If you are not ready for the helo
Note: all my information is related to the south rim of the canyon
There is a lovely train ride out of Williams, AZ (30 miles west of Flagstaff) that takes daily trips to the canyon. It is a nice peaceful ride of about 1.5 hours. Food and refreshments available as well as entertainment and a good old fashioned train robbery. You arrive at the canyon and are taken on buses for guided tours which we thoroughly enjoyed on our first visit. There are viewing areas that only buses are allowed to drive into although you are free to walk to any and all. We had plenty of time to stroll etc after our tour. The train delivers you directly into the village and that is where you depart from about 4 hours later. There is also a wild west show in Williams in the morning before the train departs the station. We will be taking some relatives on the train trip this Christmas season. We live very near the canyon and visit there several times a year. I highly recommend it to everyone. It is a truly international experience as you will see when you arrive there. There are many great overviews but our favorite is called Lipan. Breathtaking views of the canyon in both directions and the river rapids far below. There are several nice places to eat and surprisingly not all that expensive. If you are in the Flagstaff area for a day or two, there is also a wonderful meteor crater about 1 hour east of Flagstaff that is worth seeing. Sedona, Arizona is beautiful as well and 40 minutes south of Flag. There is a company in Sedona that flies tours and they have some very nice packages to fly into the canyon as well as around the Sedona area which is breathtakingly beautiful. In addition to Bell's, they also have airplanes, C210's I believe, that fly tours for the non heloists among us. Sedona also has unique shopping and many artists live in the area and have studios open to the public. Some very high dollar things as Sedona is a playground for the wealthy. Last year at the canyon in addition to the great views, we saw a 2000 pound elk with a huge rack that decided to lay down right next to the sidewalk in the village. It was 20 feet from the trail relaxing while thousands of folks walked by snapping pictures. There are many lovely picnic areas as well. Bring good walking shoes, jackets etc as the weather is a little unpredictable in the winter. Questions about the area? Ask away.
Cheers
Cheers