Williams Arizona from Flagstaff: Day Trip Guide

Williams: The Last Town to Get the Bypass

Williams holds a specific distinction in Route 66 history: it was the last town on the original highway bypassed by I-40, on October 13, 1984. The ceremony marking the bypass included Bobby Troup (who wrote "Get Your Kicks on Route 66") playing the song one last time on the old alignment. The town had fought the bypass for years — and that fight, ironically, preserved something most Route 66 towns lost without a fight.

Historic Route 66 runs through Williams' downtown as Bill Williams Avenue. The central block retains its mid-century commercial storefronts, original neon signage, and small-town scale in a way that Kingman, Winslow, and most other I-40 corridor towns do not. It's not a theme park re-creation — the buildings are genuinely old and continuously occupied. Williams is a working small town of about 3,000 people that happens to have a remarkably intact main street.

The town is also the western gateway to the Grand Canyon South Rim — 60 miles north on AZ-64 — and the home of the only passenger railroad that still serves the canyon.

Grand Canyon Railway

The Grand Canyon Railway has operated continuously from Williams Depot to the Grand Canyon South Rim since 1901, making it one of the oldest continuously operating tourist railroads in the United States. The current fleet uses restored vintage locomotives — a steam engine runs in summer and fall, diesel in winter — pulling period-accurate passenger cars along a 65-mile route through pinon-juniper woodland and ponderosa forest.

The daily schedule: departs Williams 9:30am, arrives Grand Canyon 11:45am, giving passengers 3 hours and 15 minutes at the rim before the return train departs at 3:30pm, arriving Williams at 5:45pm. The train experience itself is a genuine attraction separate from the canyon — cowboy musicians perform in the cars, a staged "train robbery" happens mid-trip with bandits boarding from horseback, and the period-accurate cars (including a 1923 Harriman Parlour observation car) are worth the ticket price on their own.

Coach class runs $65–75/person and seats 70 passengers per car with comfortable reclining seats and large windows. The Luxury Parlour Car at $200+/person is a restored 1923 open-air observation car — genuinely different from coach and worth it for a special occasion. Book at thetrain.com at least 2 weeks ahead for summer and holiday departures; popular cars sell out. The train runs daily year-round except December 24–25.

Bearizona Drive-Through Wildlife Park

Bearizona is a 160-acre drive-through wildlife park on the western edge of Williams along US-64. Vehicles drive through large enclosed drive-through habitats at their own pace, passing within feet of black bears, American bison, bighorn sheep, gray wolves, and javelinas. Bald eagles are visible in a large flight enclosure along the route. The road through the drive section takes about 45–60 minutes at a comfortable pace — longer if animals are blocking the road, which happens regularly with the bison herd.

Entry is $25/adult, $15/child ages 3–12, free under 3. The walkthrough section (included with admission) has wolverines, mountain lions, Arctic foxes, and a Fort Bearizona area with a petting zoo and raptor shows that runs on a posted daily schedule. Allow 2 hours minimum for the full experience; families with young children typically spend 3 hours.

Mornings are best for animal activity — black bears are generally more active before 10am, especially in cooler months. In summer, bears rest in shade through the hottest part of the afternoon. If you're combining Bearizona with the Grand Canyon Railway in a single day from Flagstaff, do Bearizona first (arrive at opening, 8am), then head to Williams Depot in time for the 9:30am train departure — it's tight but doable.

Route 66 Dining and Shops

Rod's Steak House (301 E Route 66) opened in 1946 and is one of the oldest continuously operating restaurants in Arizona. The steer-shaped neon sign out front is original and has been photographed by every Route 66 documentarian since the 1950s. The menu is unapologetically old-school steakhouse: the 12-oz ribeye and the beef stew are the orders. Opens at 11am for lunch. No reservations; expect a wait on weekends.

Twisters Soda Fountain (417 E Route 66) does genuine 1950s counter service — malts, floats, banana splits, and a short diner menu. The counter stools and Formica are original. It's not a re-creation; the building has operated as a soda fountain since the highway was the main road through town. For a quick stop between attractions, this is the right call.

Pine Country Restaurant (107 N Grand Canyon Blvd) is known regionally for homemade pies — apple, cherry, and pecan. Flagstaff locals make the 30-minute drive specifically to buy whole pies to take home. The rest of the menu is standard diner, but if you're leaving Williams with an empty car seat, filling it with a Pine Country pie is the correct use of the space.

Williams to Grand Canyon: Driving vs. Train

The drive from Williams to the South Rim is 60 miles north on AZ-64 — about 1 hour in normal conditions. The train covers the same route in 2 hours and 15 minutes each direction. On pure efficiency, the drive wins by 2.5 hours round trip. But efficiency is the wrong metric here.

The train makes sense when: you're traveling with children who don't love long car stretches; you want the historic experience specifically; you're visiting the canyon for the first time and want atmosphere rather than just transportation; or you want someone else to handle the parking situation at the South Rim (which is significant in summer). The drive makes sense when: you want to stay longer at the rim than 3.5 hours; you want to stop at Desert View on the east end of the South Rim; or you're focused on the canyon and not the journey. You cannot do both on a single day trip from Flagstaff — they require the same time window.

For more Grand Canyon planning from Flagstaff, see the Grand Canyon day trip guide and the full day trips overview.