James Stoness | Stoness Travel Blog

Linking to the Grand Canyon by Train

When was the last time you visited the Grand Canyon? Driving by car or RV is a great, fun way to see this great spectacle. One of the most exciting ways of visiting is to leave your RV at Williams, Arizona, and ride the train. I can remember the train rumbling into the South Rim Station before it ceased

operation in 1968. Now, since its reopening in 1989, people are again able to ride to the rim in style. The old cars are refurbished and drawn by good old nostalgic steam engines, although once it gets cold in the fall they switch to diesels.

The trip starts from the historic Williams Depot, now fully restored to its former grandeur. Nearby is the brand new southern style Fray Marcos Hotel, now called the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, with 196 rooms, is handy for travellers who want to stay in Williams overnight.

The Grand Canyon Railway RV Park is across the street from the hotel and the train depot which means there is easy access to the train when it’s time for your train ride to the canyon. Campers can also get away from the noise of town by driving a few minutes north to the Williams KOA and leave their rigs while they visit the canyon.

The train leaves for the canyon right after an exciting shoot-out at the corral. At first you cross several miles of open grassland shadowed by a few volcanic cinder cones. I saw a cattle roundup in progress on my last trip there. Later the open landscape is replaced by the green shade of evergreen trees. After executing a couple of loops,

where the train almost runs back over itself, you begin to climb to the rim of the canyon.

You can see it on television a dozen times, but the wonder and amazement of the first view of the great canyon will stay with the visitor for a lifetime. The Grand Canyon is a mile deep and perhaps eighteen miles wide. Erosion has created freestanding buttes and mesas as well as several steep sections of cliffs. The morning or evening sun blends with the natural colours of the rock layers to create a kaleidoscope of reds, purples and mauves that change steadily as the light level changes.

Time will be short if you go up just for the day,

so the obvious thing to do is to book an overnight trip go up on the train and stay at one of the Grand Canyon National Park Lodges. There are several lodges, all with good rooms, excellent food, and with prices to accommodate almost any wallet. We stayed at the Maswik Lodge and found it very comfortable. You can exit right onto the rim from some lodgings, but you’re never very far from a shuttle stop so it doesn’t matter which one you choose. You can ride to the end of the paved trail along the edge, and walk back at your leisure. That’s nice, and no vehicle to park, or to have to go back to get. It’s like being young again with no worries. Just wander as you wish and stop where you want to.

I suggest riding the shuttle east, getting off at either Pipe Creek Vista stop, or the South Kaibab Trail stop, and walking back along the trail which edges the top of the canyon wall. The views are great, and you’ll likely find solitude along the way. It seems not too many people take the time to get away from the crowd.

You can also book bus tours to take you to the more remote parts of the rim. These tours are well worth the money and the scenic overlooks you will stop at provide excellent views into the canyon.

For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels. Visit his website at: www.stonesstravelguides.com.

12 Tips to Boondock Safely in the Desert

Boondocking in the desert isn’t for everyone, but thousands of people enjoy it. A few tips for more comfortable and safer desert living are listed below.
1- Deserts cool down rapidly at night and warm up quickly in the sunlight. Take the necessary clothes with you, and be prepared to change them according to the temperatures.

2- In the winter time you are not likely to encounter nasty slithery creatures. Most of them are holed-up waiting for real warmth. Just the same, in case they haven’t read the rules, watch where you walk, and don’t reach into holes, or turn over rocks without being extra careful. You might even empty your boots before putting them on.
3- Don’t camp in creeks and washes. Distant rainstorms can turn them into fast flowing streams of mud.
4- Camp in sheltered areas to keep you out of dust kicked up by a windy afternoon.
5- Arrive with your water tanks full, and your holding tanks empty. Some Boondocking areas are visited by mobile sewage trucks, and potable water trucks, but not all. With full water tanks, and being very water frugal, we can manage for over 10 days before having to head for civilization.
6- Try to camp near other people so if you have a problem you will have someone to ask for help. But don’t camp so close you are neighbours. They are likely boondocking to get away from being really close to others.

7- Desert plants usually protect themselves with needles and thorns. Carry tweezers to help you remove them from your skin. The teddy bear cholla is a friendly looking plant until you get close then you can see its protective needles. If one latches onto you, don’t try to pull it off with your other hand. You’ve been warned! Instead, use a comb or a pair of sticks to pull it away from your skin. It’s very sharp!
8- Don’t go away and leave your awning up, unless it’s very well secured. Desert winds come up fast, and can move anything not fastened down.
9- If you plan on driving into the desert on the trails, tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return. Have a good map, and take water and food just in case the car has a breakdown. If that happens, stay with the car. A car is a bigger target to find than a human.

