Stayed a few nights here in August on both ends of a rafting/camping trip through the Grand Canyon. I had an excellent stay both times - very comfortable and clean rooms, wonderfully warm staff, decent prices, and an incredible location inside the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument! It's a bit of a remote location (which I loved) but the lodge has everything you could possibly need - a really great on-site restaurant, general store, gas station, and they even do their own guided fishing trips and kayak rentals complete with backhaul drop offs to a launch point of your choice. And even though you're a bit of a captive audience, their prices are surprisingly pretty reasonable - even for the gas! The lodge is currently split into two sections - one has been recently renovated and one hasn't. I stayed in a double queen room in the renovated section and a single king room in the non-renovated section. Both rooms were spotlessly clean and very cozy - but I definitely prefer the renovated rooms - simply because they have a superior bathroom layout/shower - The shower in the non-renovated room was very rudimentary- almost like one you'd find in an RV - and there was very little counterspace. And the TVs include an option to log into your streaming apps to watch your fave shows. But the beds were both very comfortable in both rooms - the mattresses felt very supportive but not overly hard - seemed like temperpedic quality. The decor in the renovated rooms is very desert-cowboy-chic - but the non-renovated room was super retro - more like a 70s spaghetti western style lol. There are refrigerators and Keurig coffee makers in all the rooms - renovated and non-renovated alike. All the rooms have outside patio seating but it's not private. I was next to the restaurant in the non-renovated room and was worried it might be too loud but I didn't hear a thing - it was peaceful and quiet! Speaking of the restaurant- the food is absolutely fantastic! I ate two dinners here and a breakfast and loved it all. They also have a unique dessert - avocado pie! Highly recommend! Everything here is family owned and all the staff were friendly, welcoming, and very helpful. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay and fully intend to return bc there's SO much to explore in the area - especially if you love the desert outdoors! read more

See all

At first glance the lodge looks like the ones around it, but the people and the food give it the welcoming sense that will continue bringing me back. By far the best aspect of the lodge was the guide we hired to help us fish Lees Ferry. His name was Shane and he was incredibly experienced. It was my first time fly fishing and he taught me to cast, mend, and set the hook. We caught more fish before noon than I did on my last fishing trip. Shane knew every spot to visit to get the trout biting. The food at the lodge was also incredible. I ate one of the best patty melts I've had and the breakfast burritos hit the spot before a fishing trip. I also can't give the sweet potato fries high enough praise. They had the perfect amount of crunch and salt I look for in a fry with that same sweet potato taste. If you stop in; try the avocado pie! The lodge is absolutely worth a visit. Stay a night, try out the restaurant, try to book Shane if you can, and fish until your arm gets tired! read more

See all

I was on a roadtrip and stopped here because I really needed a bathroom. I only had a small breakfast earlier, so I figured I'd get a second breakfast since the bathroom was for customers only. I got a vegetarian breakfast burrito to go. Instead of meat I added green chili. It was massive and freshly cooked in 10 minutes. I quickly devoured it in my car. I can't speak for for anything else at the restaurant, but I do highly recommend the breakfast burrito if you're passing by. read more

Memorial Day weekend stay 2018. The only thing this place has going for itself are the amazing landscape views. This was a stopover on our way to the North Rim. The room was reasonably priced for the holiday weekend in foresight but I would have opted to pay more in hindsight. Check-in is at the little convenience market on site. It was not bad, but would not call it good either..the woman had a bit of an abrasive personality which is not really what one wants after a long day of driving. The choices are limited in this area, the only lodge for miles. The market sells snacks, beverages, including alcohol and some other small miscellaneous outdoorsy things. There is a restaurant attached to the motel that you shouldn't waste your money on but I will review the restaurant separately. Drive to North Rim from here took approximately 2 hours. Our room had an amazing view that was disrupted by what seems to be a boat storage yard. Really? Isn't there a better place other than directly in front of the cliff facing rooms (#5-#9)? The room felt dirty, floors were not well swept/cleaned, even before we tracked in some of our own dirt. The room had 1980's decor..in desperate need of updating. Curtains are outdated and no longer or never were black out like you find in most motels. The morning sun is intense. Sleeping in a little seemed impossible. It would have been nice to not wake up at 6 AM. The bed was fine, but on the soft side. The bed linens were in need of updating. The bathroom was small with a motor home sized shower and had poor water pressure but the pressure may be due to water conservation efforts. Basic toiletries were provided. The bathroom window did not have a curtain and was transparent, not frosted, transparent! Not ok!! We taped napkins to cover the glass. The towels were clean but pretty tattered up with threads hanging. There was a coffee maker and a small refrigerator/freezer combo. There is a heater and a/c unit. There is NO wi-fi available here but we did get some roaming signal on our cell phones. The lamp shades were dingy, the lamps also outdated but I guess it's keeping in line with the rest of the room decor. The other wall light shades had dead bugs piled in them. The ceilings are quite low. I'm 5'9" and my hands with outstretched arms were flat against the ceiling. I noted that all of the windows in the room were unlocked upon arrival. A little unsettling. Shouldn't they be locked when you arrive? Please update this place! It could be an absolute gem! My best advice to customers : pay a little more and stay somewhere else. read more

