Williams may lack the lure of the South Rim and bustle of Flagstaff yet this picturesque community is well worth a stopover. Named after Old Bill Williams, a famous trapper, trader and mountain man, this once railroad and lumber town is still very much Western. It's home to the Grand Canyon Railway, which runs a scenic train trip to the South Rim and winter journey to the North Pole aboard the Polar Express. An overnight in the self-billed Gateway to the Grand Canyon is significantly cheaper than a sleep in the park. Williams is surrounded by the sagebrush meadows and pine covered hills of the Kaibab National Forest.