Fun With the Hualapai at Grand Canyon West

September 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

SandyWhat would you give for a chance to spend a day with celebrity Kiowa Gordon of Twilight fame?  If you act quickly, you can be on a one-day white water rafting tour with him on September 29th.  Those who book using a special code will be in the same boat with him.  To learn more read the article at this link.   According to this article, Gordon will be hanging out at the Hualapai Lodge at Peach Springs on old Route 66 from 7-8pm the night of September 28th.  He will be autographing photos taken with him and his fans.  Then on the following day he will show his beloved Grand Canyon to you while on the tour.

If you miss out on the September 28th and 29th events, you still might have a chance to hang out with Gordon at Grand Canyon West.  He will be hanging out at the Hualapai Ranch on October 25th, telling stories and taking photos with fans who want to join him.  October 26th will find him at different points on the rim.  Again there will be photo ops for fans.  According to the article,

“Any visitor that purchases a Grand Canyon West package will have access to the appearance/photo opportunities and those who reserve in advance using the                                                                                                  promo code “KG12” will receive an autographed photo upon check-in. Fans can book advance reservations and get directions at www.hualapaitourism.com or by calling 1-888-868-9378.”

Kiowa Gordon is proud to be a member of the Hualapai Tribe and proud of his native heritage and culture.  He wants to share the love of his native lands with his fans.  If you are planning to visit Grand Canyon West or to take a one-day white water tour soon, consider doing so during the time when you can also get to know Gordon and let him show you why he loves his tribal lands.

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Las Vegas Grand Canyon Tour: “Waitin’ for the Bus” or “Gimme a Ticket for an Aeroplane?”

August 14, 2012 By 1 Comment

Good morning travelers. Las Vegas Grand Canyon tours seem to be the “Topic of the Week” on the Grand Canyon travel forums and our friends from “Down Under” are heading up the herd. Today’s TripAdvisor forum thread debates whether to tour from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon South Rim by bus or plane. PinkStarz77 from Melbourne writes:

We are coming to Las Vegas for the first time in September. We would like to do a one day Las Vegas Grand Canyon tour to the South Rim as we are limited for time. We can’t decide if we should do a plane or bus tour though. I’m thinking 5+ hours there and back in a bus might be too long, but then again I would also be a bit unsure about going on a small plane there and it seems we don’t get any longer in the Grand Canyon if we go by plane.  I thought catching a plane there would give us more time at the canyon but it seems we still only get 2 – 3 hours once we are there and they just arrive back earlier? Are these small planes safe? I have never been on one before!

Forum contributor ‘Bryan S’ immediately addressed the safety issue and suggested a well-established Las Vegas Grand Canyon tour company these folks might travel with:

If you choose a Las Vegas Grand Canyon tour by airplane, Scenic Airlines has been in business for awhile offering tours to Grand Canyon. As far as safety of small planes I can assure you that they are very safe. I have a commercial pilot license with hundreds of hours flying small aircraft. There is a big misconception about small planes being more dangerous than airliners when really the airplanes are just as safe. Operations like Scenic Airlines have strict safety and maintenance standards they must follow in order to keep their FAA certificate.  So statiscally you’re safer flying to the Grand Canyon than driving yourself or taking a bus tour.

Right on ‘Bryan S!’ However, the majority of TripAdvisor contributors would like to see these folks do their Las Vegas Grand Canyon tour as a self-drive. ‘pepperwhitemini’ suggests:

Rent a car, drive there.  Leave at 4.00am. Spend as long as you can. You should be able to manage about 6 hours at the Grand Canyon hopefully. However, this is still nowhere near enough. All you will be able to say is that you saw the place albeit briefly. When you get there you will see why many recommend spending at least one night there. You can look at all the high definition photos and videos of this great chasm but none will give you the feeling of awe that you get when you see it with your own eyes. A few of us who are not locals have been there many many times and the Grand Canyon never ceases to amaze. If you like this sort of thing it is well worth trading a day in Las Vegas for.