See all

Location: Wonderful spot. The rooms are right in front of the beautiful red cliffs. It's not far from the Grand Canyon. Check-In: Registration is in the little convenience store next to the restaurant. You must pay a 10% deposit when booking the room. On their website, it says they offer  AAA discount. However, upon arrival, they said it was only for some rooms, even though this stipulation is not mentioned online. You must check in before 9 pm, as they close for the night at that time. Sleeping Quarters: The room was not super clean. There were dead insects in the lamp shades and on the floor. The floors were a bit dirty. The beds were sufficiently comfortable with no sign of bedbugs. There was adequate lighting and seating. Bathroom: The bathroom window looked out into the restaurant terrace and had no curtains. The diners can see right into the bathroom. We ended up taping napkins to the window to have privacy while we showered. The shower is small with an immovable shower head. The motel provided small soaps and shampoo. It was clean. Amenities: There is no WiFi and no cell signal. I repeat: THERE IS NO WIFI AND NO CELL SIGNAL. There is not one, but TWO Tesla charging stations. But no WiFi. Not even a paying option. Several towels are provided, although they are old and discolored - clean though. No electrical outlets next to the bed, but several in other places. Overall: Better than sleeping in the car. Very old and could use a serious renovation. Extremely basic. The beautiful view and adequate cleanliness are its only positives. read more

We knew going into this that it was a motel built in the 1950s, and we were pleased to find it hadn't lost charm over the years. I also booked a fly fishing guide with the lodge and had a wonderful experience. The customer service was good overall and the restaurant was awesome! Will definitely be back here again when booking angling trips to Lee's Ferry. read more

See all

It's dated but mostly clean. Reasonably priced for a weekend in March. Considering you're in the middle of the desert, it's a good spot. Restaurant on site. Gift shop has basic essentials if you forgot something. Easy parking. AC worked. Shower head needs replacing (hard mist). Mini frig in room. It had all that we needed! read more

We have done 2 kayak trips with them and had incredible trips! The hotel is basic but clean. Backhaul service up the river is GREAT! Great guides, always on time and with great information about the river. They definitely have earned my business and will use them again. read more

After reading the reviews from years past I am excited that whatever changes were made, made a big difference in our stay. Yes, the rooms were basic and dated but it was clean and nicely arranged. The bed was just to my taste, soft and comfy. Overall, the staff was very accommodating and friendly. You asked for something and they were on it! The food was fabulous. We had the biggest nachos on the planet and it was soo good! Paired with their Margarita, took it to the top! We ran into our back haul guide, Amber and loved her spirit and hope to see her again on our next stay. We will be back for sure! read more

Cliff Dwellers Lodge - Nachos and a River Rita. A must have. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Marble Canyon, Arizona

