xx

What would be the nearest Amtrak station to the Grand Canyon area? We would be traveling from the Washington, DC area, and time nor distance is a problem.

xx

Disregard my question, I checked Amtrak and found the schedule that goes to Williams Station, Az via Chicago. Has anyone taken this trip?

xxx

Another option for you is what I chose to do 2 years ago. I took amtrak to Flagstaff and used that as homebase to tour the area: petrified forest, monument valley, sedona, page. Used Gray Line tours to do all the above on individual day trips.

Took Gray line to the Canyon and spent 2 nights (on own) in Bright Angel Lodge Cabin on rim. Was great. Took bus back to flagstaff and caught train home - (Phila. Grayline offered 2 trips to Canyon, 1 was a tour other was just transportation. I chose the transportation. This bus leaves Flagstaff at ~7:30AM and a return bus leaves from Mazwik Lodge around 4PM. You can walk from Mazwik to most other hotels on the rim.

Never needed to rent a car. Great vacation.

My personal opinion from Williams is I rode the train all the way from Phila didn't want to ride another train from Williams to the Canyon.

Enjoy and book Canyon hotel early. Check Grayline website for info

kkj

Nava Hopi Tours which ran the Gray Line in Flagstaff is out of business. They went bankrupt about a year ago.

kkj

Didn't finish my information, sorry. Try contacting Open Road Tours -- sorry don't have 800 number) they are now operating out of Flagstaff and may even be able to pick you up in Williams.

xxx

I did a search on Grayline and got Grayline Worldwide. Clicked on U.S. then Flagstaff. They are not advertised as Nava Hopi Tours (which I used) but they offer the same tours - check it out.

Wow I had great guides with Nava Hopi and it seemed quite busy when I was there

sonia

A few years back we did a memorable round-country trip on Amtrak. From DC took the Capitol Ltd overnight to Chicago. Spent the day there, caught the evening Southwest Chief to Flagstaff. Rented a car in Flagstaff and stayed overnight, then drove to the north rim of Grand Canyon -- we had made reservations a year ahead for a cabin close to the north rim. What a fabulous memorable trip -- driving through the Painted Desert, across the Colorado at Marble Canyon, past the Vermilion Cliffs and up to the north rim plateau, quiet woodlands (it was early September). Spent a couple nights there, then drove back through Flagstaff, visited Sedona and Slide Rock park. Then back on the night train to LA, continuing our trip...

We'd do it again in a heartbeat. Hope Amtrak finds a way to continue cross-country service.

xxx

Thanks to all for the information. I will save it. Did you travel coach or roomette?

Sabrina

My husband is a railroad buff and ww have taken quite a few train trips, but we had not traveled by train for a few years until last September. WE took a train from Savannah, Georgia to Whitefish , Montana. It was not a pleasant experience. We booked a deluxe bedroom compartment. We were told by the porter that the rooms had been cut in size over the past few years. They were tiny and not very clean. The bath was not kept very clean. Our compartment had an air conditioning vent that would not close and the cold air made the room a refrigerator. The only chair in the compartment was broken and the curtains in the room were heavy with dirt and dust that did nothing for my allergy. Their was not a variety of food on the train and it was not very good. We were very disappointed. It was nothing to compare with a Candanian train that we had taken about ten years earlier. Amtrak is no longer a good way to travel for a long trip. We changed trains in Washington and Chicago, so these problems were not on justone train. was not just one trainu

Sabrina

Sorry, I did not notice that this was posted in 2002.

Kristinelaine

I found this old post while searching and I am wondering if more people have recent info on this topic. I would like to do something like this, but not if it is uniformly as bad as the above poster writes. Additional thoughts?