Because of recent improvements in service the Grand Canyon of Arizona
may now be visited, either in summer or winter, with reasonable comfort
and without any hardship. No one need be deterred by fear of inclement
weather or a tedious stage ride. The trip is entirely feasible for the
average traveler every day in the year.
Leaving the Santa Fe transcontinental train at Williams, Arizona,
passengers change in same depot to a local train of the Grand Canyon
Railway, which leaves Williams daily, and arrives at destination after a
three hours’ run.
Williams is a busy town of 1,500 inhabitants, 378 miles west of
Albuquerque, on the Santa Fe. Here are located large sawmills, smelters,
numerous well-stocked stores, and railroad division buildings. Prior to
the disastrous fire in July, 1901, there were several excellent hotels.
The one not destroyed affords good accommodations; it has been recently
enlarged and otherwise improved.
There is usually ample time at Williams, between trains, for the ascent
of Bill Williams Mountain, which rises near the town to a height of
9,000 feet. Tourists will find the trip thoroughly enjoyable. It can be
made in five hours on horseback in perfect safety. The trail is an easy
one, first leading through a gently sloping path of pines, then steeply
up to the wind-swept summit alongside a pretty stream bordered by
thickets of quaking aspens. Chimney Rock, with its eagle’s nest, is a
noteworthy rock formation. On the summit is buried the historic pioneer
scout, Bill Williams. From his resting-place there is a wide outlook,
embracing, on clear days, the wall of the Grand Canyon, Verde River,
Chino Valley, Jerome, Hell Canyon, Seligman, Ash Fork, and many
neighboring peaks.
The railroad track to the canyon is remarkably smooth for a new line. It
is built across a slightly rolling mesa, in places thickly wooded, in
others open. The snow-covered San Francisco Peaks are on the eastern
horizon. Kendricks, Sitgreaves, and Williams mountains are also visible.
Red Butte, thirty miles distant, is a prominent local landmark. Before
the terminus is reached the train climbs a long, high ridge and enters
Coconino Forest, which resembles a natural park. The route here is amid
fragrant pines, over low hills, and along occasional gulches and
“washes.” Taken under the favorable conditions which generally prevail
at this high altitude, the journey is a novelty and a delight.