Grand Canyon National Park Travel Forum

We are planing around Oct 16, 06 or so on flying into phoenix, from philly ( 5.5 hours )and would like to do some site seeing on the way to Williams. trying to plan for weekdays for train and GC stay to avoid weekend @ GC.
* flying into PHX to use airmiles, phx has more mile avalable then flagstraff.

1 can we rent a car in phoenix and drop it off in Williams near the train station. then rent agin for return trip ? if not park it @ train or train hotel. or open to suggestions
2 if we have a couple days to see the sites, maybe one full day before train, and 2 days after train,(weekend) what should we go see.. no long hikes, we are mid 50's and I have heart & blood presure problems.
3 is taking the train a good way to see the GC? will be staying over 1 nite at the railroad hotel, would 2 nites be better. Want to see GC but also want to relax a little too. want to see sunrise and sunset too and take shuttles to other stuff in GC. need best places to see rise and set, and where to go on shuttle
4 place to stay near PHX airport, mostly likey landing in phx 8 to 9 pm, hotel with shuttle from airport and near rental car place off site of airport to save to airport car rental surcharges. may return car to airport on return trip around 2 pm

We just got back from the GC. We spent two nights at the Yavaipi Lodge on the south rim. We drove in from Williams and saw the train at both Williams and at GC. We were to drive around to the north rim, but there was a fire and they had closed the roads going to the north rim lodge.

I have not been there, but my son was just in Sedona AZ and loved it. I would plan to spend some time there. I would try to park the car. To drop it and pick one up again would cost you more since that is considered a one way rental each way.

However, you might want to check with the company as some spots they do not charge that much for a one way drop. I know in Hawaii they don't charge any thing extra to pick up on one side of the island and leave on the other side. Also keep in mind the rental car places go on a 24 hour rental. Usually when you go over 2-3 hours past the 24 hour mark it cost the same to just keep the car the full 24 hours.

The GC has a very good free shuttle service that takes you along the rim. There is a red, blue, and green line. The red line leaves from near the train station and takes you along the rim on a road that is now closed to vehicle traffic. There are several stops along the route where you can get off and on.

I would suggest you take the shuttle from the train station stop up to the end (Hermit Point) then walk back toward the hotel. If you get tired you can wait for the shuttle to pick you up and ride back to the hotel. Make sure you check the map as some shuttles don't stop at all stops. You might find yourself getting on and going back to the place you just came from. Not that big of a deal you just stay on until it turns around and comes back in the direction you want to go.

The blue line also leaves from the hotels but goes in the other direction not much to see going that way but that is the only way to catch the green line which takes you down to Mather Point. Same deal going in that direction, you can walk it and if you get tired just wait at the shuttle stop and ride back to the hotel near the train station.

Keep in mind these are not tour bus trips these are shuttle to get you from one point to the next. However, you can book bus tours that will take you around the area. In fact there is a tour that will take you all the way to the north rim (five hours).

Williams is some distance from the GC and from what I could see there really isn't much in Williams worth spending a lot of time there.

We had a great breakfast at the Bright Angel Lodge if you get a chance to eat there.

I opened this thread intending to say pretty much what Jim said! We stayed in Williams in late April after a day at the Park. I thought the train looked like a fun way to go. I think 2 nights in Williams would be good since you'll spend the whole day in the Park. The train station seems to be right at Bright Angel Lodge (we had lunch there). You can catch the green line that goes out to Hermet's Point. Stop at several of the stops to enjoy the views. If you're up to it, you might walk along the rim trail from one stop to the next. Ask the driver which stops might be best for that.

In Williams we really enjoyed the Mexican restaurant that is kitty corner from the Train Station. Enjoy!

I meant to add... take it easy. You'll be at a significant elevation which might affect you. Drink LOTS of water, take it slow, use sunscreen.

some how I my post ended up as a new question when I just wanta to provide more info.. and i do not know how to delete the extra post

We are planing around Oct 16, 06 or so on flying into phoenix, from philly ( 5.5 hours )and would like to do some site seeing on the way to Williams. trying to plan for weekdays for train and GC stay to avoid weekend @ GC.
* flying into PHX to use airmiles, phx has more mile avalable then flagstraff.

1 can we rent a car in phoenix and drop it off in Williams near the train station. then rent agin for return trip ? if not park it @ train or train hotel. or open to suggestions
2 if we have a couple days to see the sites, maybe one full day before train, and 2 days after train,(weekend) what should we go see.. no long hikes, we are mid 50's and I have heart & blood presure problems.
3 is taking the train a good way to see the GC? will be staying over 1 nite at the railroad hotel, would 2 nites be better. Want to see GC but also want to relax a little too. want to see sunrise and sunset too and take shuttles to other stuff in GC. need best places to see rise and set, and where to go on shuttle
4 place to stay near PHX airport, mostly likey landing in phx 8 to 9 pm, hotel with shuttle from airport and near rental car place off site of airport to save to airport car rental surcharges. may return car to airport on return trip around 2 pm
thanks BobG