In my own response, I attempted to, as Don Henley said, “get down to the heart of the matter:”

Once you arrive at Grand Canyon South Rim, whether you get there by bus oe plane, it’s a case of “6 of one, half a dozen of the other” as far as your experience.  You get about the same amount of time at the Grand Canyon, and see and do the same things.  Something that might help regarding the “plane vs. bus” debate: the Las Vegas Grand Canyon South Rim bus tour may be priced right certainly, but it is a LLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOONNNNGGGGGGGGG day. Typical pickup time at Las Vegas hotels is between 5.45-6.15 AM and typical return time is about 11 PM. I’m actually in the tourism industry myself and of all the Las Vegas Grand Canyon tours I sell, that one tends to get the most complaints back after the fact, most having to do with the length of the trip, but we also hear about surly drivers who’ve made the run too many times for it to be fun anymore. Traveling to Grand Canyon by airplane gives you the option to still get an early start to the day, yet get back to Las Vegas by a semi-decent hour.

The Las Vegas Grand Canyon Deluxe Tour to Grand Canyon South Rim typically has 2-3 daily departures. By choosing the earliest one, you not only get better light and less wind for your Las Vegas Grand Canyon flight, but you might even make it back to Las Vegas by early afternoon – enough time to freshen up and make it to dinner before the show crowds.

If the Las Vegas Grand Canyon Deluxe plane tour is still somewhat cost-prohibitive, yet you still wince at the idea of riding on a bus with 40+ other people, perhaps a good compromise is to upgrade to the “Platinum” Service for your Las Vegas Grand Canyon ground tour. For a few dollars more, you can enjoy your Las Vegas Grand Canyon South Rim tour in a van or mini-coach with a group of 9-13 people. Your touring vehicle will have such features as in-trip entertainment, and padded seats with more legroom. Plus with a much smaller group to “wrangle,” your driver/guide will have more time and inclination to answer your particular questions on a one-on-one basis. Platinum Service upgrade is also available on Las Vegas Grand Canyon West tours. For more information on Platinum Service upgrades click here.

Watch this video to learn more about all of your options for Las Vegas Grand Canyon tours:

Make this day “grand” friends and we hope to talk to you soon!

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The Las Vegas Grand Canyon Deluxe Tour: to ‘Heli’ and back?

August 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Morning travelers ~ Right now at the Grand Canyon it’s a brisk 50 degrees - aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh! But soon, overnight temperatures are going to start dipping down into the 40′s, so hope you have at least a light jacket for those sunrise walks like we talked about in our last post. Today’s post piggy-backs on a TripAdvisor forum thread about the Las Vegas Grand Canyon tour package that started it all: the Las Vegas Grand Canyon Deluxe Tour.

TripAdvisor member ‘Gunner1985′ from Melbourne Australia writes:

We are going to do a Las Vegas Grand Canyon South Rim airplane tour. We will fly into Grand Canyon South Rim and then get a bus around to two of the different overlooks. We are trying to decide if we should upgrade and get a Grand Canyon helicopter flight out over the North Rim. We cant decide because if we get a Grand Canyon helicopter flight, we only get to stop at one overlook while we are on ground. But if we don’t do the helicopter, we get to stop at two overlooks while on ground, but no helicopter ride. What is mostly recommended for people who have limited time? Helicopter ride and only one Grand Canyon overlook so less time on the ground? Or no Grand Canyon helicopter ride and two overlooks with more time on ground?

The general consensus, expressed albeit succinctly, was to nix the helicopter flight and enjoy the limited time you have at the Grand Canyon enjoying the view from the rim. Then ‘HowlnBubba,’ a relatively new contributor to the forums, offered this valuable perspective:

We have done both Grand Canyon helicopter tours and ground tours at the South Rim. Both were enjoyable, but it depends on what you’re looking for. The helicopter will give you a relatively close look at more of the canyon’s features.   However, keep in mind that Las Vegas Grand Canyon airplane flight should give you some good aerial views. Personally, I don’t feel that anything can substitute for the on-the-ground experience. Even with limited time, you may see fewer canyon features but you’ll see them better and have the experience of really being there.

‘HowlnBubba’ also goes on to add this great suggestion:

If the opportunity presents itself to get to the rim by Bright Angel, put up with the crowd at the top and take a short stroll down the Bright Angel Trail. A 10-minute walk gets you to the first trail tunnel, and just beyond are ancient petroglyphs that entirely too many people miss. Just that short walk puts you among the estimated 10% of park visitors who ever set foot below the rim. Pretty cool investment of time!

