Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn on Route 66 in Peach Springs, Arizona

While planning a road trip to Arizona that involved going to the Grand Canyon, my husband and I went online to search for lodging. We typed in Grand Canyon lodging, and Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn came up with numerous other results. We were a little curious as to that Grand Canyon Caverns is, so we clicked to find out. Long story short, we made it there, and we were glad we did.

Before telling you about the caverns, I do want to say. I would not recommend that anyone make the trek down to the caverns as a trip by itself. But if you are ever going anywhere that would allow you to take Route 66 around 2 hours south of the Grand Canyon at mile marker 115, I highly recommend that you do make this a part of your trip. It is interesting, to say the least.

My husband and I went on a weekend getaway to the Grand Canyon. We didn't want to stay at the canyon lodge overnight because it was expensive, and we felt there was nothing around. We figured, if there is nothing around, we might as well start driving back home to southern California, and stay somewhere where we can eat dinner. That way, we shave off a little of the 6 hour drive back home. After some debate, we nervously decided to stay at the Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn, a two hour drive from the Grand Canyon. We were nervous about it because we read some bad reviews about it; along with some good ones, too, of course. But the bad review was that it was freezing cold, and the heater didn't work. Now my husband and I are from southern California, as I mentioned before. And we are both very happy with the weather here. Cold is not something we are used to, nor felt to urge to experience, especially on a relaxing weekend. But we were very interested in what their website had to say about the Grand Canyon Caverns.

So we packed two sleeping bags into the car in case we got cold, and off we went. The location is hard to miss. While heading south on Route 66 after leaving the Grand Canyon, it slowly got dark. Before long, all we could see what 35 feet or so of pavement lit up in front of us by our high beams. To the left, we saw nothing but pitch black. And to the right, nothing but pitch black. This went on for miles and miles. My husband and I happily talked about what we'd seen on our road trip. But the whole time, in the back of our minds, images of slasher movies where cars made wrong turns or broke down in the middle of the desert flashed through our minds. After what felt like driving forever through the twilight zone, it appeared out of the darkness. Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn. We got a room, which I'm happy to say was nice and clean. Far from luxurious, but for someone who is easily spooked like me, it was like finding my happy place. The diner was closed, but luckily, we still had a giant sub we had bought at the Grand Canyon for a picnic lunch, but had barely touched. For those of you who don't usually picnic, you should plan accordingly. We got there around 8 o'clock, and there was no sign of life anywhere except for the nice lady at the check-in counter. And wild bunnies hopping all around. So bring your own drinks and food, because I think the diner closes at around 5 pm. We relaxed, ate, showered, and rested for the next day.

This info is completely what I remember off the top of my head, so forgive me if it is not 100% exact. If you would like specific numbers, please visit their website, which I will include at the end of this review.

The next morning, we took the half mile drive down the narrow road off the side of the motel. In minutes, we were at the Grand Canyon Caverns. Now, the Caverns is one of the biggest of the few dry underground caverns in the world, and one of the even fewer who are open to the public for visits. I have been to wet underground caves before, and they were nothing like this cave. The tour started out with us going down an elevator at the back of the Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn gift shop. Not only was it interesting to walk through this cave and look around, but the whole time I kept thinking to myself how comfortable and pleasant the environment and the air were down there. What also impressed me was the sheer size of the place. It was huge, with lots of interesting things to see, including leftover military supplies from the Cuban missile crisis, and the mummified corpse of a bobcat. The tour guide was a pleasant, plump, and witty young lady, who snuck facts into her narration with a beautiful combination of knowledge and sense of humor. What else was interesting about the tour? I think you just have to go and pay a visit yourself. Part of the charm of the whole thing is the physical experience, the great feeling of awe you have standing in there, breathing in what felt like some of the freshest air I have ever breathed. Strange, I know, but the tour guide will tell you why.

So if you like slightly quirky, off the beaten path places, and are headed that way, please take some time to stop by and take the tour. If you plan on staying at the motel, their rates are very cheap. The rooms are nice and clean, but if you go in the winter, I do believe it might get cold. We ended up not having to use our sleeping bags, but we went in April. The air was nice and cool. If it had been the dead of winter, though, we would have been freezing.

Here is their website:

www.gccaverns.com

If you do make it down there sometime, I hope you will enjoy it as much as we did. Bon voyage!