Williams is a small Route 66 town 34 miles west of Flagstaff and the place the Grand Canyon Railway leaves from. The train, the Polar Express and Bearizona are the reasons to go, and the hotels near the depot make an early start easy.
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What to doRoute 66, Williams · Photo: Eric Wincentsen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Credits
The train to the South Rim leaves the depot every morning: 9:30 am from January to October, 8:30 am in November and December.
Schedule and classes
Evening Christmas trains at 5:30 and 7:30 pm, November 6, 2026, to January 3, 2027.
Dates and prices
A drive-through wildlife park, open every day from 9 am. Adults from $30.
Bearizona guide
Historic Route 66 runs straight through downtown Williams, lined with old storefronts and motels.
Hotels on Route 66Besides the train and Bearizona, Williams has a mountain coaster, a deer farm and Route 66 history, and the Kaibab National Forest starts at the edge of town.
Christmas is big in Williams: the Polar Express runs most evenings from early November, and the town lights its tree with a parade at the end of November.
A Forest Service campground just outside Williams, open from May to October, with single, double and group sites. America the Beautiful passes count for camping, not for the day-use fee.
Photo: ExpediaBest for the trainDowntown Williams 9.2/10 on Expedia
Free parkingNo petsBreakfast extra
Next to the depot, with an arcade, a playground and an indoor pool for the kids, and no resort fee.
The Historic Grand Canyon HotelDowntown Williams 9.6/10 on Expedia · 655 reviewsFree parkingNo petsBreakfast includedCheck prices
The Ellsworth Hotel, an Ascend Collection HotelDowntown Williams 9.4/10 on Expedia · 526 reviewsFree parkingNo petsBreakfast extraCheck prices
Best Western Plus Inn Of WilliamsWilliams, edge of town 9.6/10 on Expedia · 1,038 reviewsPets: dogs and cats, up to 2Breakfast includedCheck pricesAbout 34 miles west on I-40, roughly 40 minutes by car without traffic.
The Grand Canyon Railway and its Polar Express, Bearizona, and Historic Route 66 through downtown.
Bearizona, the Canyon Coaster mountain coaster, the Grand Canyon Deer Farm, the Route 66 Museum, golf at Elephant Rocks, and hiking or fishing in the Kaibab National Forest.
About 6,780 feet at the visitor center, a little lower than Flagstaff.
In January the average high is 47°F and the low 21°F; in July it's 84°F by day.
Williams if your trip is about the train, the Polar Express or an early start at the Grand Canyon. Flagstaff for more hotels, Snowbowl and Sedona. Where to stay in Flagstaff.
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