A Train Ride into Grand Canyon Village

The Grand Canyon Railway operates the only train ride into Grand Canyon National Park. It takes a little over 2 hours to steam from Williams, Arizona to the depot at Grand Canyon Village.

There the passengers disembark and have a little over 3 hours to explore the park. The free shuttles take you anywhere you need to go while the entire train is turned around on a wye (a triangular set of tracks that rotates).

You can spend money on a rim tour, which might be a nice choice if you want to make sure you see the highlights before you leave. You probably won't have a problem finding something to do on your own though, the canyon is RIGHT THERE. Walk the rim trail a bit and visit some historic shops in the village, or ride a shuttle to the Visitors Center or Mather Point. Heck, you can probably do all those things in the time you're there, plus have lunch.

A train ride into Grand Canyon National Park will run from $60 to $155 per person with several choices from Coach to Luxury Class. The dome car provides the best views, but the open-air platform and plush seating in the Luxury car make that tempting as well. All the cars are beautifully restored vintage railroad cars with big windows, so you really can't make a wrong choice.

Besides the daily train trip, the Grand Canyon Railway runs a hotel, restaurant and RV park. Williams is a nice little town to stay in, and you can get package deals that include lodging and dinner.

Official Site - Train Ride into Grand Canyon

There is no train ride into Grand Canyon itself. All the track runs on the plateau that the canyon is carved into, so the trains only go to the rim, not down into the gorge.

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