More Out West Road Trip…

This blog is moving! I’ve been hired to write a travel column exploring the Western US for Examiner.com. For more articles like the ones on this blog check it out HERE. Thanks for stopping by!

 

Grand Canyon by Train

The Grand Canyon is a place everyone should visit at least once to really appreciate the beauty and wonder that is Planet Earth. There are several visitor points of interest, but the most famous is the South Rim, with several hotels, restaurants, gift shops, and activity centers, not to mention gorgeous views and famous trails. You can drive in for $25 per private vehicle or if you enter by bus, foot, motorcycle, bike, etc., it’s $12 per person.

An alternative, relaxing, albeit longer, trip to the Grand Canyon is via train from Williams, Arizona… on the Grand Canyon Railway. My family (a two year old, a 10 month old, a nine month old, four adults, and two grandparents) just went on our second trip on this train this week. We previously went three years ago without children.

"Train Robbery" aboard the GC Railway

Grand Canyon Railway is an easy and relaxing way to cross Northern Arizona’s high desert without worrying about traffic or waiting in long lines to enter the park. It’s a little long for the kiddos at 2.25 hours each way, plus four hours free time in the park, but decent for adults, though the train ride back seems to take forever but does include a cheesy-but for for kids old-west “train robbery.”

Pullman Coach car

This trip we rode coach, at $65 per adult (13+) and $35 for kids (2-12). Children under 2 ride free on the lap of an adult. My dad made the reservations only a week before the trip so the only car available was the Pullman Coach. This has no air conditioning but includes as many sodas and glasses of water as you can drink. From there, you can get up and walk around and visit the air conditioned gift shop and snack bar. You can only stay 15 minutes at the tables in the snack car with a food purchase.

The ride out in the morning is decent, even in July. A little warm, but cool breezes blow through the cabins’ old-timey wooden windows. The seats themselves are uncomfortable. You can feel the old springs through the thin velvet cushins. They are also really crammed, especially for tall people. My husband, who is 6′4″ and dad who is 6′2″ were both crammed beyond belief in the seats. I am 5′5″ and thought the leg room was undesirable but okay.

On the ride back, the un-air conditioned cars are really too hot. I was sweating profusely and very uncomfortable. I was glad I had brought my MistyMate personal mister. (These are really a must for anywhere in Arizona in the summer. Click HERE for more on them). It made the ride better, but it was really miserable, though none of our children really complained. They were so tired, they all took naps. Really, these un-air conditioned cars should not be used under any circumstances on summer afternoons. I’m surprised no one passed out from heat exhaustion.

I would not recommend riding Pullman coach when it’s hot. If however, you planned on staying in the Canyon or a hotel at the Rim and could arrange it so that you only traveled in the morning or evening, then the un-air conditioned cars would be satisfactory.

The next class up is the Budd Coach, which has air conditioning and only costs $5 more per person. They book up further in advance, but if you’re on a budget you’re not going to want to pay double the price for first class ($130 for adults, $100 for children). So it’s well worth your time to book as far in advance as possible so you can get an air-conditioned seat. Now if you have a little extra money, the first-class does come with some other upgrades in addition to air conditioning, including: reclining seats, larger windows for a better view, a light breakfast on the way to the Canyon and snacks and a champagne toast on the way back.

If money is no object and you’re not traveling with children under 12, you should opt for either the Observation Dome or Luxury Parlor Class cars. The Observation Dome ($160) offers panoramic views. The Parlor cars ($170) have comfortable couch-like chairs plus access to an open-air rear platform. Both include all the amenities that the first class offers. Children under 12 are not allowed in either of these luxury cars.

The Grand Canyon Railway also offers packages including hotel either in Williams or the Grand Canyon. For more info on these packages or the Grand Canyon Railway itself, click HERE.

For more to do and see at the Canyon itself, see my article on the South Rim HERE.

For my review of the Bright Angel Lodge Restaurant, visit OutWestFoodReview.com.

For more information on booking a hotel in the Canyon, getting to or from the Grand Canyon, or hiking at the Grand Canyon click HERE.

