Solo Self-Care Birthday Trip To The Grand Canyon 

Okay, I have to admit that each year in October I get really depressed. There will probably be a few women or men who understand this and a lot of people who won’t. It has a lot to do with being a perfectionist and the other half a dreamer.

What is supposed to be a time of celebration for some, can be a painful reminder of time passing you by and the many life milestones that you haven’t met. For anyone who has been told by family and friends that they’re being ridiculous and ungrateful, I see you and acknowledge those feelings.

If you are in your late 30s like me, each day when you wake is another reminder that your childbearing years are quickly fading and coming to the realization that your life may look very different than the dreams that you had as a child or in your 20s. 

Now that I have depressed you enough with my inner turmoil. You can see that I had a big reason to take a short trip out of town to the Grand Canyon. 

The Trip

The Grand Canyon trip on my bucket list for well over two decades, and each time that I want to go, I put it off because I need to pay my bills or I don’t have anyone to go with. With so much sadness and painful experience over the last six months, I wanted to do something for myself.

A small adventure that would get me out of my boring routine and into new scenery. Deciding to do something was one thing, but convincing myself that I should spend money instead of focusing on my financial goals was tough.

I intended to put all of my birthday money towards debts and really didn’t want to break that promise to myself, but at the same time, I knew that if I had 5 days off to lay around at home with nothing to do, I would probably end up depressed again.

So, on Thursday night I finally made my hotel reservation and bought a Grand Canyon Railroad train ticket, and started packing.

Hit The Road

Friday morning I had my car serviced before hitting the road from San Diego to Williams, Arizona. It would take 6 hours and 45 minutes to get to my destination, so I packed a lunch of salmon, salad, fuji apple, and half a slice of birthday cake and started driving.

The time went by fast considering that I listened to podcasts the whole way there. I traveled on many highways and backroads that I’d never been on, so it was exciting to see something new.

The Hotel

I arrived at Comfort Inn Hotel in Williams a little after 7:00 p.m. The temperature was a frosty 38 degrees. Thankfully, I looked at the weather forecast the night before and had warm clothes packed. I knew my hotel was not a Ritz Carlton and I got a discount for my last-minute reservation, but I do have standards for having a clean hotel room.

At first glance, the room looked fine, but I quickly noticed stained sheets and bed skirt, dust on the furniture, and a dirty phone. Then I went to turn on the television and it wasn’t hooked up to the cable box. At this point, I was hungry and frustrated and quickly called the front desk to complain. They sent someone up quickly, but I ended up wiping down all the surfaces with Lysol wipes instead of waiting for housekeeping to come to clean the next morning. 

I ended up driving through town to see if I could find something to eat and end up at a Mexican restaurant. I watched the end of the World Series and enjoyed enchiladas and a mojito. Then I went back to the hotel to rest up for my big day trip to the Grand Canyon!

Grand Canyon Railway

Grand Canyon Railway has been a dream trip for me for decades. I woke up and had breakfast at the hotel and headed over to board the train. Since I first saw it advertised in a AAA travel book I wanted to go. I arrived about 10 minutes before the train departed and what I didn’t know was that I needed to go to the ticket office to get a hard copy of my tickets to board the train. I wasn’t the only one that didn’t know this and I raced to the ticket office with a family and barely boarded the train before it promptly took off at 9:30 a.m. What I learned is that the Grand Canyon train will leave on time, with or without you! 

I was fortunate to get a window seat and didn’t have to sit next to anyone! This is an introvert’s greatest wish! I sat in first class and was able to stretch out and enjoy the trip. There were complimentary pastries and coffee and you could purchase alcoholic beverages or soft drinks from the bar. I ordered a mimosa because…I wasn’t driving and its my birthday after all. As we traveled along I saw the beautiful countryside of Arizona with trees, cattle, and open land for miles. 

Definitely wasn’t what I expected to see in the desert. After two hours we arrived at Grand Canyon National Park. We had a first glimpse of the canyon and my heart skipped a beat. It was more beautiful than I ever imagined. I signed up for the Grand bus tour and immediately boarded the bus once we reached the train station.

Our bus operator was a nice older man who was very knowledgeable. He gave us plenty of tips and information about the canyon. He was also mindful of keeping a schedule and showed us the best areas to take photos. When I finally got to see the canyon up close I was absolutely blown away by the colors and depth of the canyon. As I looked down 5,000 feet was another world filled with trees, vegetation, and little moving dots that turned out to be people. 

After touring the rim of the canyon I got back on the bus. We headed back to the train and headed back to the hotel. 

Stargazing At The Grand Canyon

After coming home I dedicated myself to driving back to the Ground Canyon to stargaze. It was something I always wanted to do, and since this was my birthday I decided to do it! From Williams, it took an hour to arrive at the park and another 30 minutes to get to the darkest viewpoints in the canyon. I have never seen so many stars!!! I spent a few hours enjoying the beauty of nature and then headed home.

Final Thoughts About The Trip

Overall, I’m so glad that I spent the money and got out of town. I was in a rut and I needed some excitement in my life. The Grand Canyon trip was more my style, simple, in nature, and relaxed. I was alone, but didn’t feel lonely and enjoyed myself. It felt safe because there were plenty of people at the park and hotel.

I’m so happy with this trip that I’m already planning my next visit to another National Park. I will purchase an annual pass for National Parks. Additionally, I’ve decided that next year when I turn 40 I will go to my ultimate national park Yellowstone!

Tips For Traveling To The Grand Canyon

Check the weather -it could either be hot, cold, or stormy. Make sure to bring different clothes to layer.

Explore The Canyon – The one regret that I have is that I didn’t have a chance to tour the canyon by hike or mule ride. 

Make Sure To Eat Before 9 p.m. – If you stay in Williams or at one of the hotels at the park. Make sure to have dinner before 9 p.m. Most of the restaurants close by 10 p.m. and I had to find that out the hard way. No pizza man or fast food joints open past midnight, so I didn’t have dinner that night. 

Grand Canyon Railway – You definitely need to do this once. It’s a great way to travel to see the park. Just make sure that you arrive at least 20 minutes before departure. That way you can pick up your boarding passes for the train and tour bus.

Be On Time – Another lesson that I learned is that Grand Canyon railroad and bus tours run by Xanterra will leave approximately at the time stated on departure and won’t wait for you.

If you enjoyed this article, then check out my latest How To Plan An Epic Road Trip.