tuckerdc

Would like to know which hotel(s) would be most convenient to the Amtrak station. Scheduled arrival on the Southwest Chief is 8-ish pm....and we all know what 'scheduled' means in Amtrak-ese. So once we do arrive, a quick trip to our lodging will be a good thing. Thanks!

janisj

There are several hotels (maybe 5 or 6) near the station. Don't know your budget but the nicest one is probably the Residence Inn which is about a 5 minute walk from the station.

tomfuller

Sorry but the westbound SW Chief arrives in Flagstaff at 9:30 PM (often late). The eastbound SWC arrives sometime after 5AM. If you are westbound I suggest getting off in Albuquerque or maybe Gallup and spend the night there and then rent a car early the next morning to drive to your Arizona destination.

J62

Since AZ doesn't change the time with daylight savings time, most of the year the SW Chief is scheduled to arrive @ 8:30 (which i take to be 8ish... in the OP)

If the destination is Flagstaff or maybe the Grand Canyon, why in the world would it make sense to get off the train several hundred miles away in NM only to drive the next morning? I don't follow that logic.

J62

You can look on this site to see historical arrival times.

Southwest Chief Train Status

J62

actually, this one is better as it pulls up a date range
https://juckins.net/amtrak_status/ar...ml/history.php

For 2018, SW Chief has arrived:Average Ar delay: 1 hour and 7 minutes lateMedian Ar delay: 38 minutes late
with ~20% of the time the delay being > 2hrs

tomfuller

Yes if this trip is after Daylight Saving Time goes into effect in most of the rest of the country, train #3 is scheduled into Flagstaff at 8:32 PM Mountain Standard Time. I still would not count on it arriving before 9:15PM at any time of the year. In any case, you can drive from Albuquerque to Flagstaff faster than you can ride the train. There is some padding in the Amtrak schedule at ABQ. They fuel the train and clean the windows.
You would have time to go into the station for food other than train food. There are usually vendors on the platform selling turquoise jewelry and other stuff.
If you wanted to be closer to Flagstaff but still in New Mexico, check on renting a car in Gallup.
A quick Google search will show several non chain motels within walking distance or a short taxi ride from the Flagstaff station.

tuckerdc

Thanks all. And esp janisj for specific info, which is what I was hoping for - - basically, to know that there are some good lodging choices relatively handy to the station.

i'm pretty perplexed as to the whole Albuquerque/drive suggestion. A Google inquiry tells me it's a 4.5 hour drive. Don't get why that would be a recommended option, tho granted there are some worthwhile sights between the two. But we will be looking at flying for our return home, which likely will be out of Phoenix.

Again....thanks for responses.

tomfuller

If you can rent a car in Albuquerque about 4PM, you can be checked in to your Flagstaff hotel at least an hour before the westbound Chief arrives. In Winslow you can see a statue of Glen Frey "standing on the corner". Check the cost of flying home from PHX vs. Albuquerque.