Years before there were ever Grand Canyon helicopter tours, air tours, white water rafting tours, or Grand Canyon mule tours, and even before the canyon was made a national park or Arizona made a state, visitors to Arizona would take the Grand Canyon Railway train. In fact the Grand Canyon Railway was the lifeline to Grand Canyon National Park in the early 20th century. This historic train almost faded into history itself when passenger service to Grand Canyon National Park stopped in 1968 as train travel gave way to the popularity of automobile travel. But the Grand Canyon Railway was reborn in 1989 when entrepreneurs Max & Thelma Biegert brought the Grand Canyon Railway back to life. Today, the Grand Canyon Railway carries more than 230,000 people by rail to Grand Canyon National Park each year. The Grand Canyon Railway departs daily from Williams, Arizona and travels north to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park. This trip is 65 miles long and it takes 2 hours and 15 minutes each way. The Grand Canyon is located in northern Arizona on the Colorado Plateau. Most of the Colorado Plateau is at about 5,000 feet elevation. However, the Colorado Plateau includes Williams, Arizona and the Grand Canyon, both at over 7,000 feet elevation, and the San Francisco Peaks, the highest point in Arizona at over 12,600 feet elevation. This means that you will see different landscapes, from Ponderosa pine forests down to the open and dry high desert, and back into Ponderosa pine forests, as the train gets close to the Grand Canyon National Park. This is a photo tour of a trip that we experienced in the fall of 2000 and we can recommend this trip to anyone who wants to have an enjoyable visit to the Grand Canyon. The next morning, after ariving at Williams we wake up, and have a great breakfast at the Restaurant. We keep our eyes open because a gang of gunfighters has been know to frequent the Restaurant in the morning. After breakfast, it's time for an old-fashioned showdown between the gang and the Marshal. If you go, be sure to check out this entertainment at the west of the train depot.

If you are planning to visit Williams, Arizona and to take the Grand Canyon Railroad Train Ride. And if you are coming from outside of Arizona, you could fly into Flagstaff, Arizona and then rent a car. If you are planning to visit only the Grand Canyon. And if you are coming from outside of Arizona, you could fly into Flagstaff, Arizona and then rent a car. It's about 81 miles from there to the South Rim of the Canyon. You also could fly into the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and drive the 231 miles to the South Rim. Sky Harbor is the closest MAJOR airport to the Grand Canyon and the most popular choice for those looking to fly and drive to the Canyon. There is an airport at the Grand Canyon but it does not handle large commercial aircraft. Tour aircraft mostly use that airport. There are hotels and motels in both areas and if you need a place to stay; Priceline.com can arrange that for you. We have some links to Priceline.com on this page since they can arrange all of your air flights, hotels and car. You may need some outdoor clothing and equipment, if you plan to visit the Flagstaff area to tour Williams and take the Grand Canyon Railroad Train Ride. We have some links to Altrec on this page since they are a good online source for outdoor gear. We of course, appreciate your use of the advertising on our pages, since it helps us to keep this page active.