Indeed! Knowing the logistics of the Las Vegas Grand Canyon Deluxe Tour, I was able to add this:

The helicopter add-on to the Las Vegas Grand Canyon Deluxe is something of a double-edged sword. On one hand, the flight itself is only 30 minutes, but the time required to check-in at the heliport and go through your safety briefing actually ends up consuming about 90 minutes of rim time. But on the other hand it does allow you a glimpse (albeit a short one) of the North Rim, which is very different from the South Rim. And it’s a good way to get a feel for the complexity of the Grand Canyon because you do fly over side canyons and other features that are almost totally inaccessible even to the fittest of hikers.  But all in all I do have to agree with previous posters that one’s biggest “wow factor” moment comes when first seeing the Grand Canyon from the rim. It’s a much more personal experience.

Yes, this has to be the toughest choice ever! So moral of the story: weigh your priorities, consider your budget, and maybe ask yourself, “will I ever get back to the Grand Canyon?” If the definitive answer to that question is “no,” maybe the solution is “go for it!” Or if you want the bragging rights of having seen the Grand Canyon from both the South and the North Rim, then climb aboard that helicopter! And maybe take a look at this video of the North Canyon helicopter tour and see what you might be missing if you pass on this exciting opportunity:

That’s all for now travelers! ’til next time, make this day a “grand” one, wherever you are. :)

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Grand Canyon White Water Rafting for Sedona visitors

August 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Good morning travelers ~ Hope your weekend is shaping up to be a “grand” one! Today on TripAdvisor a Sedona visitor is inquiring about his family’s options for enjoying some Grand Canyon white water rafting. “EurOpeO6″ writes:

Hello experts-my family will be in Sedona for a week starting August 3rd. We have kids ranging from 10-18 that really want to go on a Grand Canyon white water raft trip but all the info I can find are on trips from Grand Canyon. Are there any tour outfits in Sedona that can help us?

Short answer: Yes!

Long answer (courtesy of yours truly):

Options for taking part in Grand Canyon White Water Rafting for Sedona Grand Canyon visitors are:

1. Most economical: Drive yourself to the Hualapai Lodge in Peach Springs Arizona.

View Larger Map
The drive takes ~ 2.5 hours and the river company wants you to check in at 7 AM, so it means either an early morning, or consider spending the night in Peach Springs or somewhere close by, such as Seligman AZ the night before. Visitwww.grandcanyonwest.com for more information on taking the 1-Day Grand Canyon White Water Rafting trip from Peach Springs through Hualapai River Runners.

2. Most convenient for Sedona guests: take a Grand Canyon white water rafting package tour with one of several local Sedona Grand Canyon tour outfitters. These would pick you up at your Sedona hotel and take care of all the transportation requirements for you. Reputable outfitters include (but are not limited to) Great Ventures Tours, Red Stone Tours, and Great West Tours.

3. “Somewhere in between:” drive to Flagstaff (a little shy of one hour from Sedona) and take a tour package from there.

View Larger Map
Again, all transportation included. Advantage to doing so (driving to Flagstaff) is saving ~$50/head off your trip price, which is already quite high no matter how you go about it. Info re: Flagstaff 1-Day White Water Trip package ->: http://grandcanyon.com/white-water-rafting-tour-flagstaff.html

Option #3 is where GrandCanyon.com can come in for Sedona visitors.

If you decide that Grand Canyon white water rafting isn’t going to be your thing this time around, consider one of many wonderful Colorado River float trip options through Glen Canyon (near Page Arizona) or Black Canyon (near Boulder City NV). Here again, Sedona visitors, if you’re OK with taking the short drive from Sedona to Flagstaff, GrandCanyon.com and Grand Canyon Old West Jeep Tours have a very cool day tour package that not only includes the Glen Canyon Float Trip but a hike into beautiful Lower Antelope Slot Canyon! Check it out here ->: http://grandcanyon.com/colorado-river-rafting-trip-flagstaff.html

That’s all for now, travelers~ If you’re going to Sedona, have a wonderful time! If you’re asking “what is Sedona Arizona and why should I go there?” well… take a look at this video and join us next time for another “grand” adventure!

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Make your Grand Canyon Vacation a “Brain-cation” Friday August 3rd

August 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Good morning travelers. Yesterday fellow Grand Canyon blogger and colleague Sandy added a new word to the Grand Canyon vacation planning lexicon: “brain-cation!” That basically means making your Grand Canyon vacation a learning experience. A multi-day white water rafting would certainly be the ultimate example of that, but those of you who will actually be at the Grand Canyon tomorrow, Friday August 3rd, also have a most unique opportunity: to take part in Grand Canyon National Park’s first “living history” event, “Echoes from the Canyon.”

