See the Grand Canyon in style in one of the Grand Canyon Railway's vintage trains. The Grand Canyon Railway has been providing train service to the Grand Canyon since 1901. For years train travel was the preferred method of getting to the park, but interest waned in 1968 and preference gave way to automobile travel. The railway floundered and the Grand Canyon Railway line was almost about to be destroyed until Thelma and Max Biegert bought the railway in 1989. The railway now carries over 200,000 people to the canyon annually.
The Grand Canyon Railway departs daily from Williams, Arizona at 9:30 a.m. and arrives at the Grand Canyon Village in the South Rim at noon. The train leaves the canyon at 3:30 p.m. and arrives back in Williams at 5:45 p.m. The Grand Canyon Village is near the Grand Canyon Visitor Center and is home to various lodging option such as the Kachina Lodge and El Tovar Hotel, picnic areas, campsites and public bathrooms. The village is also a stop on the free shuttle bus that services the South Rim of the canyon. The South Rim is open year-round and is the most accessible part of the park.
The train departs from Williams, which is three hours north of Phoenix, and heads north to the Grand Canyon Village. The canyon is situated on the Colorado Plateau, which has an elevation of 5,000 feet. Both the Grand Canyon and Williams have an elevation of 7,000 feet. The result of this shift in elevation? Train guests will see a variety of Arizona landscape, from high, dry desert to lush forests of Ponderosa Pines. Train guests may also see a variety of Arizona wildlife, such as mountain lions or elk.
Grand Canyon Railway guests may choose from four classes of train service. Coach class offers bench seating in 1950s passenger train cars. Alternatively, passengers can relax in one of the First Class cars and relish the oversized seats while enjoying snacks and an assortment of beverages. Guests over the age of 15 can opt for seats in the Observation Dome, a streamliner with high glass windows and a partial glass ceiling. Observation Dome guests can also munch on snacks and enjoy a variety of beverages; they can even indulge in a champagne toast on the return trip. Finally, there is the Luxury Parlor Class, which is also for the 15 and older set. Guests can enjoy the cars' lounge styles, private bar, snacks, variety of beverages and a champagne toast for the trip back to Williams.
The railway has purchased, refurbished and put to use a variety of historic passenger cars. The Colorado River car was originally a sleeper car for the Denver Rio Grande Western railroad, and the Bonaventure is a luxurious parlor car that has been redone and renamed in honor of one of the railway's benefactors, Max Biegert.
