Snowy view from the South Rim

Most people think of Arizona and envision desert landscapes complete with saguaro cactus and hot temperatures, but our Grand Canyon State is full of surprises.  What better way to treat yourselves to a very special Arizona vacation than to visit one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World this fall and winter and experience a different side of Grand Canyon, one that many people don’t even realize exists!

Winter on top; Southern AZ temperatures on the bottom

The snow has begun to fall in Northern Arizona, making this a great time to experience the cozy warmth of the radiant heat gas fireplaces and the warm hospitality of Grand Canyon Bed and Breakfast.

Vista of San Francisco Peaks from Hwy 64 to Grand Canyon

You can also enjoy staying warm and viewing the winter scenery while others do the driving as you ‘motor’ to the Rim and tour Grand Canyon National Park on a small group van tour.  Let a professional driver navigate what can be the snowy/icy roads of the High Plains and the Kaibab Plateau and teach you about the flora and fauna as well as the geology of one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Grand Canyon Railway headed to Grand Canyon

Another option is to ‘ride the rails’ aboard a vintage train along the century-old line leading from Williams, AZ to the Grand Canyon!

You’ll be sure to keep warm on your journey to the heart of the historic Grand Canyon South Rim Village.  Once you arrive at Grand Canyon, you’ll enjoy a much calmer and quieter visit this time of year as the summer crowds have cleared and the fall has quickly turned into winter.  This truly is a wonderful time of year to enjoy all that Grand Canyon has to offer — from spectacular vistas that just might be dusted in a beautiful layer of snow to the grand lobby of the historic El Tovar Hotel or Bright Angel Lodge with  blazing fireplaces welcoming guests inside to enjoy your winter afternoon!

Let’s entertain the tourists!

Saturday November, 24 2012, @  Bearizona, is a ‘kickoff’ for the holiday season in Williams, AZ

Come stay with us at Grand Canyon Bed & Breakfast the weekend after Thanksgiving and celebrate the start of the Season.

Bundle up & bring your family and friends for a fun-filled night to kick off the holiday season!

Mr. and Mrs. Claus will be making a special appearance, so parents make sure you bring your camera so you can get some pictures!

Stroll through Fort Bearizona to see all of our critters & enjoy the lights & sounds of the season!

Enjoy Christmas goodies, coffee & cocoa.

Mountain Village Holiday

After your visit to Bearizona, head on downtown to watch the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony and Festival of  Lights parade in Williams, which starts @ 6:30.

There is also The Annual Holiday Craft Show on the 24th, which is held from 10am to 5pm @ Sultana Theatre.

Find your National Parks Golden Age Pass

If you are a US Citizen, when you’ve reached or passed the age of 62, you can purchase a Golden Age Passport for $20.  This lifetime pass will give you free admittance to any and all national parks and national monuments in the US.  If you are under 62, you can purchase a National Parks Pass for $50 which allows unlimited access for one calendar year.  There are other benefits to own either one of them.  You can learn all about ownership from the booklet you’ll get when you purchase you Pass.

Visit our web site and make a reservation to stay at Grand Canyon Bed and Breakfast.  Purchase a Golden Age Passport or National Parks Pass at the Williams/Grand canyon Visitor Center.  Explore Grand Canyon, one of the seven natural wonders of the world.  We’ll make your visit to the Grand Canyon an enjoyable one.  We look forward to spending time together.

Eric English, of ABC Channel 15 in Phoenix, wrote the following article in 2010:

‘WILLIAMS, AZ – A new attraction is trying to grab some of the millions of visitors that flock to the Grand Canyon every year. Bearizona is a 150 Acre ‘drive-through wildlife park’ that promises to give you a close encounter of the wild kind. Visitors drive their own vehicles through the park, which is loaded with big horn sheep, buffalo, and of course, bears–all roaming about giant pens.

“I really hope that when people come to Bearizona, they make a connection with the animals,” Vanessa Stoffel, the park’s chief operating officer said.  The park is planning for the future, raising young wolf, fox and bear cubs from infancy.  Staff plan the addition of bobcats, lynx and brown bears, and hope to grow into one of the larger North American wildlife collections.  They want to give visitors a new respect for the creatures.

“See the animals in their natural environment, and then when they return to wherever they are from, in the woods or in a park, they look around and they sense the importance of that habitat to the animals,” Stoffel said.

Bearizona was designed to showcase environmentally friendly construction as well.  “We’ve tried to build the park as green as possible.”  Many of the animal’s habitats are created from recycled materials.

The security cabin is a recycled RV, and a giant waterfall is made from several old busses and cars.  “A lot of the materials that we used in our waterfalls and rock features are old junkers and busses. The scrap metal is the framework for our big rock features,” Stoffel said.  The addition of solar panels and a water reclamation system will help lessen the park’s impact on the Kaibab Forest, while allowing people to see some other natural wonders that can be elusive.’

As of today there are two new additions.  Doc and Sadie were born early this Spring.  See their ‘birth announcement’ as shown on Phoenix NBC Channel 12 at: http://www.bearizona.com/bearizona-welcomes-channel-12-news-team .  More new borns are expected as we get closer to Summer.

The drive-thru park opened the 10^th of Mar for the 2011 season and will be open daily from dawn to dusk until ‘snow covers the ground and stays (usually around the end of November each year).

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