Hotels

This section lists lodging and dining options inside Grand Canyon National Park. Many additional hotels and restaurants exist in the nearby Arizona communities of Tusayan, Williams, and Flagstaff, as well as in Kanab, Utah. Rooms in Flagstaff, Williams, and Kanab -- all three of which are more than 50 miles from the park -- generally cost less than comparable ones inside the park. That said, hotels inside the park offer remarkable value. The park's concessionaires operate more than 900 rooms across six lodges. Tusayan, 1 mile from the park's south entrance, tends to be more expensive than the park. When planning a visit to the Grand Canyon, I recommend reserving a place inside the park for at least 1 night. This lets you savor the canyon's twilight hours without having to drive far in the dark.

If you're hoping to spend the night at or near the rim, be sure to call well in advance of your stay. During busy seasons, the lodges in the park and in Tusayan frequently fill up, forcing would-be lodgers to backtrack away from the park.

If you tire of relatively new rooms with Southwestern motifs, a few historic hotels and lodges do remain. In the park, stay at Grand Canyon Lodge (your only option on the North Rim), the Bright Angel Lodge (a favorite among families, hikers, and history buffs), or El Tovar Hotel (the park's most upscale lodging). The park's concessionaires retain these three accommodations' historic character -- other park lodgings tend to be more motel-style.

Reserving a Room Inside the Park

Lodging inside the park is handled by Xanterra (tel. 888/297-2757 or 303/297-2757, www.xanterra.com). Book well ahead: The most desirable rooms, like those at El Tovar or Bright Angel's rim cabins, can go a year in advance. All lodges sell out from mid-March to mid-October (in summer, you can often find a room more easily for late August or early September). It is possible to reserve a room up to 13 months in advance (which you would need to do for Phantom Ranch) and the rate is guaranteed, even if the price increases later. If you're flexible with dates and travel in fall or winter, you can usually find rooms 1 or 2 months in advance. Because Xanterra allows cancellations without penalty up to 48 hours in advance, you can sometimes grab a room at the last minute, even at the busiest times, by calling tel. 928/638-2631. A few rooms become available each day, so try walking into the lodge of your choice to ask about vacancies. Checkout is 11am, so the staff will know by that time whether a room will be available.

Rates listed here are for double-occupancy rooms during high season, which lasts March through October and includes holidays. Prices may fall substantially in the off-season at off-rim lodges (prices remain the same year-round at El Tovar, Bright Angel, Kachina, and Thunderbird Lodges). A 6.74% tax will be added. Xanterra accepts American Express, Diner's Club, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa. Kids under 16 stay free with their parents. Pets are not allowed in accommodations inside the park (guide dogs are permitted), and there is no smoking at any of the lodges.

On the South Rim, hotels can be contacted at tel. 928/638-2631 (www.grandcanyonlodges.com). The phone number for the North Rim's Grand Canyon Lodge is tel. 928/638-2611 (www.grandcanyonnorthrim.com). The hotels do not have specific street addresses. When you enter the park, you will receive a map pinpointing their locations.

Most of the rooms in the park have relatively new furnishings, though all but a few have telephones and televisions. Only El Tovar, Yavapai East (at Yavapai Lodge) and Maswik North have air-conditioning; Thunderbird and Kachina lodges have evaporative cooling systems. The only conspicuous difference in decor is at upscale El Tovar.