Williams and the Grand Canyon Railroad

[Girlw0nder]

Hi everyone,

Just looking for some info and advice please

Has anyone:
A: been to Williams - hotel recommendations (with breakfast if possible)
B: been on/got any info on the train up the Grand Canyon?

This is going to be the first few days of our trip - 1st night staying near Phoenix airport as late flight in, then drive to Williams next day, with a visit to Flagstaff too.

How long does the train take and how much time should we allocate for our time at the G. Canyon? I'm planning on booking our train tickets soon and would like to book a hotel so we can continue to plan the rest of our 23 night trip ending in Los Angeles.

Any recommendations for places to see/restaurants in Williams or Flagstaff or other places nearby?

Thank you so much. So excited to have booked our flights and car hire with BA this morning for £2,400 less than Thursday's price! Whoop, whoop!

[Olympiad]

Hi - haven't stayed in Williams but we did go to Twisters diner which is worth a stop - an old fashioned 50s diner.

With a car have you considered just driving to the Grand Canyon? The train isn't cheap ($65 per person upwards) and takes over 2 hours each way (compared to under an hour in the car). Plus you would really need to book a coach rim tour to see more than just the area around the visitor centre.

In the car you could do a circular route entering at one entrance (probably the east as this is a lot quieter getting in) stopping off along the rim and then returning to Williams via the south entrance.

Appreciate some people will prefer the train anyway as maybe more of an event. I think with the train there is one there and one back each day, and you'd have about 4 hours at the canyon.

[KarenG]

We liked the idea of the train, but we gave up on the idea because we realised it was quite pricey and (more importantly) significantly reduced our GC time.

[Bigdrinks]

We're staying in Williams next month. Have booked the Holiday Inn which includes breakfast!

[Girlw0nder]

Thanks everyone, great advice as usual!

Yes, it is very pricey and although the train is exciting, I would rather not be held to a schedule, so the car is probably a better idea. Thanks for saving me a fortune!

Are there any places to eat at the Grand Canyon? Or are we best taking a picnic?

I love Holiday Inns! I'll check it out

[Girlw0nder]

Originally Posted by Bigdrinks

We're staying in Williams next month. Have booked the Holiday Inn which includes breakfast!

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Have a fabulous time! Please come back and tell us all about it

[KarenG]

Originally Posted by Girlw0nder

Thanks everyone, great advice as usual!

Yes, it is very pricey and although the train is exciting, I would rather not be held to a schedule, so the car is probably a better idea. Thanks for saving me a fortune!

Are there any places to eat at the Grand Canyon? Or are we best taking a picnic?

I love Holiday Inns! I'll check it out

See more...

We stayed overnight so we had to eat at GC - limited options (to be fair, given you're a captive audience, I didn't find the prices too bad though). But the food was by no means more than something to fill a hole! I guess, if you're just there for the day, you wouldn't be looking for one of the more expensive sit down restaurants at the nicer hotels? So, personally, if you enjoy picnics, I'd do that

[tinkerbelll]

If you can get accommodation inside the park I really recommend it. Williams is about an hour outside and a completely straight road to the GC with nothing else to see on the way. We loved being in for sunset, seeing it all moonlit and with the Stars, and up at 6 to see the sunrise with nearly no one else there. You can see the view from my room on my profile. This was supposedly a partial view at the kachina lodge. This was the highlight of my trip last time. Once in and parked at GC all the buses around the rim are free and there is no need for a tour.

[florida girl]

We also looked at doing this trip last year but decided against it quite expensive, scheduled times so decided to book a hotel inside the park ourselves.We stayed at the Maswik Lodge we had lunch there and dinner at the Bright Angel would recommend the highlight of our trip just minutes away from the Canyon amazing.

[Olympiad]

Plenty of food options around the hotels etc but very busy and a picnic might be a better option. Alternatively just outside(ish) the east entrance is Cameron Trading Post that does good food - we picked up a late breakfast before heading in to the park - be sure to try the Navajo fry bread!

A good picnic place along the rim (in fact just a great place generally) is Shoshone point. This isn't really advertised much and there are no signs for the parking etc. Consequently few people visit but it's one of the best views of the canyon. It is about a 20 minute walk each way but worth it. We had the whole place to ourselves.

More info here ...
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