Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, AZ

Before flying out for a job interview in 2014, I hadn’t been to Arizona. So once I moved to the state, it was time to explore and that meant a trip to the Grand Canyon. Although the drive from Phoenix isn’t bad, the Grand Canyon Railway provides a direct route from Williams (which is about three hours from Phoenix) without any of the hassle of driving yourself. There’s plenty of parking at the train station and an air conditioned building with a gift shop that has food to purchase and bathroom facilities. The historic train also has food and toilets along with the ability to watch the scenery instead of having to focus on the road.

Before boarding the train, there’s a show which involves a shootout and a threat that the train will be robbed (which becomes part of the entertainment on the return trip). The jokes were silly, but it was a fun show.

The train has different levels of accommodation, so I went with First Class on the trip up and the Observation Dome on the way back. The seats in First Class were much more comfortable than the Observation Dome seats, but they are in groups of four that face each other with a table in the middle, so you might end up with strangers across from you (the Observation Dome is the traditional groups of two that all face forward). The view from the Observation Dome is much better as one might expect. Both sections offer complimentary snacks (cheese, crackers, fruit, and vegetables primarily), bar service, and entertainment. Other sections have different amenities. I think splitting up the trip as I did is the way to go as it saves money and the sparkling wine toast included in the Observation Dome ticket is only done in the afternoon. On the way up, my section had a musician playing guitar and singing songs about being on the road (like On the Road Again by Willie Nelson). On the way back, there were some magic tricks and then the staged train robbery. The entertainment is all a little cheesy, but it’s fun to pass the time during the two hour each way trip.