If you’re feeling overwhelmed about where to stay when you visit Grand Canyon South Rim, trust us, you don’t need to worry. It’s really easy to figure out: You can either stay in a park run lodge right on the rim or book a hotel in one of the nearby towns. We’ve personally stayed on the rim and in the three closest places to the park, so we know this topic well.
In this guide we walk you through the places you can stay near Grand Canyon South Rim, based on our experiences.
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Our Experience
During our first trip to South Rim in November 2019 we stayed at Bright Angel Lodge on the rim and a budget hotel in Grand Canyon Junction. Then in December 2021 we stayed at Best Western Premier in Tusayan and Best Western Plus in Williams. And that covers just about each of the places you can book hotels close to the touristy action.
Staying on the rim was great because it gave us instant access to views and trails, but food options were limited and overpriced. Whereas staying in nearby towns gave us more flexibility over hotel costs and restaurant options, but they were less convenient for accessing the park. So overall, we think the trade off is convenience vs amenities. Read more about us.
What You Need To Know
Okay, let’s get right into it. Here are the most important things you should know before booking:
- There are 7 park run lodging options at South Rim
- You can book them directly or through Hotels.com
- Compare both in this guide to get the cheapest price
- Park run lodges are very popular and book up early
- Reservations are available 12-13 months in advance
- Lodges are more expensive in peak months
- You can also tent camp or RV camp on the rim
- Tusayan and Grand Canyon Junction are small but nearby
- Williams and Flagstaff are more built up but further away
If it’s your first visit to Grand Canyon South Rim, we recommend you start by looking at prices and availability for the park run lodging options. They get you closer to the hikes and viewpoints, and it’s a more authentic experience. If nothing works, try Tusayan and then Grand Canyon Junction.
Williams or Flagstaff work best if you plan to spend a full day in the park before heading on to another destination like Sedona or Las Vegas because they each have a wide range of hotels and restaurants. Of course, you can day trip into South Rim from Williams or Flagstaff but it’s a lot more driving.
Park Run Lodging
Let’s begin by looking at the 7 places you can stay within Grand Canyon South Rim boundaries:
- El Tovar Hotel
- Bright Angel Lodge
- Kachina Lodge
- Thunderbird Lodge
- Maswik Lodge
- Yavapai Lodge
- Phantom Ranch
El Tovar, Bright Angel Lodge, Kachina Lodge and Thunderbird Lodge are all located next to one another in a crescent shape along the edge of South Rim. Maswik Lodge is 5 minutes walk from the rim and Yavapai Lodge is 10 minutes walk from the rim. Finally, Phantom Ranch is located at the bottom of the canyon and can only be booked through a lottery system.
Let’s take a closer look at each option:
1. El Tovar Hotel
- Google reviews: 4.4/5
- Hotels.com rating: 8.4/10
El Tovar Hotel is Grand Canyon South Rim’s premier and most celebrated historic hotel. It’s the classiest and most expensive place you can stay on the rim, but its 78 rooms fill quickly. Prices can be upwards of $500/night in peak season, but you can get basic rooms for closer to $300 in the off season.
>> Book El Tovar: Direct | Hotels.com
2. Bright Angel Lodge
- Google reviews: 4.3/5
- Hotels.com rating: 9.2/10
Bright Angel Lodge is the cheapest place you can stay at Grand Canyon South Rim. There are 90 lodging units in total, some of which come with shared bathrooms at even lower prices. It’s located at the top of Bright Angel Trail and it’s the only lodging you can get for under $150/night on the rim, so it fills very quickly. We stayed here for cheap, and it had a nice outdoorsy and chilled vibe. Just know that rooms might have communal showers and it’s a bit rustic.
