Trip on the Grand Canyon Railroad and Walk along the Rim Trail

We arrived in Williams, AZ, and are staying at the Grand Canyon Railway RV Park for a week. Today we have booked a trip on the Grand Canyon Railway in the Dome car, to take us on the two hour ride to the Grand Canyon for our first visit. We were treated to a Wild West Shootout prior to boarding the train, and these same Cowboys sang and entertained us on the journey. We arrived at the Grand Canyon historic Depot around 11:30 am and walked up to the Rim to view the awe inspiring vistas of the Grand Canyon. We ate lunch at the Arizona Room in the beautiful old Bright Angel Lodge, built in 1935. Then we walked the 1.3 mile Trail of Time along the rim between Verkamp’s Visitor Center and Yavapai Geology Museum. It is a geological timeline of the rock layers in the Canyon, and you can touch the rocks from each of the canyon layers, including rocks nearly 2 billion years old in the bottom of the canyon. We got the shuttle bus back to the train which departed at 3:30 pm for our return trip to Williams. We enjoyed some snacks and a complimentary glass of champagne, and the notorious Cataract Creek Gang boarded our train for a mock train robbery. The train ride was relaxing but I would not recommend it if you want to experience scenery from the train as it is flat and dry the entire way. Continue reading →