See all

On our trip to the Northern AZ area we stopped in for a room at a place I have always passed by but rarely stopped in except to eat at their exceptional restaurant. Cliff Dwellers has a great history as all of the small communities on this stretch of Hwy 89a do. The views here are outstanding with the Pariah plateau behind and the expanse of the Colorado river valley in front it's exceptional. Navajo Bridge is 9 miles down the hwy with Lee's Ferry just a little more where all river runners put in for Grand Canyon trips. Cliff Dwellers is also long time home of Hatch River Expeditions. The lodge is very retro with an older section and a more modern section if you don't like the 50's/60's feel of a Motel Room. All the amenities of comfort are present, the restrooms are small bu tolerable. Only complaint is the shower curtains are inadequate so bring extra towels to place on the floor. Water is scarce and trucked in so be kind and bring your own drinking water, it is the high desert! The Restaurant is cozy and has an exceptional menu with outstanding cooks who present a culinary expertise to their dishes. Prices for food are excellent, prices for rooms a bit high but, you will be hard pressed to find any vacancies in the heat of the season. All in all Cliff Dwellers is an experience not just a Lodge, facilities are good, food is great, supplies for anglers and boats are available, with the Colorado River only 10 miles away, the gateway to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Pariah Plateau and the Colorado River and Night Skies you'll see nowhere else makes this one of the jewels of Northern Arizona. read more

See all

Read the reviews, kinda knew what we were getting into here and here is the skinny: This place is in the middle of no-where, which is kinda cool and kinda not cool. The restaurant has edible food, but it is short of good. The staff is excellent, IMO. They were courteous, helpful and accommodating. Our room was clean, but the bed was way too soft and unfortunately we had a room close to the restaurant which made our forced early bedtime (in order to drive to the Canyon to hike the next morning) inconveniently loud. Overall, decent value in a pinch (if the North Rim Lodge is sold out), but it is more of a need based stay, not a selected destination. read more

We generally enjoyed our stay here. The staff were friendly, the room had good A/C, and the setting is beautiful. The furniture was a bit dated and could be updated. 1 star off for that. The second star I'm taking off is for the comfort of the bed. It was really hard, and not very comfortable. They definitely need to invest in some new mattresses. read more

I want to start off by saying this is a remote location and is not set up to be Five star resort. So when i read these other reviews I have to laugh. It's a wonderful place to stay with very friendly staff. Our room was a king size bed and our mattress was very comfy it had a mini frig and a nice size bath room. Shower was a bit small but do able. Our room was clean, air conditioner worked great. Outside our room was a porch with table and chairs so you could sit and see the stars. The restaurant food was good for the area. We will be back We found this place to be affordable, friendly, and very sweet. read more

Great spot in the middle of nowhere. We stayed there after the Grand Canyon. It is a very cool spot nestled in the cliffs. Right on the highway so super convenient. The staff was super friendly and courteous. We had cell signal so the fact that there was no WiFi is not a big deal. If you are fishing in this area, they do tours and have some high end gear for sale. I'd definitely go back if I wanted to do a fishing trip at Lee's Ferry. read more

Cliff Dwellers Lodge - Sweet Harley's parked in front of the hotel. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Marble Canyon, Arizona

See all

My grown daughter and I went fishing with their guide, Natalie and had a Blast, So Beautiful and a great adventure! Food was really, really good, and it's such a small quaint place. Reeks of Atmosphere and Views. A time capsule from the 60's. Second time for this trip and now this will be a yearly trip her and I. read more

We rented the house instead of the lodge rooms because there were 4 of us. We read the website and it's boasting of spectacular views and couldn't wait for the experience. We were all shell shocked as we drove up to the house... We passed a junk yard on our left and a trailer park on the right. We had no idea we were staying 15 miles from the water. The house was old, hot and dirty. As we opened the shades in each room, we noticed every room had a view of a trailer park or junk yard. The one room that showed a view of a cliff bluff had an old carpet on the ground. The fishing experience on the water was wonderful. The guides were amazing, the views were incredible, but we would NEVER again stay at the Cliff Dwellers lodge. read more

Cliff Dwellers Lodge - Dining room view - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Marble Canyon, Arizona

See all

Besides the beautiful views, the best thing this lodge has going for it is the staff! Everyone was super helpful, courteous and knowledgeable. The ladies at the front desk even allowed us to change our reservations last minute and check in extra early. Miranda gave us awesome directions and tips for hikes and scenic spots in the area. We totally loved our stay! read more

