Day 1

The Grand Canyon Railway & Hotel, having opened its doors in 1995, was built to resemble the Fray Marcos Hotel, the original lodging for passengers of the railway leading from Williams to the Grand Canyon. The hotel itself was impressive, having gone through recent renovations that make the place feel as though it were newly built, while maintaining the historic flare of the yesteryears of the Wild West. The lobby, inhabited by friendly front desk attendants, features cozy leather chairs situated around a hearth and a crackling fire, with wood paneling framing the space.

Our first adventure brought us to Bearizona Wildlife Park, where I found myself closer (and feeling more vulnerable) to wolves and bears than I ever had in my life. Of course, we all sat in a lifted bus as it drove through the grounds, completely safe from the animals who couldn’t have cared less about us anyway. But, getting up close and personal with these great forest predators without fences or bars between us was quite a rush. Seven years running, the wildlife park spans approximately 160 acres of ponderosa pine forest where visitors can ride on a guided bus tour through the grounds, or walk through Fort Bearizona, a 20-acre area with animal enclosures. Our green bus hobbled past tundra wolves, black bears, rocky mountain goats and brown bison that can run up to 40 mph and jump six feet high. Suffice to say, we didn’t see any bison perform these Olympic feats, but we did catch plenty of bears having their midday snack. It’s funny how these animals can go from petrifyingly scary to something I want to smother in cuddles based on the possibility of imminent danger.

Following our forest safari, we explored the quaint and historically vibrant town of Williams, which Brossman aptly described as “a classic Route 66 town—sophisticated while still being ‘Wild-Westy’.” Most notable was the Grand Canyon Brewery, the third largest brewery by volume in the state, offering beers called “Dire Wolf,” “Grand Canyon Wheat,” “Nutella” and more.