Grand Canyon Adventure!

Now that my kiddos are older, I want to travel more. I grew up the daughter of a flight attendant, and traveling has always been a big part of my life. I studied abroad in college, have flown across the ocean many times, made two trips to Asia (South Korea and Taiwan), managed a tour for Jeep years ago across the South and just love anything and everything about getting out and exploring.

When my husband challenged me to find a Spring Break adventure for our family of five, I happily accepted. I wanted to find some place we had never been, some place that would get us outside, some place that would give us a fun adventure. A few google searches later, I discovered a trip to the Grand Canyon that seemed to check all of the boxes we needed it to: driveable, affordable, adventurous and fun!

Cheesing for the camera before boarding the train to the Grand Canyon.

Driving to the Grand Canyon from Arlington is actually quite easy. Hop on 287 all the way to Amarillo (about 5 hours away), then take 40 straight west. This drive will take you through Albuquerque and clear across the state of New Mexico into Arizona. We stayed our first night in Amarillo, then bee-lined for Williams, AZ, on day two, stopping for lunch in Albuquerque. The second day's drive took us about 9 hours, for a total of 14 hours drive time from Arlington to Williams, AZ. We drove almost exactly 1,000 miles from our front door to Williams.

Williams, Arizona, is a quaint two-stoplight town that is rumored to be the inspiration behind the Disney movie Cars. It is about 60 miles from the Grand Canyon and a great stop for tourists. We actually discovered this city (as many do) because of the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, a hotel that caters to folks wanting to see the Grand Canyon. (www.thetrain.com).

Ice Cream at the Fred Harvey Restaurant.

Our package included dinner our first night at the on-site Fred Harvey Restaurant, a buffet-style diner with food to delight kids and husbands alike! The girls filled their bellies, shopped at the adjacent gift shop, and then put on their bathing suits to enjoy the saltwater pool. Families from all over came to enjoy Spring Break at the Grand Canyon, and my girls loved chatting with a few kids that drove in from California and others from Colorado.

Sunday morning we got up and enjoyed breakfast at the Fred Harvey Restaurant, which was also included in our package. We prepared our suitcases for transport to the GC park and then headed over to the Wild West show at 9 am, a fun show with cowboys and horses meant to entertain guests and give them a taste of life out west in yesteryear. After the show, it was time to board the train!

Smiling with a cowboy from the Wild West show.

The train ride itself took about two hours to make the 60-mile trek to the Grand Canyon National Park. We were seated in coach class and had a guide who talked to us about the Arizona landscape, what to expect at the GC and more. Free water was provided in each train car, and passengers are able to move between cars. The favorite part for my girls was being able to walk to the dining car and buy food that was, as you can imagine, marked up quite a bit. What is it about overpriced M and Ms that makes them so enjoyable?!

Girls on the train.

Once we arrived at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, we hopped off the train and immediately onto a tour bus and embarked on the Freedom Tour. Our bus driver was great and gave us a lot of information about how the Canyon was formed. Honestly, I loved the information he provided. I didn't realize we were standing more than 7,000 feet above sea level, and that the Grand Canyon was one mile to one and one quarter mile deep. As much as we were able to see of the Grand Canyon during our hour-long tour, we actually were staring at about 1/3 of the Canyon itself! (Want to go out on that crazy glass bridge thing? I mean, I don't. But, if you do, it is actually a four hour drive from the Grand Canyon National Park. Yep. Four. Hours.)

Happy girls at the Grand Canyon!

After the Freedom Tour, which my kids loved because it meant less walking for them and less time in the windy and chilly Arizona-in-March weather, we headed over to the Blue Angel Lodge, complete with a gift shop and deli. We grabbed some snacks and then wandered over to the Maswik Lodge, where we would be spending the night. We checked into our room, explored a bit more, and then headed over to the Maswik Lodge Cafeteria for food to please everyone. (The El Tovar Restaurant came highly recommended by our train guide, but it was a sit-down restaurant and rather pricey, so we opted for the food court instead).

After wandering up toward the El Tovar during twilight, we enjoyed the calmness of the canyon at sunset. It was gorgeous! There are no swimming pools inside the park, so we called it an early night.

The view from outside the El Tovar Hotel around 6 pm.

Monday we got up and had breakfast and then decided to tour around the South Rim. We took a free shuttle (there are stops and shuttles all over the park) to the visitor's center and watched a movie about the Grand Canyon, then proceeded to walk the trails from there. The weather was gorgeous, and we amassed more than 15,000 steps on the trails! We ended at the Canyon Village Market & Deli for light bites and souvenirs. At 3:15, we boarded our train back to Williams.

Taking a break during our Grand Canyon hike!

The train ride back down to Williams was fun and enjoyable. Toward the end, some "bandits" hopped on board the train and stole high fives from the passengers. My kids loved that- but it was a bit scary for younger kids. There were also musicians on both train rides- cowboys that sang with guitars and harmonicas for entertainment. The train ride was so fun! (I would love to go back in December, when it makes a magical transformation into the Polar Express!)

Ready to board the train back to Williams!

Our entire Grand Canyon adventure was about 48 hours start-to-finish. While my husband and I would love to go back and actually go camping within the canyon, this two-day excursion is just the right length with kids. It encourages them to learn and get active and keep off the iPads. I can't emphasis enough how much we loved the train ride up and back from the Grand Canyon. If you want to go to the GC with kids, the train is a must!

My tips for a great trip:

1. Pack food. All the food. Serious mom brain on this one. We paid SO much more than we should have because I wasn't prepared. Food is way more expensive inside the park, so pack all the snacks. There is free water throughout the park, so pack a water bottle.

2. Plan to unplug. Cell service is spotty at best while you are inside the park. Hotels do offer free Wifi to guests, but it, too, is fine at best. Plan to be mostly disconnected on your adventure.

3. Skip the stroller. The pathways are not meant for strollers. If you are bringing little ones, plan to put them in a carrier. However, I honestly think this experience is best for the 5 and up set. My youngest, 6, was not loving all the walking on day two. Even my oldest, 10, at some point said "but we've already seen the Grand Canyon and I'm tired of walking." The Park does offer a Junior Ranger activity set to engage the kiddos, which is nice, but there are no play areas or strictly-for-littles activity areas within the South Rim.

4. Pick the vacay that is right for you. The vacation package we booked had two options- and out and back to the GC in one day and the overnight in the park option we selected. We loved having two days at the park to walk and explore. BUT, if seeing the Grand Canyon is something that is more of a "check it off the bucket list" item for you, the out and back in one day option may suit you. It saves you quite a bit of money, and, if you are bringing littles, it will be a lot more enjoyable for them!

5. Make it an adventure! We highly, highly recommend at stop at Bearizona while you are in Williams. This drive-through wildlife park allowed us to see bears and wolves up close. It was seriously cool! A stop on the main street in Williams is a must- it feels like a step back in time. You can easily to the trip as we did- Arlington-Amarillo-Williams, but you could also do it as Arlington-Albuquerque-Williams and plan a few stops in NM. Flagstaff is only a short drive east from Williams and offers lots of fun for kids, and Sedona isn't far, either. Stop at the Petrified National Forest if you can- its breathtaking!

6. If you have a fourth grader, don't forget your free National Parks Pass! There is an admission fee to the Grand Canyon if you don't have one. everykidoutdoors.gov

Say cheese!

What did I miss?!