By the Time I Get to Phoenix I'll Be Freezing

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NotSoTinyTim

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I usually try to escape from snowy Midwest to sunny Phoenix at the beginning of February. In 2012 I am seriously considering rail travel, although i have never taken a train for a long journey before. In looking at routing and scheduling, I am faced with a couple of dilemmas.

1)Traveling the Southwest Chief gets me into and out of Flagstaff at some strange middle-of-the-night times. Plus that time of year it is winter in Flagstaff - like with cold and snow. Is the Greyhound the best way to get to Phoenix? Should I rent a car and spend a night in Flagstaff?

2)I could take the Texas Eagle to Maricopa and not have to deal with winter, but the big layover each way in San Antonio adds a whole extra day to the travel. Is that a better idea or not?
 
While I have not taken it, there is a shuttle that goes from the Flagstaff Amtrak station to either Sky Harbor or Metro Center. It's Arizonashuttle.com. That would be my choice. Here is some info from their site:

Flagstaff Check-In Times & Locations

Arizona Shuttle passengers should arrive at the departure location at the suggested time and must check-in by the time listed below for PHX Airport departures to secure your seat.

Flagstaff «–» Phoenix

Amtrak Station

DEPARTS: 2:30am, 5:00am, 7:00am, 9:00am, 11:00am,

1:00pm, 3:00pm, 5:00pm, 7:00pm

CHECK-IN: 15 Minutes Before Departure Time

Please wait at the Flagstaff Amtrak Station at 1 E. Route 66 at least 15 minutes before your scheduled departure time. Guests should meet our driver in the parking lot on the San Francisco Street side of the Amtrak Station

1 E. Route 66

Flagstaff, AZ [View Schedule]
 
Go Flagstaff for sure. The buses are frequent, but that is not the point. The Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited only run past San Antonio three days a week and stop in Maricopa, a tiny town thirty miles from Phoenix. Ther is no shuttle service whatsoever, and being thirty miles, the cab ride is ludicrously expensive. Flagstaff has a nice enclosed waiting area you can stay in for at least a little while before the first Phoenix bus, and the Maricopa schedule isn't much more convenient either. Take it from someone who's done both. Go Midwest-FLG-PHX.

Johnny
 
The SWC to Flagstaff is a nice trip, I've done that 3 times now. Haven't gone to Phoenix but I know plenty of people that have. There's a greyhound bus connection from Flagstaff to Phoenix, and there's a shuttle (the Arizona Shuttle) from Flagstaff to Phoenix. The shuttle picks you up directly from the Amtrak station. The greyhound leaves the greyhound station, approximately a half mile down the road from the Amtrak station. (google maps: http://www.google.co...psrc=0&t=m&z=17 )

Also, there's no included transportation from the Amtrak station to Greyhound, unless they've changed it since I last took it. You can either walk or take a cab. The one cab company I know in Flagstaff charges $3.00/pickup, and $1.70/mile, so it'd be like $5.

The SWC to Flagstaff to Phoenix is also a guaranteed connection, so if your train is late Amtrak will find a way to get you to Phoenix. The TE/SL to Maricopa isn't. (*edited due to recent info*)

As johnny said above, the other advantage is the SWC runs every day. The Sunset Limited (Texas Eagle passed San Antonio) only runs 3 days a week. If I recall the Flagstaff station is open until like 10:30pm? but I'm not entirely sure.
 
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Personally, I like Flagstaff but as you said it snows there. Recall going one spring and finding snow on the ground and its was really cold walking the dog in the A.M.
 
Does anyone know the rationale for only connecting Phoenix via Flagstaff instead of via Maricopa and/or Tuscon? Having made the Flagstaff<>Phoenix trip many times by car I must say it's quite a taxing drive compared to the other options. If the road is in the same condition as when I lived there then it must take a bus even longer. Very pretty area in my view, but it's not like you'd get to see any of it with the current schedule.
 
Texas Sunset said:
Does anyone know the rationale for only connecting Phoenix via Flagstaff instead of via Maricopa and/or Tuscon? Having made the Flagstaff<>Phoenix trip many times by car I must say it's quite a taxing drive compared to the other options. If the road is in the same condition as when I lived there then it must take a bus even longer. Very pretty area in my view, but it's not like you'd get to see any of it with the current schedule.
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My guess is that because the SWC runs every day, and the SL only runs 3 days a week has something to do with it.
 