Really friendly staff and clean, but after saying it was just me and clearly super tired, they tried up-selling me a room with a double queen with a 'view' in the pitch black of night. Not a hostel... that needs to be changed. Okay, the breakdown. -1 star for being way too pricey, although it was a happy accident to stumble upon it in the dead of night in the desert. (Little did I know after 50 some dark and lonely miles, there were more options just past this place I may still have stayed here.) +1 star for having a restaurant and mini-mart / gas station and a cool ass puppy. -1 star for all batteries dead for both remotes. Wahh... -1 star for the shower. It's tiny, cold, and pieced together (for the price paid) +1 star for the people. They were really sweet and nice, and the room was clean. (-1 for myself because I had no cash to leave tip in the room. That is definitely not good karma.) read more

Old West hospitality! We had an unexpected stay due to car trouble, and the owner/managers went over and beyond making sure we had a safe, warm place for the night as well as sharing their knowledge and assistance. End result: We didn't freeze while stranded, and we were able to get to St. George for car repairs because these people helped us out. Our room was large and clean, beds were comfy. Incredible sunset and view. Very remote. Can't wait to come back for the kayaking and fishing! I would go anywhere on an adventure with their operations. They really take care of you. read more

Let's start at the fact that the employees are honestly not welcoming at all. They charged us more money after paying online ahead of time, stating that we only paid for our kayak rentals. However the reservations shows us charged for kayaking and lodging. No where on the website does it state that they do not offer wifi. You can't even make a call out. When asking about it they disregarded us and rudely said it was on the website. Unfortunately they lied as I did research before and after to ensure it is not stated at all on the web. "You should expect not to have service in the middle of nowhere" yes but it's also 2022 and you don't go anywhere without Wi-Fi. Not even Mexico..... soooo they are unaccommodating and ungrateful for business. Mind you they are making us switch rooms in the middle of our reservation due to them canceling our original trip. Now that I've been there done that I would stay down the road at other options. read more

This was a great little place for me and my dad to stop over night at on our road trip to the Grand Canyon. The place has a really relaxed feel about it. I called ahead of time to hold a room and they did without even wanting a credit card number. The accommodations were not about all the bells and whistles you may find at other luxurious hotels. The tv was fuzzy, the rooms were a little outdated and overused (but we were in the old building), however, the view and location was worth it. The beds were also very comfy after a long day of driving. The restaurant was fantastic too. Being able to sit outside watching the sun go down and to eat a great meal with a pitcher of beer was a highlight of our road trip. I would recommend this place to anyone who wants something a little different then your best western. read more

Great place to get a good night's sleep. Fantastic views and sitting out watching the stars was absolutely amazing. read more

Cliff Dwellers Lodge - Cliff Dwellers lodge - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Marble Canyon, Arizona

Wendy was kind enough to allow my group to cancel our reservation with short notice when my husband had to have emergency surgery in Flagstaff the night before we were to stay at Cliff Dwellers. I posted otherwise on different sites because initially I was informed that I would be charged anyway. After speaking with Wendy and finding they are not charging me (and she is going to find who gave me the misinformation), I am attempting to delete or edit those posts. After 8 days and 3 surgeries in Flagstaff, this is welcome news. read more

The food is great for the location. The rooms are basic and getting tired but are clean. The staff was very friendly. Gets fours stars for the food and remoteness. read more

We had an great experience here, despite an unexpected hiccup in our trip. We had booked a room before our kayak trip the next day. The next morning we discovered our rental car was leaking massive amounts of oil. The staff recommended going on our kayak trip and asked the boat captain to wait for us. The kayak down horseshoe bend was amazing, perfect day. The owner of the business even offered to have his maintenance guy look at our car. We booked another night at the lodge and they allowed us to check out late while we waited for delivery of a new rental car. The restaurant is great, we ate several meals there, particularly good breakfast (biscuits n gravy are delicious!) and great staff who were helpful and kind. It was a great place to be stuck while we waited for our car. We even went on a fun hike up a creek bed near the lodge and bought some beautiful Navajo jewelry from a stand nearby. Highly recommend. read more

Called the lodge home for three nights for a guided fishing trip and exploring the area. Room had everything you would expect, all was functional and clean. Even with the highway out front it was really quiet (not much traffic) and cliff views abound from the property. The restaurant steps away had great food and the well stocked tackle shop with a small store for supplies was convenient. Great stay. read more

The Chef with glasses was very unprofessional. I had to listen to him and another staff member debate if another staff member 'sharted' himself while I ate a very undercooked burger. Also the avocado pie had hair in it. My family will never return to this hole in the wall dump. read more

