all aboard the Grand Canyon Railway!
'I Took A Train To The Grand Canyon. It Took Twice As Long, But It Was Worth It'
By the time Business Insider's Monica Humphries reached Williams, Arizona, her hands felt permanently wrapped around her van's steering wheel, her back ached, making her feel decades older than she actually is, and her legs cramped from being in the same position for hours.
It was only day four of her 13-day road trip. Humphries had already covered 800 miles and spent far too long in the Ram ProMaster van she was traveling in.
Simply put, she was done driving.
That's exactly why she was in Williams in the first place. The small Arizona town is home to the Grand Canyon Railway.
[The train parked at its station in Grand Canyon National Park. Monica Humphries/Business Insider]
While Humphries has explored nearly a dozen national parks, she's never arrived via train. So when she discovered there was a train that takes visitors to Grand Canyon National Park, she was intrigued.
A few days before arriving in Arizona, she bought her ticket for about $80.
[The author's train ticket. Monica Humphries/Business Insider]
The Grand Canyon Railway has six different class options. The bottom-tier class is the Pullman class, where round-trip tickets cost $70. The highest tiers are the luxury parlor and luxury dome, where tickets cost $240. These prices do not include a $35 park entry fee.
[A view of the train's coach class. Monica Humphries/Business Insider]
The ride is 65 miles and travels through a range of landscapes. Along the ride, Humphries learned about the Indigenous peoples who call the region home, and the train attendant dove into the railway's history.
[A view from the train's window. Monica Humphries/Business Insider]
Someone from Humphries' train car spotted a bald eagle within the first 10 minutes of the journey. Throughout the rest of the trip, passengers also saw cattle, horses, and pronghorns.
[The train's snack car. Monica Humphries/Business Insider]
About an hour into the ride, Humphries headed to the train café, which sold chips, candy, sodas, beer, and other snacks. She grabbed some pretzels and peanut M&M's for the rest of the ride.
[A view of the Grand Canyon. Monica Humphries/Business Insider]
Little did Humphries know that you don't see any part of the Grand Canyon from the train. Instead, after disembarking, the canyon is a short walk away.
She had more than three hours to explore the national park. Initially, she feared it wouldn't be nearly enough time.
But the afternoon was an ideal amount of time to get a first look at the Grand Canyon's South Rim.
To see more photos of the Grand Canyon and its railway, head to Business Insider.