10- Install a house alarm system in the RV. Set it up so you can press a button to turn on the alarm. Noise will usually scare away prowlers.

11- Have outside lights on all sides or your RV, so you aren’t walking around to the back in the dark.

12- The most important suggestion is to use common sense. Anytime you are out in a large wilderness area there are hazards. You can fall, get lost, or a host of other calamities can happen to you. There are a few more hazards here than at home. You have to make careful decisions. Your life depends on it.

Happy RVing!

11 Reasons That Make Canada’s Rockies so Appealing

A visit to the Canadian Rockies is a dream for many people, here and abroad. But what is it that the Rockies have to offer that makes them so alluring? Is it only the striking scenery, or other attractions?

1- The Canadian Rockies are not particularly high as big mountains but they are spectacular. Mount Robson tops them all at 12,972 feet. Its massive rocky structure, bare, and glacier laden, stands more than 7,000 feet above the pass and thousands of people view the barren crags as they pass through British Columbia’s Mount Robson Provincial Park by train, or on the highway. Visitors arrive at the park to enjoy activity. Some wish to scale the steep mountain’s cliffs, some will hike the many trails to higher meadows and viewpoints. Many will relax in its shadow at a campground, or perhaps throw a fish line to a hungry fish lurking in some nearby waters. At this park you will not likely go home without having seen some of the many deer, or bears.

2-   Just next door to the east is Jasper National Park. One of the more secluded attractions here is Maligne Lake. This 22 kilometre long lake is edged by tall white capped mountains, a fact attested to by the many people who have taken a ride in the available tour boat. Others take their own water craft and enjoy the silence of being alone, and may stop at one of the campgrounds… a long trip with weather to look out for.
3-   The Banff-Jasper Icefield Parkway’s 230 kilometres is a five star spectacular. Winding between high snow clad mountains, and occasionally rising up and over a pass, this highway has some of the best scenery on the continent.
4-   Still in Jasper NP is the outstanding Athabasca Falls which drops 23 metres into a narrow gorge. The entire flow of the Athabasca River disappears into the ravine with a tremendous roar. Canada’s early explorer, David Thompson, tried navigating the Athabasca River hoping to find a route to the Pacific Ocean way back in 1810.
5-   Continue south along the Endless Chain Ridge, a long sedimentary ridge that has swung from the horizontal, upward, as if hinged along one side.
6-   The Columbia Icefield has become a necessary stop. The Icefields are the remnants of the great icesheet that once covered this part of Canada. Ten thousand years of a warming climate have removed thousands of metres of ice leaving us with what is now visible. When earlier explorers came here the icefield reached across the valley where the road is now. You can expect the that the ice will retreat more quickly now. Over 10,000 years the suns’s energy was used to melt vast quantities of ice. Now many thousand cubic kilometres of ice are gone, and the sun’s energy will now be used to heat the earth and the air. Sounds like a good reason for the earth warming. If you take a ride in the large people movers you get a chance to ride out on the ice in safety.
7-   Along the Parkway expect to see many basins containing small lakes, often a beautiful turquoise colour, reflecting the image of a nearby mountain. Peyto Lake has a short hiking trail that takes you to a perfect viewpoint.

8-   Now the jewel of the Rockies. Banff Townsite is the main attraction for thousands of visitors to the Rockies. This small town is wedged between the mountains, yet contains fine lodging, good food, and numerous trinket shops. You may also find a few elk just loafing about. Good camping above the town, too.
9-   The often photographed Banff Springs Hotel is a great place to visit, and stay.
10-   Lake Moraine and the Valley of the Ten Peaks can provide one of the best places to visit for mountain scenery, and great hiking up to Larch Valley and nearby Wenkchemna Pass. The lower area is now too crowded but is still beautiful, but you can get away by yourself by taking one of the hikes.
11-   Is there anyone who does not know about Lake Louise? It’s the fabulous blue/green lake backdropped by a massive mountain. Again, so many people go here in season that you should likely try to avoid it, and save it for off seasons.
This is a short list of the many attractions in the Canadian Rocky Mountain region. If you drive the Icefield Parkway, I suggest you turn around and do it from the other direction. The scenery will look totally different to you. Twice the enjoyment for you.

For more details and maps download my Scenic Trails book, CANADA: Beyond the Far Horizons.
For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels. Visit his website at: www.stonesstravelguides.com