy access to those walking along the South Rim trail, whether or not they’re staying at the Bright Angel. The Arizona room offers western style cooking with selections such as steaks and ribs. The meals are hearty and also a bit higher in price. A middle of the road choice at Bright Angel Lodge is the Bright Angel Restaurant, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. My favorite place to dine at the Bright Angel Lodge is the bar. Believe it or not, you can enjoy bar style food in the evenings and breakfast items early in the a.m. such as bagels, orange juice and hot chocolate. What’s nice is that they have early and late hours, and you can sit at aa table and get on the computer and use the internet. Which brings me to the next entry…

3. Internet access. You may find this hard to believe, but it’s not 100% that you will have a phone signal or internet service while at the Grand Canyon on your phones. The nice thing about the Bright Angel Lodge is that they offer free internet service in the lobby of the hotel. You can sit by the fireplace and get on your personal computer. If you have internet on your phone and can get a signal, of course, you’re good to go on your own. If not, however, it’s relaxing to sit by the fire or just sit on a bench in the lobby and access the internet. (There is no internet access in the rooms, however. The Bright Angel has stated this is something that may come about in the future, but at this point in time in November of 2012 the internet is not in the individual hotel rooms.

4. Simply gorgeous. Well, that’s a given. You’re at the Grand Canyon South Rim, so how could it not be gorgeous? Well, the Bright Angel Lodge itself adds to that beauty. This is not made like a hotel, but rather there are cabins and cabin like buildings that house people who stay at Bright Angel. The log cabins look old and rustic, but inside are nice and have accommodations such as hair dryers, heat, televisions and coffee makers, depending on the type of room you are in.

5. Different pricing options and rooms. You have a choice of what type of room to stay in. There are inexpensively priced rooms that are like hotel rooms that are near the canyon rim. These are basically cabin like buildings that are laid out like hotel rooms inside. You can book historic cabins which are also close to the rim. More expensive cabins are available, some of which have partial views of the Grand Canyon itself. The prices generally range from around $80 for a hotel type room to $200 for a cabin with a fireplace.

6. Proximity to Bright Angel Trailhead. The Bright Angel trail is one of the trails that takes hikers to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and to the Colorado River and Phantom Ranch. Hikers can also go halfway down to Indian Gardens, a lush area with trees and greenery, and even on to Plateau Point, which offers a view of the Colorado River without hiking to the bottom. For those who just want a glimpse of the view into the Grand Canyon, you can hike just a few feet down the Bright Angel trail or perhaps go a mile and half down to the first rest stop on the trail. However you look at it, it’s nice to leave your cabin or hotel room and go a few feet to the trail that leads into the Grand Canyon.

7. Central Location at South Rim. The Bright Angel Lodge seems to be the central point of everything at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. You can head east or west along the Rim Trail and see different sights such as Hermit’s Rest from the Bright Angel Lodge. You can hike down into the canyon on the Bright Angel trail right nearby. There are also other hotels directly east of the Bright Angel Lodge, such as El Tovar. There are also a few other hotels nearby such as Maswik Lodge. Bright Angel Lodge is close to the Marketplace, a huge store which sells groceries and hiker necessities, as well as offers items such as hiking sticks for rent. The post office is next door to the Marketplace.

See also Best Sleigh Rides in Montana

8. The Bar. Bright Angel Lodge has its own bar. That’s nice! So, after a long day of hiking you can relax and unwind in the bar and have a beer or hot chocolate. The bar also doubles as a place to have a quick breakfast before heading onto the trails for a day of hiking. You can order orange juice, hot chocolate, coffee, and various pastries as well as some fresh fruit. They open very early in anticipation of those who wish to get an early start on their journey down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon!

9. Green. Nature. Need I say more? The Grand Canyon is located in Grand Canyon National Park, which means that this area is under the control of the National Park service. The National Park service strives to keep the area beautiful and free from unnecessary clutter and/or development. They do a great job of monitoring the park! Bright Angel Lodge is part of this, and they seek to do their part in keeping the area green. Recycling is big here, and they do not sell bottled water. Why, you might ask, do they not sell bottled water? They have an abundance of fresh water for people to drink, and this cuts down on plastic waste.

10. Ease of Making Reservations. It’s easy to make a reservation for the Grand Canyon South Rim’s Bright Angel Lodge. You simply use the Xanterra website, listed in the resources below. Xanterra makes the reservations for many of the National Parks, including Zion Park in Utah. Reservations can be made online or you can call the 800 number listed on the website. The reservations agents are very nice and go out of their way to help you with booking your stay. What’s nice is that you can use the same agent to help you book at Bright Angel Lodge and Phantom Ranch, for those of you headed down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon to stay overnight and/or dine at Phantom Ranch.