
Imagine waking up on the rim of the Grand Canyon and simply pulling back the curtains to watch an epic sunrise from bed—you can do this at Bright Angel Lodge and that’s why it’s the best hotel in the Grand Canyon. When I was researching my Grand Canyon trip, I kept reading that the Bright Angel Lodge cabins were rustic, so I was bracing myself for bare-bones accommodation. However, I was pleasantly surprised that, although you book these cabins for the location, they’re actually quite nice on the inside. Read on for my honest review of Bright Angel Lodge.
Bright Angel Lodge Cabins

Bright Angel Lodge has 90 accommodations ranging from basic hotel rooms with shared bathrooms to standard lodge rooms and standalone cabins. All rooms are equipped with a telephone, coffeemaker, and refrigerator.
The rooms in the main lodge building don’t have Grand Canyon views or air conditioning and some have shared bathrooms, so I don’t recommend them unless you’re on a very tight budget.
I stayed in a Cabin 1 Queen / Partial View Cabin, and it was incredible. The cabin cost around $200 per night, which was more than the lodge rooms (about $100 per night) and the cabins without a view (about $155 per night) and less than the cabins with fireplaces $396.
The view is absolutely worth the extra money—sunrise cannot be missed at the Grand Canyon, and being able to watch it from a warm cabin and not outside in the cold was priceless. These are billed as a “partial view” but depending on which cabin you get, you may have a full view of the canyon, like I did. You can request a particular cabin, but it’s not guaranteed. Ask for cabin 6152 as it has a spectacular, uninterrupted view.
The cabin was surprisingly modern inside, with a comfortable bed, crisp white linens, and two plush chairs for relaxing by the window. The room was really spacious, with an entrance hallway, bathroom, and large sitting area in front of the window. The bathroom was definitely small and dated but had a great heater and a hot shower, which is all I really needed.
I stayed at Bright Angel Lodge in April, and definitely did not need air conditioning, but if you were here in the summer, just know that there is no air conditioning (but there is a ceiling fan). The heat did work great for chilly nights and mornings.
The cabins have side doors that make it easy to walk out onto the canyon rim.
Pros

- Incredible location on the rim of the Grand Canyon
- Stunning sunrise views from some rooms
- Clean and quiet
- Comfortable beds
- Ceiling fan in cabins
- Spacious
- Surprisingly affordable
- In-room minifridge
- Helpful and friendly staff
- Multiple restaurants on-site
- Small gift shop and convenience store on-site
Cons
- No air conditioning in rooms or cabins
- No microwaves in rooms
- Main lodge can get very crowded and busy
- No dedicated hotel parking, you’ll have to fight for spaces along with everyone visiting the Grand Canyon
- Rooms that overlook the rim have a walking path right outside the window, and foot traffic can be heavy
- Queen beds in most rooms instead of King beds
Bright Angel Lodge Restaurants
Dining options are limited at Bright Angel Lodge. There is a small coffee shop in the gift shop serving pretty bad coffee and light grab-and-go snacks, along with Bright Angel Fountain, a tiny cafeteria-style eatery with pre-made sandwiches, hot dogs, ice cream, etc.
For a real meal, the Harvey House Cafe and Arizona Steakhouse sit-down restaurants are also located within Bright Angel Lodge. Both get very busy at dinnertime and don’t take reservations, so be prepared to wait. I recommend putting your name in at both, as they serve very similar menus and then just taking whichever opens up first. Neither offer amazing cuisine, but they’re your closest option.
For a special treat, walk down to the dining room at El Tovar (about a 10-minute walk way) for dinner one night. This is probably the best restaurant in the Grand Canyon (and also the most expensive) but reservations are required and must be booked well ahead of time. However, this beats waiting for a table at the places that don’t take reservations.
Bright Angel Lodge Reservations

With such a prime location on the Grand Canyon, Bright Angel Lodge books up fast. You can book a room a little more than a year in advance—for example, on January 1, 2025 you can book as far out as January 30, 2026.
If you want to snag a rim-view cabin during peak season, you’ll want to book early—a year in advance if you can. Fortunately, the cancelation policy is pretty lenient, with free cancelations if you cancel at least two days before your arrival date.
Bright Angel Lodge can be reserved directly through Grand Canyon National Park Lodges, or on booking platforms like Agoda and TripAdvisor. I found the cheapest rates on Agoda, but you should shop around.
Bright Angel Lodge Parking
There is a medium-sized parking lot right outside the Bright Angel cabins, but it is not reserved for hotel guests, and anyone visiting the Grand Canyon can park there, so it fills up quickly. If that gets full, there is a satellite parking lot down the street. I found a space when I arrived, and then left my car there and took the shuttle around the park, as the lot filled up quickly. There is no dedicated parking lot for Bright Angel Lodge.
Bright Angel Lodge Location

The Bright Angel Lodge is inside Grand Canyon National Park, with a great location right on the canyon rim. It’s near the start of the Bright Angel Trail and is also within a few minutes walk to the Grand Canyon shuttle. It’s a very convenient and central spot from which to base your trip.