Grand Canyon Railway

The Grand Canyon Railway is a heritage railroad, privately owned and run by Xanterra Travel Collection, that carries passengers about 65 miles between the Williams Depot and the Grand Canyon Depot in Grand Canyon Village. It runs on the line the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway completed in 1901, and the whole railway is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The first scheduled passenger train reached the South Rim from Williams on September 17, 1901; the fare was $3.95. The railway helped shape Grand Canyon Village, where the Santa Fe built a hotel on the rim that opened in 1905, and the log depot that trains still use. Cars eventually won. The last regular passenger train ran in July 1968 with three passengers aboard. After several failed revival attempts, private owners bought the line in 1988, restored the depots and track, and ran the first train again on September 17, 1989, 88 years to the day after the original. Xanterra Travel Collection took ownership in 2007, according to the railway's own history.

The trip takes 2 hours and 15 minutes each way. The train climbs from the ponderosa pine around Williams, at about 7,000 feet, drops onto open grassland and pinyon-juniper country, then climbs back into forest near the park. The railway notes that elk, mule deer and pronghorn are often seen along the way.

The railway's schedule gives a daily round trip. From January 1 to October 31 the train leaves Williams at 9:30 am, arrives at the canyon at 11:45 am, leaves again at 3:30 pm and is back in Williams at 5:45 pm. From November 1 to December 31, except December 25, everything runs an hour earlier: 8:30 am out, 10:45 am arrival, 2:30 pm departure and 4:45 pm return. That gives about three hours at the rim, enough for the village, the Rim Trail and a viewpoint or two. A second train is added on some busy dates, and a steam locomotive runs on selected days; the railway warns steam trips can be cancelled at short notice. Before the morning departure, a staged Old West shootout plays at the Williams Depot. From early November to late December the railway also runs its Polar Express holiday trains.

As of November 2026, NPS still lists the railway among South Rim services. Overnight lodging inside the park has been suspended since August 31, so a day trip on the train, returning to Williams, fits the current situation. Check fares and any park-entry charges with the railway when you book.