What are the chances of booking at Phantom Ranch (Grand Canyon) through a last minute cancellation? -

Your odds are not bad this time of year, especially if it is only one or two of you and you are OK with staying in the dorms as an option. Most of my stays at Phantom Ranch the last couple of years have been on short notice via cancellations. Groups larger than 4 (the limit for most cabins) are hard to get space for under any circumstances.Normal reservations can be made at Phantom Ranch over a year in advance and fill up quick. However ,one side effect of that is that things can change a lot in a year (jobs, health, family situations) and thus it is not uncommon for people to cancel later. This seems to be much more common during the winter when foul weather might prevent people from traveling and there are fewer people looking for openings. To pick up a cancellation, you need to call Xanterra (the company that manages it) directly and see what is available. Your odds are better if you are flexible as to when you can go. In my experience, cancellations tend to come pretty close to the date in question (within a week or two) as people wait till the last minute to see if they can go. If your target date (or dates) is a while off and nothing is available, wait a week and call again.One thing to keep in mind is that you will have to take what you can get in terms of meals (ask about them when/if you get a reservation) and there is the possibility of none being available (since backpackers staying in the campground can reserve them too). In that case, you can just bring your own food and cooking stuff.