It's a real thrill to spend a night at the very bottom of the canyon, at the 1922 Phantom Ranch . The cabins are reserved exclusively for the use of excursionists on Fred Harvey two-day mule trips ($315 per person for one night, $429 for the winter-only two-night trips). Beds in the four ten-bunk dorms ($22) are usually reserved way in advance, through Amfac, but it's worth checking for cancellations at the Bright Angel transportation desk as soon as you reach the South Rim. Do not hike down without a reservation, and even if you do have one, reconfirm it the day before you set off. All supplies reach Phantom Ranch the same way you do (an all-day hike on foot or mule), so meals are expensive, a minimum of $15 for breakfast and $18 for dinner.

The suspension bridge here was set in place in 1928 (hanging from twin cables carried down on the shoulders of 42 Havasupai). The delta of Bright Angel Creek , named by Powell to contrast with the muddy Dirty Devil upriver in Utah, is several hundred feet wide here, and strewn with boulders. All the water used on the South Rim now comes by pipeline from the North Rim, and crosses the river on the 1960s Silver Bridge nearby.

Phantom Ranch

• Phantom Ranch

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