Dating to 1935, Bright Angel Lodge offers a nice balance of historic character and modern conveniences, and is a good mid-priced lodging for visitors looking to stay within park boundaries. The lodge, designed by Grand Canyon hospitality pioneer Mary Jane Colter, remains a prime center of activity on the South Rim, serving as the staging point for the famed mule rides. There are small, spartan rooms in the lodge and more spacious accommodations in the surrounding rustic cabins with colorful window frames and Native American–inspired architecture. Both the lodge rooms and cabins feature mass-produced furnishings. Most units have TVs and one queen bed, but only a few have views—make reservations as early as possible if you want one. The best of the bunch are the two-room Red Horse Cabin, an 1890 cabin that was retrofitted as a lodging in 2012, and the Buckey O'Neill Cabin, with swell views of the canyon and upgraded, Southwestern-tinged furnishings