After the Grand Canyon train tour

Don't forget to goto Williams AZ. and drive the Old route 66 in downtown and walk the sidewalks.

Verde Canyon Railroad in Clarkdale, AZ 

The GN Man posted:

Verde Canyon Railroad in Clarkdale, AZ 

+1 on this.

Where are you flying in to? The train ride from Williams to the canyon is pretty cool. You can take helicopter rides to get a good tour of the canyon. You can also take a flight from the canyon airport out to Monument Valley and go on a ground tour from there. Lots of old movies were made at Monument Valley. Forest Gump stopped and quit "running" on the highway just south of there.

Lots of stuff to see around there. Enjoy..

South rim & Horseshoe Bend at Grand Canyon.  My opinion is that Zion National park is the best park we ever visited. I don't know how they are in the winter. 

Not train related but, almost sure to please the wife - make the drive down to Sedona, AZ.  

Curt

Many people zipping across Arizona on Interstate 40 at 75 MPH think this is just a tourist thing, like a stuffed jackalope.  Far from that,  the Meteor Crater, between Flagstaff and Winslow is quite interesting and impressive.  It's on a paved road several miles off the Interstate.  There is a very interesting and informative educational display about this and other meteor strikes, and the crater itself is massive.  If you have any interest in the solar system, it is worth the time to visit.  

eddie g posted:

South rim & Horseshoe Bend at Grand Canyon.  My opinion is that Zion National park is the best park we ever visited. I don't know how they are in the winter. 

We visited the North Rim as well. That was really enjoyable, probably more so than the South Rim. 1000' elevation higher than the South Rim, and different. Santa Fe built the lodge on the South Rim; Union Pacific built the one on the North Rim. Don't know that Zion is the best National Park we ever visited (a little like asking which child you like best ), but it is spectacular.

Well if you are going to Meteor Crater, you should stop in Flagstaff first just long enough to snap a photo of this loco.  And after the crater, you can sleep in a teepee (Holbrook) and then go to the Painted Desert/Petrified Forrest.

Flagstaff is a terrific place to visit. Some of the best train watching in the country with the BNSF mainline going through the heart of downtown. Must be 100 trains going through daily. Some terrific restaurants and local breweries are there as well. Some have a perfect view of the trains rolling by. There is also a cool hotel we always stay at, the Monte Vista, which is supposed to be haunted. The best place for breakfast is Macy's (not the Department store!).

Pat

South rim

Williams, AZ 

Kingman, AZ

rrman posted:

We will be flying to do the Grand Canyon train run to see ye old big canyon, then renting a car to see the sights.

Suggestions of easy drive-able worthwhile attractions to see while in the area.  Wife has found the various national parks, but maybe other attractions, not necessarily RR related but of general interest to our adult children also.  Would like to avoid tourist traps that I am sure abound in the area. 

When? That is, what time of year? The South Rim is @7000ft elevation so there is snow in the Winter. The North Rim @8000ft is even colder and snowier. Zion Canyon has been mentioned. At 3000ft it is fine (occasional light snow) in the Winter and HOT in the Summer. Phoenix, a half-day drive South and @1000ft , is fine in the Winter but frying-eggs-on-the-pavement HOT in the Summer. In the Southwest elevation is everything, Winter and Summer. 

Check out Walnut Canyon National Monument a few miles east of Flagstaff, interesting history of tribes that lived in the steep walls of the canyon.  Also Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff.

WOW!! Thanks so much.  The travel agent (AKA wife) will be overwhelmed with things to do and planning itinerary.

Seligman and Grand Canyon Caverns

Horseshoe Bend has a bit of a hike from the parking lot to the overlook, but worth it if you’re up to it. There is a $10 fee to park.

If you’re into hiking, there’s a lot to do around Sedona. Of course, there are typical tourist traps too.

