Does any one know of a guided tour that takes you from Williams to the Grand Canyon South Rim. We heard some negative things about the train, and thought that there might be something different to do. I will be traveling with two kids ages 11 and 14.

Question: What negative things have you heard? I took that train 3-4 years ago and enjoyed it. It's not as scenic a route getting to the canyon as many other excursion trains but that's not the train's fault and you'll have the same scenery by train, bus, or car.

You take the train for the train experience. It is historic because that was the way people visited the GC before the car and decent roads for cars.

Riding the train, you get only 3 hours at the Canyon. If you want more, I would suggest you drive in. If you cannot stay in the park because it is booked, stay right outside. I recommend staying over because the sunsets and (if you are an early riser) the sunrises are incredible.

We had a great time when we took the train up to the Grand Canyon. We went during December so there was lots of snow up at the Rim. The "entertainment" on the train was rather hokey, but out children (much younger than yours) really enjoyed it. One thing I might add: we paid (lots!) extra to ride in First Class. The seats were really comfy and they had wonderful snacks both going up and coming down. If you want to ride in Coach, the Entertainment Book for the Phoenix area has a %50 off coupon. We felt that 3 hours at the Grand Canyon was long enough. Unless you stay the night, you'll be in for a really long day. (I guess I'm assuming you'll be coming from the Phoenix area.)

There are several tours from Williams with overnight options:

http://www.thetrain.com/tour.cfm#tours_sub_packages

I did not take them. I was there with Cosmos, and saw the train coming - right to the rim.

mkat--if you don't want to take the train, I believe there's a Grand Canyon day group tour guide called Marvelous Marv that starts from Williams. The website is www.marvelousmarv.com. I actually used a different outfit that started out from Sedona, but I've read good reviews about Marvelous Marv.