Wow! I haven't had this hard of a time trying to call anyone since trying to call the Soviet Union in the 1980s! If you call the main landline it's disconnected. If you call the restaurant it is disconnected. If you call the 1- 800 toll-free number something different happens every time you call. Either it rings twice and disconnects you from the call, or it rings through 18 or 20 times and nobody picks up, or you will get the tone and an "all lines are currently busy" message, or the best scenario: The line will become staticky- this is how you know you have an actual connection going through. But once someone picked up the phone. The second time it was a very brief answering message, but did not allow the opportunity for me to leave a message. Very weird stuff! I'm finding it impossible to book a room there, so I will debate whether or not I want to risk driving up there and find out that there's not a room available. What a drag! I really liked stopping at this place for dinner on the way down to Phoenix. Beautiful area, nice place. Decent food, with a good beer and wine selection, and friendly staff. Sad I probably won't be going back for awhile. Bummer. Actually, I just got to talk to someone for 20 seconds like before, but the lady said that the room they had before (the first time I got to talk to someone for 20 seconds) had been taken and was now occupied. Pretty lame. And still tripping out on the 1970's/1980's caliber communications of earlier. Headed to Vegas on the interstate, I guess. :( read more

I accidentally stumbled upon this place 5 years ago and I've been back twice since then. It is located in the middle of nowhere between the cliffs of Arizona near Page and Lees Ferry. Our room was cozy and quaint and the staff was very friendly and helpful. The views here are amazing at sunset and you can see thousands of stars at night. The restaurant had some of the best food I've had in awhile and they have beer wine and alcohol. We dined on the patio under the stars and it was gorgeous. I highly recommend this place if you're ever in the area. read more

Cliff Dwellers Lodge - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Marble Canyon, Arizona

See all

Although we were only a couple, we rented the house because of the full kitchen. We were staying 3 days and didn't want to eat out every meal. The restaurant on site is very good, too. We ate a few meals there and enjoyed everything. The house has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. There are 4 queen size beds and a large dining table. If you have a large group, this place can accommodate it. The views from the deck are great! The house is positioned right at the base of a lovely cliff with truck sized boulders nearby. This is rural AZ, so mobile homes with people living in them are nearby. The house can use a little maintenance. A few things were broken or worn. For the price, these things should be fixed. I mentioned them on check out. The cleaning staff do a good job and put out a generous supply of toiletries. The A/C is an evaporative cooler so needs to be on all the time. The gas stove and the dish washer work well. The tap water comes from a spring and is delicious! The bedroom furniture is of good quality. Beds are very firm. The location is great for access to the North Rim and Lee's Ferry boat launch. read more

See all

Extremely impressive considering how remote this place is. Nothing else as far as the eye can see in every direction. They have good beer and some surprisingly innovative menu choices. I got a turkey wrap with sprouts, cranberries and brie cheese... Brie cheese! In the desert! Some great photos opportunities too. read more

We stayed here in July of 2017. It's fantastic and definitely on our list of places to do again. The rooms are basic and clean. Air conditioned with a small fridge. The restaurant is good and it's very convenient. The menu is varied enough that you could spend a week and not get bored. Beer and wine is convenient. The Lee Canyon Angler's Outfitters shop has cold drinks and ice and a great selection of clothing and fishing gear. But, the best part... Location. It's in a fantastic and beautiful place. The cliffs and the colors and the exploring and the peace and quiet make it worth the travelling to get to this destination. We spent our evenings watching shooting stars and the Milky Way and our days exploring the park at Lee's Ferry and the rest of the area. And, lazing about watching the sun paint the cliffs different colors throughout the day. We spent a lot of time exploring the rock houses just north of the motel and don't miss the Honeymoon Trail for a nice day hike. It offered hidden surprises like various animal tracks and the ruins of buildings and beautiful scenery and an opportunity to explore the canyon. My 11 year old didn't get bored. I will return to spend some time killing time and maybe do some fishing on the next trip. Definitely would recommend this place. read more

We stopped for breakfast on the way from the North Rim to Phoenix. Good food in a great setting in a remote area. It's definitely worth a stop. read more

Great spot good food super nice people awesome place to crash for the night. Great fishing short drive away.

