Seeing the Grand Canyon was something that was on my travel bucket list for the majority of my life until I finally had the chance to see it back in 2012. Unlike a lot of other landmarks and destinations though I find the Grand Canyon is one of those sites that you can return to and always have a different experience. When we were given the chance to take a Grand Canyon Railway Tour the last time we were in Sedona, AZ , Lauren and I hopped at the chance. I mean come on how often do you get to see the Grand Canyon and ride a train in the same day??
Now as full time ramblers, it’s not often that Lauren and I give up the chance to hop in our own car and take a road trip. I mean, we’ve even written a road trip planner on seeing the Grand Canyon on your own. Sometimes though it’s great to let go of the reigns, let someone else do the driving, and just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. That’s exactly why we booked our trip with Great West Adventure Co.
Our trip to the Grand Canyon began bright and early (7:00) AM when we were picked up at our Sedona hotel. We met our super friendly driver along with our fellow companions for the day and our trip began. I have to admit, being the guy who usually does most of the driving when we travel it was pretty nice to be able to sit back and just take in the lovely views. Our guide was knowledgeable about both the Sedona area and the Canyon, so he made it quite interesting as we made our way to the first stop: The Grand Canyon Rail Road.
I’m a total train nerd, so I was absolutely giddy to hop on board a train and chug our way to the Grand Canyon. The train ride lasted about 45 minutes and was super fun. There was a breakfast on the train and some spectacular views of the Coconino National Forest.
Onboard the train, they had guides giving us information about what we were seeing as well as entertainment from a local folksinger. Oh and did I mention the beautiful views?
Upon arrival at the Grand Canyon, you get dropped off at the old historical Santa Fe Railway Station.
Once we arrived at the Grand Canyon we had the opportunity to wander around the South Rim Visitors center for a while, have lunch, and explore the area on our own. Even though I had just been there a year before, I was just as stunned by how beautiful and vast it was the second time around.
Once we met up with our guide (who drove the bus there while we got to ride the train in style) he took us through the visitors center and along the South Rim viewing area showing us key points and teaching us how the Grand Canyon was formed. I must say, I was impressed with our guide’s depth of knowledge as well as his passion for teaching us about the area. There are a lot of guides that just “go through the motions” but he seemed to really care. While at the Canyon Rim, he also took the time to show us details we would have otherwise missed.
One of the things I really enjoyed about this tour was the fact that it didn’t only go to the South Rim, but it actually follows East Rim Drive all the way out of the park. That means we got the opportunity to see the Canyon from a variety of angles and really appreciate just how large it truly is.
In total we made 3 -4 stops along the edge of the Grand Canyon at the different viewing points available through the park.
It was also a wonderful opportunity to see the changes in landscape as we headed east.
Oh, and thanks to our guide, we also knew just the right spot to let him take our picture so you could see just how grand this canyon really is. :-)
We finished up our tour at the East Rim Visitors center, which is home to the Grand Canyon Watchtower. We enjoyed a short ride into Navajo Country where we had the chance to shop for some local arts and crafts. After that was done it was time for the 1.5 hour ride back to Sedona. Now normally that would involve me having to drive back to our hotel with the setting sun winking at me over the horizon, while I struggle to stay awake. This time, I got to sit back, relax, and let someone else ramble on…
Details on our Grand Canyon Railway Tour
Great West Adventure Co
info@greatwesttours.com
877-367-2383
928-204-5506
www.greatwesttours.com
I visited the Grand Canyon several years ago, before I really developed such a passion for travel, or life in general!! I would love to go back and do a train tour. It sounds amazing!!
Thank you so much for a great post!!
Jennifer,
This is the second time we’ve visited the Grand Canyon in 12 months. There’s just something magical about it that keeps us coming back.
I could have never imagined a train taking you to the Grand Canyon! What a great idea. The canyon is still on our bucket list…looking at your pictures with the magnificent colors I really want to visit some day. And why not take that fab train, the Grand Canyon Polar Express…wow
Emiel,
It’s a fantastic way to get there and it sure beats the drive.
Love the Grand Canyon, it is truly spectacular by any definition of the word. We’ve been twice and both times we took the day-trip on the mules. Aside from the throbbing aches and pains after affect, it is well-worth the effort. We haven’t done the train trip, maybe one day. Your photos are terrific!
Hi Patti,
I’ve never been down into the Canyon, it’s definitely on the list though. I want to actually hike in and stay down there for a few days before returning.
I’ve never been, but this sounds like a pretty cool way to see it! I hope my camera is able to capture its beauty the way yours did!
No matter how many times you did it, it still looks incredible! You got lots of great shots from all angles! Thanks for sharing!
Amazing photos, this sounds like a real adventure. Hoping to follow in your footsteps one day!
Oh wow that looks super impressive! I love how you got the chance to see it from different angles and I am super jeaolus that you got to ride that train! I’m a complete train nerd too and it looks like an absolutely stunning ride!
Aggy, It was totally worth the train ride, and doing it train one way and bus the second gave us two completely different views of the area.
Great photos! I wanted to ride the train when we were there earlier this year, but we ended up staying right outside the park, so we decided against it. I always love trains though and it looks like it was great! I can definitely see how it deserves a repeat visit–the Grand Canyon is so beautiful!
We finally got to the Grand Canyon last year. It truly is awesome and it is something that can’t be appreciated until you see it in person. Beautiful!