From the Grand Canyon National Park Service press release:

Travel back in time and meet eight of Grand Canyon National Park’s most influential people during “Echoes from the Canyon”, the park’s first living history event on Friday, August 3, 2012.

“When most people think of the Grand Canyon, they are focused on the spectacular geologic landscape,” says Judy Hellmich-Bryan, the park’s Chief of Interpretation, “but the Grand Canyon has a rich human history, as well. From Native Americans to conservationists, explorers and businessmen to families and trend-setting architects, people just like you and me built the foundation of today’s Grand Canyon Village.”

Rangers participating in “Echoes from the Canyon” will bring to life some of the historic figures who made Grand Canyon National Park what it is today. Visitors will meet these characters as they walk from Verkamp’s Visitor Center to Kolb Studio through the historic Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim.

Tours will depart from Verkamp’s at 8:00, 8:20, 8:40 and 9:00 p.m. Tickets are required, but are free of charge and will be available first-come first-served at Verkamp’s Visitor Center beginning at 7:30 p.m. on the day of the event. Each tour can accommodate up to 60 people.

For more on “Echoes from the Canyon”, please contact Interpretive Ranger Erin Whittaker at 928-638-7789. For information on Grand Canyon National Park and how to plan your Grand Canyon adventure, visit us on the web at www.nps.gov/grca or call our information line at 928-638-7888.  (Shannan Marcak)

Knowing what I know about Grand Canyon history, I’ll bet some of those characters in the photo above include Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, one of America’s first prominent female architects and designer of many Grand Canyon buildings; Fred Harvey, Grand Canyon National Park’s premier hotelier; John Wesley Powell, the first Anglo-American to raft the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon; as for the rest? Well… if you’re gonna be at the Grand Canyon tomorrow, join this unique tour and find out! This is apparently a one-time deal where you can be amongst the first Grand Canyon visitors ever to partake of such an experience. And it’s free, how cool is that?

For more information on “Echoes from the Canyon” visit the Grand Canyon National Park Service website or inquire at your Grand Canyon hotel about making your Grand Canyon vacation a Grand Canyon “brain-cation.”

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Grand Canyon Tours from Williams AZ

July 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Good morning travelers. My, this week has certainly been an educational one for yours truly. First I learned that Robert Ripley, of “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” fame, was the first person to give the first ever live radio broadcast from the Grand Canyon. And today I learned something a bit new about options for Grand Canyon tours from Williams AZ, courtesy of TripAdvisor of course. :)

OP (and what does that mean boys and girls? That’s right “original poster!”) ‘Florence J’ asks:

I will be staying in Williams without a car. Do you know an helicopter tour company that picks up from Williams AZ?

To which Destination Expert DetroitTigerFan replies:

I’m not aware of any organized Grand Canyon from Williams AZ but I would think that you would be able to arrange a private tour that combines transportation from Williams to the airport in Tusayan for the helicopter ride and then onto the National Park at the South Rim. It might be easier and certainly cheaper to rent a car in Williams and drive yourself to Tusayan. The yellow pages does list one car rental agency in Williams.

A couple of elements of this statement caught my eye and compelled me to respond. Firstly, there are in fact several excellent Grand Canyon tours from Williams AZ. The one that would most suit ‘Florence J’s’ particular desires would be our Ultimate Grand Canyon Tour. This comprehensive Grand Canyon South Rim Tour package takes you to all the best views and lets you do all the best stuff, including the IMAX Movie presentation “Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets” and the “Majestic” Helicopter Tour, a 30-minute flight over the Grand Canyon’s Dragon Corridor. Take a look at this video ->:
But what really intrigued me about DTF’s response was the statement that “the Yellow Pages does list a rental car agency out of Williams.” Really? For years, common knowledge has been that there were no rental car agencies in Williams. In the past, there used to be a car rental counter at the Grand Canyon airport, but it closed down years ago. As far as we at GrandCanyon.com knew, the nearest place to the Grand Canyon where one could rent a car was Flagstaff, Arizona, about 90 miles from the park.

So I did a little searching, and sure enough did find a car rental agency based in Williams called “I-40 Fleet Services.” They not only rent sedans and mini-vans, but forklifts, backhoes,  and even kayaks. They also do RV and truck repair. They’re based near downtown Williams and even provide 24-hour roadside assistance according to the message on their voicemail.