Flagstaff has the third highest snowfall of any U.S. city, behind Rochester and Buffalo, at least according to a tour we took at the planetarium there. But, don't let that deter you. Generally a western snow doesn't last for days and clears quickly. Personally, a midnight bus ride doesn't sound attractive to me, so I'd head for a motel and go to Phoenix the next am, if Amtrak will book you that way. Flagstaff is an interesting city and the train station is also the visitor center and shuttle stop. That's the ultimate in a quick climate change - a 3 hour ride down the interstate from snowy Flagstaff to balmy Phoenix - makes you appreciate it even more.

But, the Texas Eagle would be nice for the reasons you mention - if you can figure out how to get to Phoenix from Maricopa. Make sure you book the day the Texas Eagle runs through to the west coast. Otherwise you will sit in San Antonio for a day. The overnight layover isn't bad - if you're in the through sleeper which I certainly recommend. If you have time and some extra money, take the TE/Sunset on into LA. Catch the convenient bus into the airport and fly back to Phoenix. We did that once and got a $49 fare on Southwest, although we added a side trip to San Diego.
 
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The service from Flagstaff piggybacks on the existing Arizona Shuttle and Greyhound service, so there's a shuttle whether Amtrak uses it or not. There's no shuttle at all (at least at the right time of day) to/from Maricopa.

There is service to Tucson, so I'm not sure why there isn't a Thruway connection there. There actually was, after the Sunset was rerouted out of Phoenix but before the Maricopa station opened.
 
Pat Harper said:
johnny.menhennet said:
the Maricopa schedule isn't much more convenient either.
Click to expand...
Johnny, you may not be aware that the shuttle from Maricopa to Phoenix and vice versa ceased operations in September due to lack of funding.
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What I meant was that the arrival/departure tomes in maricopa are also at night... The schedule for maricopa is not convenient (time of day)
 
One option that might work would be to catch a cab overnight to the Harrah's Ak Chin, stay there for the night, and catch one of the shuttles out in the afternoon. Of course there isn't much to do at Ak Chin other than lounge around and gamble.
 
Now why would anybody want to do that? I think thats a bit absurd...... I rarely (slim and none) gamble.. Maybe only once a or twice a year do I put some $$ into the pot for the Powerball.... other than that.. the only reason I show up at any casino is for the buffet(s). Personally, I think spending any kind of real money in the pursuit of hoping to win even more money is foolish.. save what you have... I highly consider gambling in casinos as a form of a "tax" for foolish or stupid people.... One thing I enjoy is sitting in the buffets eating peacefully while I watch retiree's blow their life savings at the hands of a one-armed bandit. Watching this act repeat itself in numerous gambling halls in various casino's makes me want to laugh at their expense whenever I see those people wasting their life savings on something so foolishly.

~Brandon

calwatch said:
One option that might work would be to catch a cab overnight to the Harrah's Ak Chin, stay there for the night, and catch one of the shuttles out in the afternoon. Of course there isn't much to do at Ak Chin other than lounge around and gamble.
Click to expand...
 
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I'm taking the SWC to Flagstaff next week. I will spend the night in a hotel then rent a car

to drive to Scottsdale. When I return, I can drop off the car at the station (dropbox) and

board the SWC at 4:41am!! I was not aware of the snows of Flagstaff, hopefully they will not

occur in November!!
 
Shanghai said:
I'm taking the SWC to Flagstaff next week. I will spend the night in a hotel then rent a car

to drive to Scottsdale. When I return, I can drop off the car at the station (dropbox) and

board the SWC at 4:41am!! I was not aware of the snows of Flagstaff, hopefully they will not

occur in November!!
Click to expand...
Average November snowfall in Flag is about 10". Never know though, I used to drive cross-country hauling sailboats and I got stuck in a November blizzard in Williams (just west of Flag) on I-40 for four days.
 
Shanghai said:
I'm taking the SWC to Flagstaff next week. I will spend the night in a hotel then rent a car

to drive to Scottsdale. When I return, I can drop off the car at the station (dropbox) and

board the SWC at 4:41am!! I was not aware of the snows of Flagstaff, hopefully they will not

occur in November!!
Click to expand...
Be prepared to not board until 5am though. All three times I've taken the SWC out of FLG (march, april, and october of this year) it's been late. Not by much, but still late.
 
Any suggestions for hotel in Flagstaff and car rent options?
 
NotSoTinyTim said:
Any suggestions for hotel in Flagstaff and car rent options?
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I have rented a car from Hertz, at the FLG Station. I will stay

at the Hilton Garden Inn about 2 miles from the station. I'm

arriving Sunday evening and will pick up the car on Monday.

I phoned the Hertz office at the FLG station and they advised

that I can return the car deposit the keys at a dropbox in

the station.
 
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