Room 27 is in the newer part of the lodge, motel style room. We booked online, and the rooms are described accurately. There is a 10% deposit that will be charged upfront, and should be credited to your final bill. They also have a AAA discount, but you will have to ask at the check in counter when you remind them that you booked online. For the price ($81 including the discount) you get a room with two queen beds, a/c, mini refrigerator, coffee maker and TV. Wi Fi is down, not noted on the website. No real complaints, other than the WiFi which they said was due to recent storms taking out their antenna. Parking is immediately in front of these units, on a dirt lot which unfortunately blocks the view from the room of the surrounding cliffs. We were there a week after the one-star review. They certainly work fast since our room looked freshly renovated (see photos). The restaurant was great. Best food of our trip. read more

See all

We drove here from the south rim. We had spent the night before at the MGM. I told my kids that this will be different. It was a great stay. The food at their restaurant was delicious. The bar served my beer ice cold and we woke up early to watch the sunrise over the mountains. The room was warn, but the bathroom was squeaky clean. It was a quite oasis from the long hot drive. read more

The beginning of a 7 day rafting trip through the Grand Canyon included that the night before the trip, the rafting company booked us at Cliff Dwellers Lodge. The room: basic, dated and well worn, like nothing changed, painted, updated for the last 30 or more years. The carpeting deserves special mention, considering how stained and worn it was. If they claimed anything about a great view, there wasn't one. But I don't see the lack of a view a problem. But the flea bag aspect of the place was a problem. Next, there is an attitude problem with the management. There are multiple signs in the office, which is also a store, about how rest rooms are for customers only. Now, who the hell else would be there if not a customer? It's not as if there are people wandering around in the middle of the desert, and wandering in to the office of Cliff Dwellers Lodge looking for a restroom? And what would they do if someone who was not a customer asked to use the restroom? Would they really refuse not let them!? Nope, this is not a way to present a friendly face to clientele. Then there is the restaurant, which the office is quick to inform you is a great place, with great food. HOGWASH! Not only is the food merely acceptable, but the prices are that of a restaurant of excellent quality, not a one-step-above-a greasy-spoon place like this. Too make sure that you're inconvenienced, and annoyed, they have a notice in the menu that they will not give patrons dining at the same table separate checks. And why not, I would like to know? How much more complicated would doing that make their jobs? This is a place that regularly has groups of people having dinner and breakfast there, they night before and morning of River trips, so people who are just meeting each other for the first time might want to dine together, to get to know each other, and requesting separate checks would be the most easy, logical and, for many people, most comfortable way to handle the payment for their meals. But no, Cliff Dwellers can't be bothered to be so obliging in this small way. This is not a welcoming attitude, and we - and others - got the message. And I'm giving the message to you. This is a way over priced dump, with unfriendly policies, and - at best - is a strictly average dumpy, diner, greasy spoon. If you must eat here, DON'T eat inside, which is really revolting. Eat on their "beautiful" patio, where the odor of grease doesn't get too bad, and you can have a nice view of the parking lot. The worst part is that there aren't many other choices, hence they can get away with their antics. Lastly, before believing any good reviews of this place, remember that there are phony reviews posted all the time, and some people who write reviews are delusional. read more

this place was in the middle of nowhere, soo clean and neat, freshly painted rooms everything was clean and the resturant next door, the best tuna i ever had...and the sunset was amazing read more

Had a fantastic experience staying at the Cliff Dwellers Lodge. Our room was comfortable and very clean and I really appreciate the friendliness of the hotel and restaurant staff. We did a lot of driving and this was an great place to stop and just take it all in. The views were amazing to watch the sunset and there is a really nice hike to an 80 ft waterfall that we did after checking out which starts only about 250 ft from the lodge. read more

Fantastic views and comfortable, clean and welcoming rooms and personnel. We were greeted with smiling faces and excellent service at the lodge and the restaurant. The food is fantastic, breakfast as well as dinner. The people were very helpful in instructing us to find the things that we were interested in seeing in the area. The employees are very knowledgeable about the history of the area. This is a fantastic place to stay to keep away from the masses in any city or town. Location is great for a quiet, relaxing vacation. Can't wait to return. read more