So, for those of you who prefer to drive and make your own Grand Canyon tours from Williams AZ apparently you now have another option. Grant you, this company seems to be quite new (the content on their website was dated 2012). As a result, we have no first hand reports of the quality of their service, employees, etc.  That’s where you guys come in. For more information visit www.i40fleet.com or call 928-635-9199 and let us know how it goes.

’til next time, make this day as “grand” as you can! :)

 

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Yet Another Las Vegas to Grand Canyon Question

July 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The OP (Original Poster) on TripAdvisor said it, not me: he’s asking “yet another Las Vegas to Grand Canyon Question!” They get asked those questions on TripAdvisor a lot, certainly. Why? Because if you’re going to Las Vegas anyway, you’re so close to the Grand Canyon that you’d almost be a fool not to go. But there’s a certain mindset that seems to affect the Las Vegas visitor when considering a visit to the Grand Canyon: invariably, 99% of them want to do a Las Vegas Grand Canyon tour in one day and that’s it. OP ‘daruwala’ is no exception. He/she writes:

We are traveling from NY to LAX, spend 4 days there, then travel to LV (will have rental car). In LV, we have 2 full days. Sunday and Monday, at end of August. We want to go to the Grand Canyon, but it has to be a day trip. Do not want to spend night there. Leave early Sunday am and come back by 10pm, back to LV. Question: is it worth going to the Grand Canyon West/Skywalk area, which is about a 3 hr drive. Or what would you guys recommend? We have 4 adults and 2 kids ages 6 & 8. One more question: What is a better option? Driving a rental car or hop on a bus tour from LV to GC? Is the drive safe with family?

On Trip Advisor, we panelists spend a lot of time trying to convince our Las Vegas bound friends to reconsider this day trip mindset. DetroitTigerFan says:

Honestly? I would not do a Las Vegas to Grand Canyon daytrip with young kids. What’s the point of making them sit TEN hours in a car for a couple of hours rushing around the park? If you want a quality day trip, consider going to Zion National Park. It’s a 2.5-3 hour drive from Las Vegas and is a more accessible park for a very short visit with kids. It’s a beautiful park and is a much better option than Grand Canyon West, imo.

On a separate Las Vegas to Grand Canyon thread, Las Vegas resident and TripAdvisor contributor Mike45LC suggests the following alternative:

Some of my family did the Las Vegas to Grand Canyon airplane tour to the South Rim and transferred to the helicopter for a tour from the South Rim. As noted above, the helicopter does not go to the floor of the Canyon. It was great, but expensive. The plane/helicopter combo cut down significantly the amount of time for the Las Vegas to Grand Canyon trip. If you are short for time, it is a decent (but expensive) way to visit the Grand Canyon.

But even Mike45LC acknowledges that:

However, if you have the time, drive and spend one night. Arrive at the Grand Canyon before sunset. Wake up early and view sunrise. Then, whenever you are done with the Grand Canyon, back to Vegas. Much less expensive, and more satisfying.

As alluded to in the first paragraph, the Las Vegas to Grand Canyon question is posed so often on TripAdvisor and other popular travel forums that one fine day I decided to rank the different ways one could do the Las Vegas to Grand Canyon trip in order of quality of experience. They are as follows:

1. Rent a car and drive yourself to Grand Canyon National Park South Rim (4.5 hours each way from Las Vegas). Stay for 1 night, 2 if you can manage it.

2. Rent a car and drive yourself to Grand Canyon South Rim for a day visit. Long day, but doable.

3. Take an airplane/ground tour from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon South Rim. Las Vegas Grand Canyon tour packages offered by Scenic/Grand Canyon Airlines, Maverick Airlines or Vision Holidays. Durations range from 7-9 hours hotel to hotel, include lunch, prices vary widely also.

4. Take an airplane/ground tour from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West on the Hualapai Indian Reservation. See #3 for list of companies that offer them. Add-on options include the Grand Canyon Skywalk and/or helicopter flight to the canyon floor for pontoon boat rides.

5. Take a helicopter from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West and land at the bottom of the canyon. Companies offering tours are: Papillon/Grand Canyon Helicopters, Maverick Helicopters, Sundance Helicopters, HeliUSA. Duration for “basic” tour such as the Grand Celebration Classic ~4 hours hotel to hotel; extended packages including pontoon boat ride and Grand Canyon Skywalk, ~7 hours hotel to hotel. Prices again can range widely.

