From Alice, Owner of Travel Junction
I recently went to Phoenix and then on to the Grand Canyon. What a wonderful experience! We stopped in Sedona and had a pink jeep Tour adventure. The tour was off road adventure. The jeep will take you over the rocks of the canyon lands and you will see many rock formations. What a wonderful place to get married. There are 2 trolly tours that take you around the area to see the sites.
We took the Grand Canyon Railway to the South Rim and spent the night at Maswik Lodge. The property is rustic but the accommodations were like staying at a Holiday Inn. The food was good. There is probably about 5 hotels located at the southern rim. The sunset and sunrises were gorgeous. There was several restaurants where you could eat.
The Grand Canyon had many marked trails to hike and you could even hike to the Phantom Ranch but it would take about 3 hours hard hiking. You can do a mule ride to the Phantom Ranch and spend the night but you have to book about 18 months in advance. The mules are stubborn and like to look over the canyon. I think you need to be young at heart to experience the mule ride.
Before going to the Grand Canyon, we stayed at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel for a night. Nice hotel and an indoor pool. The food was adequate and I was told there are several B&B in Williams. There is shopping to be done but the best part is a local diner with wonderful pies. A must to do. Also route 66 goes through Williams. On the train I would reccommend First class seating. Comfortable seats and refreshments.
When you get to the south Rim in the Grand Canyon, there is a motorcoach Rim Tour for 30.00. Do not take it. You can take the free bus and they make the same stops. Only do the rim tour if you are going back to Williams the same day. I suggest staying one or two nights at the south rim if you want to enjoy the Grand Canyon. To see the north rim you must drive about 3 hours and limited lodging available.
I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Arizona!
