All Aboard to Grand Canyon
- Vicky
- Feb 3, 2022
- 5 min read
The Grand Canyon one of the world’s natural wonders and one of the United States most visited National Park. It is a sight to see on a road trip through Arizona. We did just that, but with a slight twist. Instead of driving to the Grand Canyon, we started our Grand Canyon adventure in Williams, Arizona home of the Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel.
Our group arrived the night before to check-in to the Grand Canyon Hotel. We grabbed dinner at the Fred Harvey Restaurant, which was across the parking lot. Once we had our fill at the buffet, complete with having dessert, we organized our bags of what we were taking on the train and what the Grand Canyon Hotel would take to the lodge at the Grand Canyon National Park. In the morning we got up and had breakfast at the Fred Harvey Restaurant. We went to the depot to wait to get ready to board the train. Right before being allowed to board, they put on a Wild West show. We watched as the sheriff try to round up the outlaws who escaped on horseback.
Once on board the train, we were given various handouts of what to see at the Grand Canyon, what we might see along the 2.5-hour train ride, and a map of the national park. Later on, a cowboy with a guitar was our entertainment for about an hour on the ride singing various cowboy tunes. We mostly enjoyed the scenery on our way up which started as desert then changed to towering Ponderosa pine.
Once we arrived at the Grand Canyon depot, we were greeted by our tour bus that I booked with our package. This tour bus included various lookout points that you wouldn’t get a chance to visit if just doing a day trip out and back. At each lookout we were given ample time to explore the area and learn the history and geography. After lunch, many of the day trippers were getting ready to go back aboard the train to Williams. However, we were going to be spending the night at the Grand Canyon for 2 more nights at Maswik Lodge. We used the rest of our time exploring various visitor centers and taking pictures.
In the morning, Michael and I hiked down to lower tunnel of the Bright Angel Trail. At the Bright Angel Trailhead, the elevation is 6,840 feet, Michael and I descended to the second tunnel which is only 0.75 miles and at elevation 6,250 feet. Amber who joined us decided to skip the hike and read Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon by Michael Ghigieri, which she had bought at one of the visitor centers we had visited the day before. As we descend the trail, the size of the Grand Canyon really gets to you and how tall the cliffs are and how narrow at times the trail seems that if you slip you might just fall many feet down off the edge. After reaching the second tunnel Michael and I took a break and ate a few snacks before turning around and climbing back up to the trailhead. Overall, the hike was a wonderful way of seeing the canyon from a different level. The hike is strenuous and is not for the faint of heart.
After we reach the rim, we met up with Amber for a quick lunch then we jumped on the red bus that has stops towards Hermit's Rest. We decided that we would explore the various lookout points. The one plus side of this route is that the shuttle bus stops at various points going towards Hermits Rest that if you choose to you can either jump on and off the bus at points or hike between bus stops. The hike is along the Rim Trail which is relatively flat and most of the time paved. Also, for those who are geocachers, like myself, this is great time to collect a good number of virtual or earth caches. On getting a cache that is close to the point called The Abyss, it was probably the scariest part of the Rim Hike because the trail looked like it went up into nothing but in reality, it was a steep turn and the trail narrowed as you only had view of the canyon with only small bushes blocking you from the edge of the cliff.
After getting to Hermit's Rest, we explored the visitor center and the area around. Our group decided that it was close enough to sunset that we would view the sunset over the Grand Canyon at Mohave Point. This point is one of the best spots to view the sunset and does get very busy. After sunset all the shuttle busses head back to Grand Canyon Village.
On our final day at the Grand Canyon, we woke up early to watch the sunrise at Mather Point. It was busy, but the views of the sun coming up over the canyon were extremely breath taking.
After watching the sunrise, we rested up back at the lodge before going to explore various historical points like the Shrine of Ages, Lookout Studio, Kolb Studio, and Bright Angel Lodge Museum. At the Bright Angel Lodge Museum, they sell fudge, but also showcase the history of the Harvey Girls and architect designs of Mary Colter. This is where we found our “Advice from…” National Park shirt which is part of a series Michael and I have started collecting since we found them at Mammoth cave. We were worried that we weren't going to find one after visiting many different shops at the Grand Canyon and had given up. But at our very last stop, there it was! Amber had shouted that she found it while Michael and I were sampling the fudge startled and confused the clerk serving us.
It was then time to board the train back to Williams. Amber gave us various tidbits of knowledge she had learned while reading Over the Edge. We visited the food car on the train and got some sandwiches and root beer floats. We relaxed as we listened to entertainer and recounted our favorite parts of the Grand Canyon. It was then the train started slowing down. The train engineer informed us that a group of outlaws found a way to board the train and do a train robbery. We watched from our window the group of outlaws ride up to the train on horseback. Once on board they would “rob” the passengers who had dollar bills held up high. We arrived back at Williams around 5pm ready to get in the car to travel to our next destination.
The Grand Canyon is spectacular and traveling to this national park is a unique way of visiting the South Rim should truly be on anyone’s travel bucket list. It’s a trip full of Wild West Adventure, nature, history, and geology.
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