6. Take a Las Vegas Grand Canyon West bus tour. Add-on options also include the Grand Canyon Skywalk and/or helicopter flight to the canyon floor for pontoon boat rides. Lunch included, plus hotel shuttle. Approximate duration 12 hours hotel to hotel.

7. Drive yourself from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West. Drive time: ~2.5 hours each way. Upon arrival and payment of basic Tribal Park Entrance Fee, Rim-Top Shuttle Tickets (mandatory), etc., add-on activity options include the Grand Canyon Skywalk and helicopter flights to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.  For more information on self-drive Las Vegas Grand Canyon West touring, visit www.grandcanyonwest.com

8. Take a Las Vegas Grand Canyon South Rim bus tour. Add-on option to take a 30-minute helicopter overflight. Hotel pickup/dropoff and lunch included. Duration ~15 hours hotel to hotel.

So there, as they say, you have it. Long story short, “do it right and stay the night.” If you can make the time for it, you won’t regret it. But if a day is all you have, you can still accomplish a lot.

Take a look at this video for more information on Las Vegas Grand Canyon tour options:

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Natural Quiet at Grand Canyon

July 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A huge controversy has erupted lately over the restoration of “natural quiet at Grand Canyon”  The Park Service just went through a long process of collecting data from hikers, air tour operators, rafters and other park visitors.  From the input they received they come up with a plan and a couple of alternatives and again went through the process of collecting data.  A ruling was expected to be made this month but a bill backed by legislators from Arizona and Nevada and signed into law supercedes anything the Park Service may decide to do.

Environmental groups are accusing the legislators of taking bribes from the air tour owners.  Air tour owners are saying they would be unable to provide many of the tours that visitors would like to have and they might be forced to let hundreds of employees go.  They are contending that there were already too many jobless people and adding more would not help.  For more information read the full article here.

One of our favorite tours, the Canyon River Adventure, was at risk because it foll ows the Marble Canyon corridor.  Of course, we are biased in favor of the air tour industry.  However, members of our company are avid hikers and some love doing the multiple-day white water tours.  They like to experience “natural quiet at Grand Canyon” but contend that the jets flying over are more disruptive than the helicopters and tour planes.  The air tour industry is only allowed to fly regular tours over the Canyon from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm in the summer and from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm in the winter.  That leaves a lot of time for people to enjoy “natural quiet”.

Senators McCain and Kyle posted an opinion piece in the Arizona Republic today.  They defended their position which was established in the transportation bill.  Commenters on the article were in total opposition to their opinion.  You can read the article and comments at this link.  Then share your opinion in the comments on our blog.  Do you think there is enough natural quiet at Grand Canyon or do you think the Park Service should have been allowed to implement their plan?

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Grand Canyon Tours: 100% necessary?

July 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It’s been a lively morning on the TripAdvisor Grand Canyon forums, where a poster from the UK asks if taking guided Grand Canyon tours is 100% necessary. Truth be told (and the truth is what you’ll always be told by GrandCanyon.com), no.

Hold the wire, aren’t Grand Canyon tours our bread and butter? Yes, but the fact is that Grand Canyon National Park is one of the easiest parks ever to tour by oneself. As contributor Esty666 states:

Just drive into Grand Canyon South Rim, then park and use the free shuttle bus to get around. You can walk along the rim from, say Mather or Yavapai point to the rim lodges or beyond along Hermit’s Rest Road. You don’t need to take a tour. When you enter the park you get a park newspaper with all the ncessary information. There’s also a tourist center, and there are rangers along the rim who’ll provide information and answer questions. Grand Canyon National Park South Rim is a “Do it Yourself” place for visitors.

And she’s right. The majority of Grand Canyon park overlooks, particularly those on the Desert View/East Rim Drive, are open to private vehicles. Those that aren’t, namely the Hermit’s Rest/West Rim Drive, are served by a super easy-to-use and free shuttle system.

Video that talks about the “basic must sees” at Grand Canyon South Rim:

And the free shuttle service that goes around Grand Canyon Village and the Hermit’s Rest Road:

So what about our Grand Canyon tours? Where they come in is to help you experience the Grand Canyon area in ways that can’t easily be replicated by self-touring. Grand Canyon air tours are a prime example. Airplanes and helicopters get you above the Grand Canyon and enable you to see down into areas that even hikers would be hard-pressed to get to.

