Grand Canyon National Park guide · 1 min read
Santa Fe Railway, El Tovar and Historic Lodges
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway shaped how travelers first met the South Rim. In 1905 the railway opened El Tovar Hotel close to its main line, offering luxury lodging to passengers stepping off the train.
Staff architect Charles Whittlesley gave the four-story building the look of a Swiss chalet or Norwegian villa, built with local materials in a rustic style. The hotel drew so many visitors that it helped the canyon become a National Monument in 1908 and a National Park in 1919.
El Tovar is still a full-service hotel and a National Historic Landmark. Its Dining Room sits on the rim and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in a setting that recalls the 1910s, with partial canyon views. Reservations are recommended for dinner. The El Tovar Lounge offers drinks and light meals, with a side entrance facing the rim.
Bright Angel Lodge, also in Grand Canyon Village, went up in 1935, built of logs and stone. Mary Colter designed it for the Fred Harvey Company. Cabins and rustic lodge rooms sit just feet from the edge, and a fireplace warms the area near the front desk.
Within the Grand Canyon Village Historic District, Kolb Studio perches on the canyon cliff. The Kolb family lived in this sprawling craftsman-style wood building, which also housed their photography studio and an auditorium. Today the upper floor holds a shop, while the lower level displays exhibits on history and art. For a stay far below the rim, Phantom Ranch offers lodging on the canyon floor.
You can still arrive by train. The Grand Canyon Railway runs from Williams, Arizona, about 60 miles south, to Grand Canyon Village, carrying more than 230,000 riders each year and sparing them the search for parking.