 

Grand Canyon to Hollywood

Hollywood, CA

There’s about 475 miles of road between Flagstaff, Arizona and Hollywood, California. But it’s an easy drive and if you plan it out just right you won’t hit too much traffic either.

This road trip agenda assumes that you visited the Grand Canyon and stayed in either Flagstaff or Williams, Arizona. They’re about 30 minutes apart on I-40. Under these assumptions, the Los Angeles area is about seven hours away, including a few stops for gas and bathroom breaks.

From Flagstaff or Williams it’s mostly a downhill drive along I-40 all the way to its ending point in Barstow, California. If you’re looking to stretch out your drive, you could take a detour up to the Grand Canyon Caverns. (Take the Route 66 exit near Seligman and go about 20 miles.)

If you drive straight, you’ll pass through Kingman, Arizona about two hours into the trip. I recommend stopping for gas at the Flying J at Exit 53. Their gas was (I kid you not) 26-cents cheaper per gallon that the neighboring gas stations and they have clean bathrooms.

If time is on your side and you won’t be back in this part of the country any time soon, take Exit 48 and drive up to see the Hoover Dam and Las Vegas. Both are well worth the time to see! Note that there are security check-points and a narrow road across the dam (at least until the new bridge is completed), so this detour will take longer than the miles reflect. Being this is a detour, I’ll just include links to the Hoover Dam HERE and Vegas HERE and move on down the road on our trip.)

There’s not much to look at along the highway until you get into California’s Mojave National Preserve. And even then, it’s just desert with very few places to stop. There are several abandoned “ghost” towns in this area. For info on those click HERE. One thing you that sticks out after crossing the border into California is the sub-par road signs. In other states the exits have signs saying which gas, food, and lodging options are at that exit. They don’t have these in California (at least on this route), so it’s a little harder to decide which exits to take. So pay close attention to billboards advertising places to stop.

I would avoid stopping after Kingman unless necessary until you get into Barstow and onto I-15. If you take the Lenwood exit from I-15 (about 3 miles after the merge), you’ll find another Flying J (which again has gas 20-30 cents cheaper then its competitors and clean restrooms) and several quickie restaurant chains with decent food. Of note, is one of California’s famous In-N-Out Burger fast food joints. They have burgers, fries, sodas, and shakes. That’s it. But they are famous for a reason: high quality and top customer service. There will be a line inside and in the drive-thru but it’s worth the wait. They’re cheap too!

Back on the road and over half way finished, you won’t need to stop again until you’re at your destination. There are several towns along the rest of the way if you need to though. You hop on the I-10 near Ontario and head west until you reach the 101. Then head north. Exit at Hollywood Avenue so you can drive past lots of landmarks.

If you just stopped twice for gas like we did and left early enough in the morning, you should arrive in the LA-area in about 6.5-7 hours. It’s only another half-hour or so more to the heart of Hollywood. It’s advisable to plan your trip to get into LA between 11am and 2pm, as the traffic is pretty good heading West at that time of day.

Outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre for The X-Files Premiere

For us, our road trip ended in Hollywood at the Hollywood Orchid Suites. This is a little-known gem of a hotel. It’s right in the heart of everything. Step out the front door and you are at Hollywood and Highland, the upscale shopping complex which is home to the Kodak Theater – famous from American Idol and the Academy Awards. Across the street is the El Capitan where Jimmy Kimmel films (to get free tickets to Kimmel’s show and others click HERE). Plus the Egyptian Theatre and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre are right there too. All of these places host movie premieres, so they are prime for star-watching too. I went to the X-Files premiere on our trip. It was the coolest thing ever, as I’m a big X-Files fan. (For more info on all these attractions and coupons click HERE.)

The good news, you can stay right in the heart of the action like we did at Hollywood Orchid Suites, which costs around $150 per night. Compare that to the Renaissance next door which goes for $330 per night and you have yourself a bargain. It’s not luxurious but it is safe, clean, and fantastic. Plus it has free underground secured parking, free wireless internet, a heated pool, and a roof deck for sunbathing.

About five miles away are the La Brea tar pits, Beverly Hills, and several museums. The nearest beach is twelve miles away in Santa Monica and well worth the drive. For more on Santa Monica, see my article HERE.