>> Book Bright Angel Lodge: Direct | Hotels.com
3. Kachina Lodge
- Google reviews: 4.0/5
- Hotels.com rating: 8.4/10
Kachina Lodge is a great mid-budget place to stay on the rim because it has a nice balance between cost and comfort. It’s much cheaper than El Tovar Hotel and more comfortable than Bright Angel Lodge. Some rooms have partial canyon views, but they get booked up quickly so get in as early as you can. Rooms cost between $190-430 depending on season.
>> Book Kachina Lodge: Direct | Hotels.com
4. Thunderbird Lodge
- Google reviews: 4.2/5
- Hotels.com rating: 8.6/10
Thunderbird Lodge is a carbon copy of Kachina Lodge. But we have noticed it tends to have a bigger range of price points from more affordable to more expensive depending on the season. Along with a catchier name, Thunderbird Lodge also has more of a family focus than the other lodges, so this one might work better if you’re visiting with your family. Rooms typically cost between $200-400.
>> Book Thunderbird Lodge: Direct | Hotels.com
5. Maswik Lodge
- Google reviews: 4.1/5
- Hotels.com rating: 8.8/10
Maswik Lodge is set in a secluded area 5 minutes walk from South Rim near Bright Angel Trailhead. It’s a huge complex with 12 buildings and a total of 280 rooms. It also had a complete redevelopment in recent years, which we think makes it a more appealing place to stay. Rooms typically cost between $140-350. This is probably the place we’ll look first the next time we visit South Rim.
>> Book Maswik Lodge: Direct | Hotels.com
6. Yavapai Lodge
- Google reviews: 4.1/5
- Hotels.com rating: 8.6/10
Yavapai Lodge is the largest lodging option inside the national park boundary with 358 guest rooms in total. It’s a 10 minute walk to the rim, but it has the most amenities including a tavern, restaurant, coffee shop, market, bank and post office. This lodge probably has the best value for money because rooms are typically cheaper at between $120-270.
>> Book Yavapai Lodge: Direct | Hotels.com
7. Phantom Ranch (Canyon Floor)
Phantom Ranch is the only official lodging located at the bottom of the canyon, which can only be reached by hiking or mule ride. Sounds awesome, right? Well, unfortunately demand is enormous and supply is tiny, so the only way to get a room is to enter the lottery. We walked around Phantom Ranch when we day hiked South Kaibab to Bright Angel and it did look like a cool place to spend a night.
Note: We recommend reading this official guide about Phantom Ranch if you want to stay at the bottom of the canyon.
Need help planning your trip to Grand Canyon?
Our popular Grand Canyon travel guidebook helps you with planning every aspect of your visit to South Rim, including the best viewpoints and hikes, where to eat and stay, itinerary ideas and map!
View GuidebookPlaces To Stay Near South Rim
But what if there’s no availability or prices are too high at the official park lodges? Or what if you’d prefer to have a better selection of places to eat? Well, you can book a hotel in one of these nearby areas:
- Tusayan – 6.5 miles (10 minutes drive)
- Grand Canyon Junction – 29 miles (35 minutes drive)
- Williams – 59 miles (1 hour drive)
- Flagstaff – 79 miles (1 hour 30 minutes drive)
Let’s take a closer look at each area:
1. Tusayan
Tusayan is the closest town to Grand Canyon South Rim at just 7 miles. It’s a small area with a handful of hotels, restaurants and fast food options like McDonalds and Wendy’s. There’s also grocery stores, gas stations, tour companies and the Grand Canyon IMAX theater. We don’t love Tusayan, but it’s incredibly convenient for the park.
Hotels:
Canyon Plaza Apartments is great for longer stays or families because they have kitchens and they’re pet friendly. The Grand Hotel is popular but Best Western Premier has the most reviews on Google. Also, Red Feather Lodge has excellent reviews on Hotels.com so it’s worth checking out. We stayed at Best Western Premier and had a very positive experience, especially in the outdoor hot tubs at night.
2. Grand Canyon Junction
Grand Canyon Junction (also known as Valle) is the second closest place to the national park at 29 miles. It’s a tiny area with very little going on, but in recent years a handful of luxury glamping-style accommodations have opened and there’s a few more places to eat.