You don't say where you are flying in to or, as has been noted above, when (time of year).  I second many of the suggestions above - you won't be able to get to the North Rim this time of year - not sure when it opens, but likely not much before April or May - probably depends upon the snow level on the Kaibab plateau leading in to the Park from the north side.  If you are planning the trip for the summer or late spring, the North Rim is, in my opinion, more spectacular than the South with a lot fewer people to boot (and much cooler in the summertime than at the South Rim).  There is a classic lodge - the Grand Canyon Lodge -  at the North rim which has fantastic views and as of a few years ago, quite good food.  The additional advantage of the North Rim is that to get to it you drive near or even through Zion NP, which is quite spectacular in its own right.

Which ever rim you go to - if you and your traveling party are capable, you should hike part way into the canyon - if even for an hour.  You don't have to go all the way to the Colorado River (or even close), but it will give you a different impression of the Canyon than simply staring at it from the road overlooks.

There is also a Planes of Fame museum branch nearby if airplanes interest you.  I've found that train fans also seem to like other modes of transportation, including airplanes and ships. 

X2 on Flagstaff and Sedona.  Great places to visit.  The train action through Flagstaff is almost nonstop.

Well into April snow is possible.  Another beautiful park is Bryce Canyon also above 8,000 ft. 

Edit/Add:   Zion is a narrow canyon, shuttle bus access, and walk.   There is an upper level, through a tunnel.  

Upper level.  Tunnel restricts larger vehicles/ RV's.   Cross hatch erosion, done by wind, rain/soft sand stone.  

Another vote for the North Rim. We went in mid-summer so no issues with the road which is closed from roughly October through May. Really spectacular but the main thing is far less visitors, busses and traffic. And the lodge there is fantastic.

Btw, if you happen to make it down towards Kingman, AZ there is a very cool retro diner there near old Route 66. Great food!

Mr. D’z:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Re...Kingman_Arizona.html

eddie g posted:

South rim & Horseshoe Bend at Grand Canyon.  My opinion is that Zion National park is the best park we ever visited. I don't know how they are in the winter. 

What? No pictures? C'mon. Kindly. Share with us what you liked. I'm planning some possible adventures for this Summer (maybe. I think.)

FrankM

Mike CT posted:

Well into April snow is possible.  Another beautiful park is Bryce Canyon also above 8,000 ft. 

 

Hi Mike CT, Bryce Canyon has the look of a place that had been coral-reefs when there was a sea present over that entire area. Am I correct?

Moonson posted:

eddie g posted:

South rim & Horseshoe Bend at Grand Canyon.  My opinion is that Zion National park is the best park we ever visited. I don't know how they are in the winter. 

What? No pictures? C'mon. Kindly. Share with us what you liked. I'm planning some possible adventures for this Summer (maybe. I think.)

Flying in to Phoenix, hiking around Sedona, watching trains in Flagstaff, stopping at Horseshoe Bend on the way to the North Rim, followed by Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Kingman, Seligman, Williams, the South Rim and back to Phoenix makes for a great circle trip if you have the time for all that.

Moonson posted:

Mike CT posted:

Well into April snow is possible.  Another beautiful park is Bryce Canyon also above 8,000 ft. 

 

Hi Mike CT, Bryce Canyon has the look of a place that had been coral-reefs when there was a sea present over that entire area. Am I correct?

Yes.  the sediment layers, and erosion, produce a Bryce icon.  The Hoodoo.  

At the time, the Railroad access to this area was Cedar City, Utah,  From there the Union Pacific Railroad bused their customers to Bryce, Zion and eventually the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  

South Rim development, was the Santa Fe Railroad.   

Moonson posted:

eddie g posted:

South rim & Horseshoe Bend at Grand Canyon.  My opinion is that Zion National park is the best park we ever visited. I don't know how they are in the winter. 

What? No pictures? C'mon. Kindly. Share with us what you liked. I'm planning some possible adventures for this Summer (maybe. I think.)

FrankM

The big ditch is better in winter or late fall.  If you go in the summer, expect to view the canyon behind a crowd of people.  We went in November.  Weather was comfortable with a light jacket and we could walk right up to the rim wherever we went.

Again note that snow is a possibility.  My sweetheart and I had permits for overnight stay at Bright Angel Campsite.    Once past Cedar Ridge the trail started to dry-out.   Early April many years ago.  

