I ditched my car and hopped on a train to the Grand Canyon. It took twice as long to get there, but the $80 ride was worth it.

• I was sick of driving during a road trip, so I hopped on the Grand Canyon Railway.

• The train departs from Williams, Arizona, and drops travelers off at the park's South Rim.

• The ride took twice as long as driving would've, but it was a new way to explore a national park.

By the time I reached Williams, Arizona, my hands felt permanently wrapped around my van's steering wheel, my back ached, making me feel decades older than I actually am, and my legs cramped from being in the same position for hours.

It was only day four of my 13-day road trip. I had already covered 800 miles and spent far too long in the Ram ProMaster van I was traveling in.

Simply put, I was done driving.

That's exactly why I was in Williams in the first place. The small Arizona town is home to the Grand Canyon Railway.

Instead of driving another two hours round-trip to the national park, I decided to let someone else do the driving and hopped on the train.

While I've explored nearly a dozen national parks, I've never arrived via train.

Living in Colorado means I'm lucky enough to have dozens of national parks just a road trip away.

I've even visited the Grand Canyon before. Last summer, I hiked with a group of friends around the park's North Rim during a road trip exploring Utah's national parks.

And while a car grants independence, I was excited to explore a new part of the park via train. It'd remove the hassle of extra driving time and the dreaded hunt for parking.

So when I discovered there was a train that takes visitors to Grand Canyon National Park, I was intrigued.

Between a break from driving and exploring a new way to see a national park, I was eager to board the Grand Canyon Railway.

A few days before arriving in Arizona, I bought my ticket for about $80.

The Grand Canyon Railway has six different class options. The bottom-tier class is the Pullman class, where round-trip tickets cost $70. The highest tiers are the luxury parlor and luxury dome, where tickets cost $240. These prices do not include a $35 park entry fee.

When it came to picking my train class, I was just happy to be in a train car and not a van. I opted for the second-tier coach ticket on the way to the Grand Canyon and a Pullman ticket on the way home. Besides design, the main difference I spotted between the two classes was that the coach class offers air conditioning, while the Pullman car does not.

Altogether, I paid $82 for the ride last October.

While reserving my tickets, I learned this adventure would be an all-day affair. The train leaves at 9:30 a.m., and visitors arrive back in Williams at around 5:45 p.m.

The train ride takes about two hours and 15 minutes, compared to an hour by car.

Passengers have about 3 ½ hours to explore the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

Around 8:30 a.m., I arrived at the station's ticketing office to pick up my printed tickets and grab a coffee.

The train depot in Williams was built in 1910.

Then, I headed to a little arena for a performance. The experience includes more than just transportation. Musicians and actors are on board, creating an Old West feel throughout the ride.

A group of cowboy actors lined an Old West-style set and acted out a cliché shootout.

Sure, it was a little gimmicky, but after traveling along Route 66 and exploring America's old Art Deco movement, I learned to embrace it.

After the show, I found my coach car and boarded the train. At 9:30 a.m., we were off to the Grand Canyon.

The coach car was only about half full, so luckily, everyone could grab a window seat to admire the ponderosa pine forests and grasslands we were traveling through.

During the two-hour ride, we listened to our passenger attendant share history and insights into the railway and national park.

The ride is 65 miles and travels through a range of landscapes.

Along the ride, I learned about the Indigenous peoples who call the region home, and our train attendant dove into the railway's history.

Between stories, the passengers spotted wildlife in the distance.

Someone from our train car spotted a bald eagle within the first 10 minutes of the journey. Throughout the rest of the trip, we also saw cattle, horses, and pronghorns.

About an hour into the ride, I headed to the train café, which sold chips, candy, sodas, beer, and other snacks.

I grabbed some pretzels and peanut M&M's for the rest of the ride.

As we got closer to our destination, I waited for the massive valleys, red rocks, and striking landscapes to come into view. Instead, all I saw was grassland and forest.

A quick glance at any map would've clarified that the train doesn't pass through any part of the canyon. Instead, it drops passengers off just outside the striking landscapes.

Little did I know that you don't see any part of the Grand Canyon from the train. Instead, after disembarking, the canyon is a short walk away.

A set of stairs and a short walk take visitors to the long-awaited views of the Grand Canyon.

I had more than three hours to explore the national park. Initially, I feared it wouldn't be nearly enough time.

I've spent entire days wandering through Arches National Park and Zion National Park.

But the afternoon was an ideal amount of time to get a first look at the Grand Canyon's South Rim.

While I could've easily spent days in the park, an afternoon offered an ideal taste of what it has to offer.

I spent about an hour walking a segment of the Rim Trail, a paved path that gives visitors a view into the canyon.

The trail is about 14 miles long, but I walked only a few miles of the path.

I wandered through the visitor center, gift shop, and restaurants.

The train dropped visitors off near restaurants and gift shops. Meanwhile, the Rim Trail connects to another area of the park with a visitor center, more stores, and other eateries.

From there, you can either hike back to the train station or take a bus back to the station.

I still had more than an hour of exploring, so I embarked on another short hike. This time, I headed into the canyon.

On the hunt for some new perspectives, I did a portion of a hike that led down into the Grand Canyon.

Once done, I ended my afternoon with a snack and some final views of the canyon.

I still had enough time to grab a quick bite before boarding the train back to Williams.

Around 3 p.m., I headed back to the train. This time, I was in a Pullman car.

Though it was the lower class, I enjoyed the Pullman car a bit more. The seats were a tad more comfortable, and the entire space felt a bit more historic. Plus, I was traveling in the fall, so the air conditioning in coach class was an unnecessary perk (I wasn't even sure it was on). But if it had been the height of Arizona's summer, I would have picked coach.

After settling in the emerald-green train car, we left promptly at 3:30 p.m.

The afternoon ride was filled with more music and another cowboy skit.

Both a violinist and a guitarist played for passengers during the ride.

We arrived back in Williams with a stunning sunset.

The train's schedule perfectly aligned with the sun setting.

As an avid hiker, I'm itching to get back to the national park to take on some more challenging hikes.

The Grand Canyon is home to mesmerizing hikes that can't be done in a single afternoon. If anything, the Grand Canyon Railway enticed me to plan another trip to the incredible national park.

The day on the train was a fun way to explore the Grand Canyon, and, thankfully, I never had to get in the driver's seat.

I returned from the daylong adventure energized and no longer dreading the drive ahead.

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