Hotels:
Grand Canyon Inn is the low budget place to stay, we spent a night there back in 2019 and it was fine. Under Canvas and Clear Sky Resorts are the most unique places to stay near Grand Canyon South Rim but they’re expensive. And Dumplin Patch B&B might work well if you prefer a more personable lodging experience.
3. Williams
Williams is located off I-40 on Route 66, around 59 miles from South Rim. It’s less convenient for the park, but there are more hotels in Williams and they have much lower price points. You’ll also find highly rated restaurants and cafes, grocery stores, gas and fast food. We think it works well if you want to spend 2 nights at a quality hotel with plenty of food options and just take a day trip into the Grand Canyon.
Hotels:
- El Rancho Motel
- Rodeway Inn
- Best Western Plus
- La Quinta
- Lodge Route 66
- Trapper’s Rendezvous
- Red Garter Inn
- Grand Canyon Railway Hotel
Grand Canyon Railway Hotel has by far the most reviews of any hotel in Williams, so it’s a popular spot. But Trapper’s Rendezvous has the highest guest ratings on both Booking.com and Google. We stayed at Best Western Plus and had a great experience.
4. Flagstaff
Flagstaff is the closest city to Grand Canyon South Rim at 79 miles. It’s home to the closest airport to Grand Canyon and it has a huge selection of hotels, restaurants and other amenities. There’s also tons of other places to visit nearby, including Sedona. So we think Flagstaff works well if you only want to day trip into Grand Canyon but also tick off more attractions in the area.
Hotels:
- Super 8 Downtown
- Econo Lodge
- Hotel Aspen
- High Country Motor Lodge
- La Quinta
- Green Tree Inn
- Residence Inn
- Little America Hotel
- Drury Inn and Suites
Little America Hotel is by far the most popular place to stay in Flagstaff with thousand of positive reviews on both Booking.com and Google. Residence Inn also has excellent ratings, but most in the list above are highly rated so any will work. We haven’t stayed in Flagstaff ourselves, but we met a few people at South Rim who were using it as a base.
South Rim Campgrounds
If you’re still struggling to find the right hotel, you might want to consider camping or visiting with an RV instead. We know camping isn’t for everyone but it’s a solution that gets you inside park boundaries at cheaper prices.
Here are your options:
- Mather Campground – 327 sites (check availability)
- Desert View Campground – 50 sites (check availability)
- Trailer Village RV Park – 123 sites with 80 electric hookups (check availability)
The beauty of camping is that you have a prime time location and it won’t break the bank. Plus, you can make your own food if you really want to keep costs as low as possible.
We haven’t camped at South Rim, but we have camped at nearby Zion and Bryce Canyon in October. It was convenient, but the nights were freezing cold. South Rim is almost 7,000 ft above sea level, so make sure you’re prepared if you camp between fall and spring.
The Morgan Conclusion
We found booking accommodation for Grand Canyon South Rim to be very easy both times we visited, especially compared to many other popular national parks. So far we’ve stayed on the rim, as well as in Tusayan, Grand Canyon Junction and Williams. Visiting in November and December helped us to keep costs down and book last minute rooms.
Staying on the rim was ideal for sunrise and sunset photography, hiking Grand Canyon’s top trails and overall convenience. But the towns had cheaper hotels with more amenities like outdoor hot tubs and swimming pools. So in truth, we don’t think there’s a clear winner. Our advice is to book a hotel in the place that best suits you plans at the right price point.
We hope our guide on where to stay at Grand Canyon South Rim helps with planning your visit to Arizona!
Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen Morgan are travel, hiking and photography experts. Over the last 6 years traveling full time, they have explored more than 40 countries and 30 US states.
Where Are Those Morgans has been featured in USA Today, Gestalten, Get Your Guide, CityPASS and Condé Nast Traveler along with various other publications. Read more about us.