Note that the mule trains were canceled that day.  

We had to visit the South Rim in July once and never again. No one would get off the bus, so we had to walk and weren’t prepared for it. I try to avoid the Parks between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

DoubleDAZ

MikeCT

Lehigh74

Thank you for your thoughtfulness with those replies.

FrankM

irish rifle posted:

Flagstaff is a terrific place to visit. . . There is also a cool hotel we always stay at, the Monte Vista, which is supposed to be haunted. The best place for breakfast is Macy's (not the Department store!).

I'll second the Monte Vista.  Historic, close to the railroad, and close to night life.  It is well maintained.

On the Hopi Indian reservation, they built that glass walkway out over a cliff.  Also, if you are into quaint, a stay at the old lodge/motel at the south rim is a treat and a throwback. 

Several trips through Zion have never excited me (probably due to my infatuation with Death Valley and other desert sites) but, if up to it, take a horseback ride down into and through Bryce Canyon. Fantastic shapes and colors! And if you get to Clarksdale, go up the hill to Jerome and its copper mining "big hole". The museum there is the former RR station, and Jerome now has a small artsy population, a lived in ghost town.  East of the Canyon is the Four Corners and Monument Valley, site of many western movies, the "Mittens", and desert scenes seen in theatre and on TV.

What?  If Zion doesn't do much for you, you need to get your soul checked out, IMHO.  How far into the park or off the beaten path did you go?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEZ3WyAUPZM

If you've seen a lot of John Wayne/John Ford movies, you'll recognize....and love....Monument Valley.

That glass walkway is a ripoff. It's a tourist trap.  Zion is still the best National park.

colorado hirailer posted:

Several trips through Zion have never excited me (probably due to my infatuation with Death Valley and other desert sites) but, if up to it, take a horseback ride down into and through Bryce Canyon. 

Berkshire President posted:

What?  If Zion doesn't do much for you, you need to get your soul checked out, IMHO.  How far into the park or off the beaten path did you go?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEZ3WyAUPZM

Everyone is different, but I'd certainly agree with Berkshire. Zion is world famous for a reason. Having been to both parks, I'd say if you only have time for one, it should be Zion rather than Bryce Canyon. Zion, a much larger park, is wonderfully varied, whereas Bryce is quite one-dimensional; there are the hoodoos, and that's about it. But differences make the world go around, so if hirailer feels differently, that's great.

My check your soul out comment was obviously tongue and check.  To each their own.

Enjoyed the Zion video, Berkshire. We have some friends that got back from a Zion trip a few months ago, and it was almost a religious experience for them. 

And so after all your thoughtful and very informative information that the wife and I compiled and mapped out trip routes, we received notice that the Grand Canyon RR is shut down and would reopen later, maybe. 

Out of abundance of caution and most airlines are at minimum, and thought of breathing recirculated (covid?) airplane air , we cancelled. 

May try again next year if there is a vaccine etc etc

Something I didn't see mentioned, if you wander further East on the Interstate to Winslow, stay at the La Posada Hotel, it was one of the stops on the train ride and still train themed, as well as the place famous for "Standing on the Corner"

@rrman posted:

And so after all your thoughtful and very informative information that the wife and I compiled and mapped out trip routes, we received notice that the Grand Canyon RR is shut down and would reopen later, maybe. 

Out of abundance of caution and most airlines are at minimum, and thought of breathing recirculated (covid?) airplane air , we cancelled. 

May try again next year if there is a vaccine etc etc

It will still be there next year.

My wife and I booked a Traincation through Scotland in August.  Just got notice that the tour operator is willing to move the trip to 2021.  We jumped on that move.  The "Silent Enemy" may be quiet this summer, but who knows.

@rrman posted:

And so after all your thoughtful and very informative information that the wife and I compiled and mapped out trip routes, . . . Out of abundance of caution and most airlines are at minimum, and thought of breathing recirculated (covid?) airplane air , we cancelled. 

It was the right thing to do, for the right reason.  You and your wife deserve a tip of the hat.