The Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel RV Park lies on the west side of Williams, AZ, a quaint town along old Route 66.  The park is a paved parking lot, but it’s proximity to the Grand Canyon NP, the park’s upkeep, and the town of Williams, AZ made the stay.

Satellite view of Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel RV Park

RV Park’s website:  https://www.thetrain.com/lodging/rv-park/

RV Park’s location:  https://goo.gl/maps/Ywdqy9SH3Aq

Stayed in the park during our Flashback to 2017:  The Trip That Started the Whole Thing

 

1. Location.  The location is the main reason we chose this campground.  We were too scared to camp without hook-ups on our maiden voyage in a rental, and this campground is about 45 minutes from the main gate to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim.  Our newbie trip research ignored Williams, AZ.  Williams is an oasis on old Route 66.  Current day Williams caters to both the Grand Canyon crowd and Route 66 nostalgia.  In retrospect, I would’ve allowed more time to explore Williams.

 

2. Sites.  The sites are all asphalt pull-throughs and our site was very close to level.  All site were 20/30/50, water, and sewer.  I did not note any issues with the utilities.  As you can see from the satellite photo above, this isn’t a park to enjoy nature and not see your neighbor.  We were fortunate to reserve a space on the end of the row, so our camper opened to a decent patch of grass and a view of the western sky.  However, our neighbors weren’t as fortunate.  When we arrived, I had to ask my neighbor to move his picnic table so I could route my sewer hose.  It wasn’t the most crowded campground I’ve seen, but a far cry from the elbow room we seek in a State Park or dispersed camping.

 

3. Facilities.  The campground has one showerhouse also with laundry (we didn’t use it and I don’t recall the cost).  The restroom was nice and cleaned regularly.  The showers, while also cleaned regularly, left a bit to be desired.  The water heater couldn’t keep up with the full campground at peak times and the slope of the floor in the dressing room partition was off.  Water would puddle up so we were dressing in a puddle and dancing around on our shower shoes.  Get to the shower early in the morning or afternoon or clean up in the RV.

 

4.  Amenities.  The campground had a fire pit area and it was surrounded by four gas grills under a sizable pavilion.  The playground was a nice escape for my kids (then 5 and 87).  There were also some volleyball courts and basketball hoops.  The park advertises free TV hook-ups, but we didn’t partake.  We were able to connect to the WiFi throughout the park, but the speed was lacking, surely from the park being full.

 

5.  Extras.  The campground is part of a larger resort consisting of a hotel and a railway that travels to the Grand Canyon.  Campground guests can use all of the amenities in the hotel (pool, business center, etc).  We did not try out anything in the hotel or the train, but folks we talked to about their experiences had generally positive remarks.

Conclusion.  Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel RV Park is a nice urban campground that allows easy access to the Grand Canyon National Park and sits in Williams, AZ which is an attraction by itself.  The facilities and amenities are maintained and cleaned regularly.

Would We Stay Again?  Yes.  This is a good place to stay if you want a few nights on full hook-ups.

If we do the Grand Canyon again, we’d look for dispersed camping in the National Forest just south of the South Rim.