Travel
scripted show, but the costumed
actors were surprisingly good and
the banter was honestly fun. The
audience fell into the moment.
Afterward, follow the crowd to
the diesel-powered train as the
conductor barks out, “All-aboard!”
First-class tickets provide entry
to the “luxury” cars with period
furnishings, an attendant to serve
food and drinks and no babies or
small children. Guests must be
16 years and up for this class of
service. Sip your second round of
coffee or juice and munch on
pastries, as you ride through pine
forests and wide open prairies.
Travelers choose between six distinct
classes of service, but the luxury
dome car with full length dome
windows is the way to go. During
the two and half hour ride, musicians
stroll between cars playing banjo and
western tunes. You can also venture
from car to car and stand on the rear
platform to capture some round-thebend train pics.
Before this railroad opened for
business in 1901, visitors rode a
four-horse-team stagecoach. Tickets
cost $20 for that arduous bumpy
ride, compared to $3.95 for the
new-fangled choo-choo. No wonder
steam powered trains became the
desired choice of public transport.
However, as automobiles grew in
popularity, rail travel slowly
dwindled. In 1968, the tracks went
quiet and lay dormant for twenty
more years. Then, in 1989, the line
was renovated, providing children
and adults an opportunity to savor
a most romantic mode of travel.
El Tovar Lodge
The Bright Angel History Room in
the Bright Angel Lodge displays the
uniforms of the Harvey Girls, the
famed hostesses of the Fred Harvey
Company that managed so many of
the train restaurants and hotels. You
can also learn about Mary Colter, the
famed architect, and see her famed
geologic fireplace.
The sojourn ends in front of the
log-framed Grand Canyon Depot.
In 1905, the Santa Fe Railway built
the El Tovar Hotel just up the hill
and turned management over to
the Fred Harvey Company. El Tovar
reigned as one of the most luxurious
hotels of its day, featuring hot and
cold running water, electric lights,
art galleries and plush dining rooms.
The original dark timbered structure
still beckons. Enter the dim lobby
festooned with moose, deer and
buffalo heads, plus large paintings
of the Canyon, and feel the past.
If you are lucky enough to be
staying there or next door at
the Thunderbird or Kachina Lodges,
you will pick up your key.
Don’t miss the Kolb Brothers Studio,
now on the National Register of
Historic Places. The Kolb brothers
were early canyon photographers
who produced a movie of a boat trip
they made down the Colorado River
in 1911-12. They ran the film daily
for 75 years. You can watch their
adventurous exploit with dramatic
and sometimes humorous footage.
The brothers also took photos of
the mule riders, as they descended
in the Canyon. These clever men
were quick to develop and sell them
to visitors on their way back out.
I stayed in the Kachina Lodge, built
with a plain modern exterior, but
the rooms inside are totally up to
date and the view can’t be topped.
Be sure to reserve a room on the
Canyon-side so you can look out
from dawn till dusk. Being in the
Village means you can walk to El
Tovar for classic dining or to the
excellent Arizona Room at the Bright
Angel Lodge. You might try the
Canyon Coffee House the next
morning, but again I suggest El
Tovar. Best southwestern breakfast
I have ever been served.
Mary Colter designed the 70-foot
tall Watchtower at Desert View,
which you can climb for even more
astounding vistas. The interior
depicts historic Puebloan symbols
and legends with petroglyphs,
pictographs, and artifacts. Nearby
Lipan Point also offers from spacious
views into the abyss.
South Rim Shopping
Things to do
The Hopi House sells Native American
handicrafts making it the choice for
authentic gifts or souvenirs. Mary
Colter also designed the building
along with Lookout Studio. Walk
there to enjoy views from multi-level
porches and see their selection of
geological gifts. All the lodges sell
typical gift shop items.
Allow plenty of time to stroll along
the the walkways on the rim, shoot
photos and selfies and marvel at the
panorama. One can never get enough
of this spectacle. The striated colors
gleam in daylight. They change by
the hour and position of the sun
and clouds.
Lookout Point
TOP
El Tovar Lobby
ABOVE MIDDLE
Afternoon View from Kachina
Lodge Room
Shuttle Buses
Free shuttle buses take tourists to
the main Visitor Center, where they
can watch the National Geographic
IMAX movie on the Canyon’s history.
Other shuttles run to vantage points
like Hermit’s Rest and Yaki Point.
Tour buses for ticketed guests take
them on short outings or day trips
within the park.
Hiking
Hiking in the Canyon is the opposite
of most treks - you descend first and
must remember that the climb back
becomes more difficult. South Rim
elevation is 7,000 feet and the
average depth of the Canyon is
one mile. You can’t appreciate the
Canyon’s size until you descend into it.
Hiking rim to rim has been the
classic claim to fame but requires
physical fitness and advance
preparation. For those not up
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