Grand Canyon Railway

7 min read Updated November 2026 Compare all tours

The Grand Canyon Railway runs once a day from Williams, a town on Interstate 40 about an hour’s drive south of the park, to the historic depot in Grand Canyon Village. The 65 miles take 2 hours 15 minutes in each direction. In 2025 the National Park Service counted 173,423 boardings on northbound trains, and notes that the trains arrive daily at the South Rim’s historic depot.

The timetable

From January to October the train leaves Williams at 9.30 am, arrives at the canyon at 11.45 am, departs again at 3.30 pm and is back in Williams at 5.45 pm. From 1 November to 31 December, except 25 December, everything runs one hour earlier. All times are Arizona time, which stays on Mountain Standard Time all year. The railway advertises more than three hours at the canyon.

Before departure, the Cataract Creek Gang and the Marshal square off in a Wild West show at the Williams depot, and musicians and Old West characters turn up again on the train.

Carriages and seats

The railway runs six classes. Pullman class has bench seats and windows that open. Coach class has bench seating under big windows and air conditioning in the warmer months. First class adds larger seats and snacks and soft drinks, and has a bar. Above that come the Observation Dome, with no children under two, and the Luxury Dome and Luxury Parlor, both for guests aged 16 and over; the Parlor has an open platform at the rear. A café car is open to all passengers, and you may not bring your own alcohol. Adults are counted from 16, children from 2 to 15, and under-twos ride free in Pullman, Coach and First.

The tickets on this page are for coach and first class. Coach and first-class cars are wheelchair accessible, with ADA-compliant restrooms and power lifts at both depots; most wheelchairs, power chairs and scooters fit on board. Large bags and luggage are not allowed, assistance dogs are.

What reviewers say about the ride

The train is a way of getting to the canyon, not a scenic line along it. The track runs almost due north across flat country and ends at the Village. A reviewer who had taken a more scenic train ride elsewhere found this one flat and boring, and another had nothing to look at for the 4 1/2 hours on board and found three hours at the canyon too short. A German guest pointed out that the train was hauled by a diesel, not a steam locomotive; the railway lists steam runs separately and notes they can be cancelled.

Others enjoyed exactly that slower pace. One reviewer stayed in Williams the night before and liked chatting with other passengers while her husband, for once, did not have to drive. Car hosts and the cowboys get much of the praise. The criticism also covers first class: one guest found the carriage busy with people walking through to the café, and another paid for a vista-view seat, did not get it and rode backwards.

Train with a bus tour at the rim

If you want to see more viewpoints without a car, the railway also sells the return trip with a guided bus tour of about 90 minutes on the South Rim, in coach or first class and with or without lunch. A reviewer liked that it covered each of the main overlooks; another found it good for avoiding the crowds.

This ticket does not include the park entrance fee. The listing asks you to add a fee per booking at checkout, or to pay on site; guests with a valid park pass can show it at check-in instead.

Train tours from Sedona and Flagstaff

Several operators in Sedona and Flagstaff pick you up at your hotel, put you on the train in Williams and meet you again in Grand Canyon Village. You ride north one way, have lunch on your own in the Village and then continue by van, usually east along the rim past Grandview Point and the Desert View Watchtower, and back via the Little Colorado River Gorge and Cameron Trading Post on the Navajo Nation. Arizona Tour & Travel offers standard and first-class seats; its tours from Sedona take about 11 hours, those from Flagstaff 9 to 10.

Arizona law requires children aged eight and under to ride in a car seat or booster, and these operators ask you to bring your own. A reviewer of one train tour lost three hours when the train broke down, which left the van part rushed. Ma Pa Tours runs a similar day with at least four guests; its booking terms allow no refund on cancellation.

The nonresident fee and the train

Each non-US resident aged 16 and older who visits Grand Canyon National Park pays a $100 nonresident fee on top of the entrance fee, and the National Park Service applies it to commercial tours as well. Children aged 15 and under pay neither. According to the railway’s reservation guidelines, it collects the fee on behalf of the National Park Service on train bookings, but not on the Polar Express. The listing for the return ticket on this page says non-US residents pay the fee on site, or show the $250 non-resident annual pass, which covers the holder and up to three more adults. On the van tours from Sedona and Flagstaff, you contact the tour company before the tour date and give a credit card for the fee; bring photo ID to prove where you live. Our page on entrance fees and passes sets out the rules.

Before you go

As of November 2026, water restrictions after the flash flood of 29 August 2026 limit services in Grand Canyon Village: overnight stays in the park are suspended, many restaurants are closed or have shorter hours, and the National Park Service asks visitors to bring their own water where possible. One train guest in October 2026 complained that there were no restrooms in the park. Check the NPS alerts and current conditions before your trip. Our page on Grand Canyon Village covers what is near the depot.

The Polar Express that leaves Williams on select evenings from early November to late December is a separate ride of about 90 minutes and does not go to the canyon.