The South Rim entrance to the Grand Canyon was about 500 miles from the San Diego area which roughly translated to 8-9 hours of driving. We decided to break up the drive by leaving Friday afternoon and driving almost halfway to Kingman, AZ. Friday afternoon traffics are notoriously horrible in the Southern CA freeways so we tried to leave before 3PM.
We drove on 10 East freeway and it led us to Highway 95. This was a very desolate and dark road. We probably will never go on this road again at night. There was a little section with little valleys which almost felt like riding a rollercoaster. It got pretty bad that it made the kids car sick for the first time. My little troopers who I thought were immune to motion sickness could not handle this road at night. We did use it on the way back and they were fine.
The following day, we drove from Kingman, AZ on the 40 east to Highway 64. We bought our entrance ticket which is $25.00 for a single vehicle and was good for 5 days within the park at Chevron Travel Center in Valle, AZ which was about 20 miles before the entrance. There was a shop full of Indian artifacts and souvenirs, a small snack bar and clean restrooms. Tickets could be purchased at a machine near the entrance and only accepted Credit Cards. (Visa, MC, Discover).
Across the street was Bedrock City. There was a big Fred Flintstone sign at the entrance. We didn’t go in because we were already running late to the Grand Canyon. Their website offered $1 off coupon from the $5 entrance to the park. This probably would have been interesting for my husband and me who actually remember the Flinstones show but my kids didn’t even know them They settled for posing in the cars outside the park.
There was also a Planes of Fame Air Museum next to the Bedrock City park for the little ones who have a fascination with airplanes. There were some planes displayed outside the museum which was enough to satisfy our kids.
Another great alternative or something to think about for those living in the Southern California area is taking the train to the Grand Canyon. We looked into the train option to avoid the long drive. But, due to a scheduling conflict, we couldn’t go on what would have been a great experience.
Amtrak offered a 9.5 hour train ride from Los Angeles Union Station to Williams, AZ. From Williams, AZ, passengers board the Grand Canyon Railway for 65 miles into the south rim. For those in the Midwest, the Southwest Chief route starts in Chicago and ends in Los Angeles. There are sleeping and dining options (at additional costs) depending on your comfort level and budget. The trains usually leave LA on Friday night and come back to LA on Tuesday mornings after an overnight ride from Williams, AZ. Various discounts and promotion codes are readily available for additional savings. For more information, check these sites: