Grand Canyon

All Aboard – Grand Canyon Railroad

Yesterday, we stayed a little closer to home base and went to Hoover Dam and Eldorado Canyon Gold Mine, which gave us a little rest to be able to push a little harder today.  Today, we got up and gone by 5:30a.m., as we had a train to catch in Williams, Arizona − a solid 3+hrs from Vegas.  We reserved the first train, which leaves as 9:30, to allow more time at the Grand Canyon National Park.  We planned to arrive in Williams a little early, as there is a gun fight show every morning prior to the train ride and we knew the kids would really enjoyed it (and they did).  The same cowboys perform a train robbery on the train ride back.

The train offers six classes of service from Pullman Class, with no air conditioning, to luxury class, which offers private bar service and snacks.  We chose Coach Class, which is just the basic air-conditioned car.  The train ride is about 2.25hrs and offers some live entertainment.  Each car has its own passenger service attendant, who tells history of the railroad and canyon and offers advice on how to make the best of the South Rim.  Note: train only services the South Rim, which is in a totally different area (miles and miles away) than the North Rim.

To be completely honest, this train ride is not for everybody.  I’ve talked to a lot of people who have enjoyed it, but I personally was expecting more, probably not at fault of the railway.  Couple reasons I would have rather driven myself:

1. Train ride was VERY slow (almost boring, slow).
2. Scenery was no different than you see driving (not sure why I expected otherwise).
3. We were on the train’s schedule with limited arrival/departure times.

Grand Canyon

So, we finally arrived at the Grand Canyon.  Gosh, this is a long day trip from Las Vegas.  The National Park is much larger than I anticipated and we did not plan it out very well.  Do some research of what you want to see and where those places are, so you can orientate yourself in relation to where the train drops you off and where you should start.  We wasted about 30 minutes going off in wrong directions.  So many mistakes with this day trip.  

Finally, found a good place to start.  There are great views of the canyon right in back of Bright Angel Lodge.  There is also food in the cafe there, such as hotdogs, soft pretzels, fountain drinks, ice cream, among several other choices.  We had some ice cream and pretzels and took in the majestic view.  What an amazing place!!!  At first, it gave me the heebie-jeebies getting close to the canyon wall.    Amanda was laughing at me at how paranoid I was about it.  It’s impossible to explain how massive this canyon is.  The canyon reaches as far out and as far down as the eye can see.  It’s so beautiful and mesmerizing.

After taking in the view there, we made another mistake and hopped aboard a tram and made our way to the opposite side of the park.  There were several stops and we easily wasted 30+ minutes just in the ride there.  We stopped at the Visitors Center and wasted a little more time there before jumping back on the tram and heading back to our original spot (we had no clue where to begin or what we were looking for). To redeem ourself and the two+ hours wasted, we finally found the tram that took us to what we expected out of the Grand Canyon.  Take the red tram!!!  Every spot this tram takes you to is worth stopping for.  Every stop offers another unique vantage point of the canyon.  Oh, how I wish we had more time.  I could have easily spent the whole day in this area of the park.  I am still so disappointed in the lack of planning I did for this place.  We will definitely have to come back for a longer trip.  Maybe spending 3+ days or so camping here and the North Rim is in our future?  I’d love to hike to the bottom, if I could get past my fear of me or the girls slipping off the edge.  YIKES!

Needless to say, we only got about an hour in this area before we had to make our way back to the train.  If we would have driven, we could have stayed until the park closed.  The train ride back was a little boring and I got a little nap in before the train robbery started.  It was an ok show, but of course, those cowboys came by to rob the train, literally, in tips.  Maybe I was just tired from getting up early and from all the traveling.  Just felt like we were in a time crunch all day and it went nothing like I expected.  I definitely will be better prepared next time we visit and allow more time than just an afternoon.  So, here are my suggestions:

1. Skip the train, so you have more time in the park.
2. Stay more than one day.   Camp out or get a hotel room in the park.
3. Go prepared.  National Parks out West are much bigger than you think (this was only our second time in a NP).  Lesson learned.