If you read my Boston Globe article on doing the “Tour de Fred” between Santa Fe and Grand Canyon–or you just always wanted to visit the Divine Abyss and have started planning, you’ve probably figured out how hard it is to get a hotel room right at the South Rim in one of the historic Harvey Hotels. So, here’s an excerpt from the travel appendix to Appetite for America—which lays out the entire train tour you can take of Fred Harvey’s America between Chicago and LA—explaining how, and why, it’s done.

“While plenty of people do the canyon as a day trip, they are missing what Fred Harvey employees have always known is the best part—which is being at the canyon after all the day-trippers leave. This means staying over at least one night in one of the Fred Harvey hotels on the South Rim, which can generally be accomplished only with a good bit of advance planning—especially if you want a room at El Tovar (which, trust me, you do). At any time, El Tovar is taking reservations up to thirteen months in advance—so there are people who know to call the main reservations number (888.297.2757) precisely at 11:00 a.m. mountain time on the first day of the month, exactly thirteen months from when they want to go, because that’s when all the rooms for that month are released (including the three corner suites with canyon-view balconies, and all the other most desirable rooms). Many people plan entire southwestern or cross- country trips around room availability at El Tovar because space is so limited, the rooms are so surprisingly reasonable (the rates are controlled by the National Park Service, not the marketplace), and the experience is so worth the wait. (There are last-minute cancellations: to check for them same-day, call 928.638.2631.)”

Here’s a shot of Albert Einstein during his visit to the Grand Canyon. I’m guessing he and his wife had no trouble getting a reservation.

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