Grand Canyon Caverns & Route 66 tour: Ghost town and underground

Valentine ghost town, Crozier Canyon, and a 200-foot descent into the largest dry caverns in America

This 4–5 hour tour from the Grand Canyon region travels 87 miles of original Route 66 through Valentine, Arizona, and Crozier Canyon to Grand Canyon Caverns near Peach Springs. You descend 200 feet by elevator into chambers formed 65 million years ago, walk paved paths past the Chapel of the Ages, and see prehistoric fossils including a mummified ground sloth. Lunch at the caverns grill is included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Route 66 and Grand Canyon Caverns tour

• Travel through Crozier Canyon
• Pass historic towns Hackberry, Valentine, Truxton
• Visit Radiator Springs inspiration site
• Tour Grand Canyon Caverns underground
• Explore paved walkways and fossil exhibits
• Have lunch at Caverns Grill
• Experience Valentine ghost town

The experience

Valentine is a ghost town established in 1898 along Route 66 in Crozier Canyon, where the tour begins. The drive climbs from desert scrub into juniper and pine as it follows one of the longest remaining stretches of original Route 66 in America. You pass through Hackberry and Truxton, towns where 128 trains pass daily, then Peach Springs on the Hualapai Indian reservation, arriving at Grand Canyon Caverns. The route itself is the story: this is the road that shaped American travel before the interstate system.

At the caverns, an elevator lowers you 200 feet into chambers that formed over 65 million years ago when an inland sea covered this landscape. The walkways are paved and split into two routes depending on mobility, so you choose your own pace underground. The Chapel of the Ages is the signature chamber. You'll also see a mummified ground sloth and a 19th-century bobcat preserved in the dry air. The caverns served as a Cold War fallout shelter, a detail that adds another layer to what you're walking through. After the underground tour, lunch happens at the Caverns Grill on-site.

The tour includes bottled water, all admission fees, and an air-conditioned vehicle for the full drive. A live English-speaking guide leads the group. Hotel pickup is included, though the operator does not specify which hotels or how far the pickup range extends. Confirm your location when you book.

What’s included

• Bottled water.
• air-conditioned vehicle with live English-speaking guide.
• admission to Grand Canyon Caverns.
• lunch at the Caverns Grill.
• hotel pickup.
• hand sanitizer.

Information

Lasts 4h–5h, runs every day at 08:00, from US$ 179 per person, with a live guide in English, in groups of up to 12 and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:00

GroupUp to 12

Live guideEnglishOther languages ›

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 42 pickup points.

Book up to10h before

AgesAdult (18 to 64 years) · Under 18: can't be booked

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 7 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcome

Operated by Desert Wonder Tours

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to combine Route 66 history with an underground experience in one half-day outing. The 4–5 hour timeframe fits a morning or afternoon without eating into a full day of other activities, and the two paved walkway options mean you control how much walking you do inside the caverns.

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Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is Valentine, Arizona, and why does the tour stop there?

Valentine is a ghost town in Crozier Canyon established in 1898 and renamed in 1910 after Robert G. Valentine, Commissioner of Indian Affairs. It sits along Route 66 and represents the golden age of American highway travel. The tour includes time to explore this historic community as part of the Route 66 experience.

How deep underground do you go in Grand Canyon Caverns, and what do you see?

You descend 200 feet by elevator into the largest dry caverns in the United States. The walkways pass through massive chambers including the Chapel of the Ages, and you see prehistoric fossils such as a mummified ground sloth and a 19th-century bobcat preserved in the dry air.

Are there different walking routes inside the caverns?

Yes, there are two paved walkways depending on mobility level, so you can choose the route that suits your comfort. The caverns are accessible to all physical fitness levels.

What happens after the caverns tour?

Lunch is included at the Caverns Grill, located at the caverns site. The tour also includes a stop at Radiator Springs, the location that inspired the movie Cars, on the way back.