Another function Grand Canyon tours serve, oddly enough, is to help you “expand your horizons” beyond the Grand Canyon. After all, the Grand Canyon is only the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to scenic beauty in the American Southwest. Grand Canyon tours like our Canyon River Adventure will not only show you the Grand Canyon (by plane) but some of the visual treasures in the area of Page and Lake Powell such as Antelope Slot Canyon and Glen Canyon. The Inner Grand Canyon Jeep Tour will show you the Grand Canyon from the bottom up, using the only road that actually goes to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, the Diamond Creek Road. You wouldn’t want to drive this road in your rental car, so here’s where a Grand Canyon tour can help you accomplish your goals in a way that’s most easy on you.  These two Grand Canyon tours are just a small sampling of what we have to offer.

‘Til next time, make it a “grand” day!

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Grand Canyon Tours from Tucson AZ

July 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Grand Canyon tours from Tucson AZ. Frankie Valli described it best: “so close and yet so far!”

I was presented with this particular challenge by a caller the other day. She was staying in Tucson, had one free day and wanted to tour Grand Canyon. But here was the problem: she wouldn’t have access to the family car. If memory serves, her hubby needed it so he could go check out University of Arizona with one of the kids. So the question was, could she still accomplish her goal of touring the Grand Canyon even though she was staying in Tucson?

Turns out that very question was making the rounds on TripAdvisor a couple of weeks back. A young lady who had come all the way from Bangladesh to check out U of A was in a similar situation. She posed the question to the TripAdvisor panel, and we basically all told her she couldn’t, or more appropriately, shouldn’t attempt it, the main reason being that the driving distance from Tucson Arizona to Grand Canyon National Park is about 6 hours, one way. So if a day is all you have to work with, that’s going to mean a LONG day behind the wheel. That’s why there are virtually no Grand Canyon tours whatsoever that depart out of Tucson Arizona. Tours from Phoenix or Scottsdale to the Grand Canyon are readily available, but that still leaves the question of how do you get there from Tucson if you don’t have a car? Which leads to yet another problem (a constant challenge for first-time visitors to the Southwest US): mass transit, or lack thereof.  Busses, trains, etc. are almost non-existent out here. What is available can be hard to use due to awkward arrival/departures times, layovers that are too short or too long, etc.

After a whole lot of nay-saying, prodding and cajoling, this very determined young lady found a way to make her goal of a Grand Canyon tour from Tucson happen! Here’s how she did it:

The plan I did was really a hectic one. But due to time constraint we had no other choice. The plan was as follows:

1. To take Arizona Shuttle Service up to Phoenix (www.arizonashuttle.com) early in the morning 1:30 am or 2:30am which arrives at phoenix airport at around 4:45 or 6:15am respectively.

2.Took public bus to drop off at any of the hotel where you will be picked for the Grand Canyon tour.

3. Then to take the tour bus that departs 7:00 am using Platinum Grand Canyon & Sedona Tour from Phoenix which takes 13 hrs.  So it arrives at around 9 pm to Phoenix.

4. Using the same Arizona Shuttle Service back to University of Arizona at around 1:30 am.

The things to remember are:  you need to book everything in advance. The last and first service that departs Tucson Arizona for Phoenix are 8 pm and 1:30 am respectively, and the last service that leaves Phoenix for Tuscon is 11 pm.

You need to have a credit card to book Grand Canyon Tours which requires a print out in paper format what we found was the most difficult for a conference visitor like myself. I hope this whole plan might help if any young fit student visitor do have a dream of visiting Grand Canyon from Tucson Arizona in a day.

So with a little determination – and probably a lot of coffee – touring Grand Canyon from Tucson can be done. Those with a little – OK a lot – more money to spend might consider an air charter. Tucson Aeroservice Center, based at the Marana Airport just on the outskirts of town, can fly you up to Grand Canyon, let you hang out for the day, then fly you back in an 8-seater turbo-prop aircraft.

For those who wish to stay on solid ground, here is the 411 on the services used by our very determined and energetic friend from Bangladesh to make her Grand Canyon tour happen:

  • From Tucson AZ to Phoenix AZ:  Arizona Shuttle Service www.arizonashuttle.com or call 800-888-2749  Phoenix drop off at Sky Harbor Airport
  • From Phoenix Sky Harbor to pickup location for Phoenix Grand Canyon Tour: public transit such as Valley Metro, taxi or Super Shuttle.
  • Phoenix Grand Canyon Tour: GrandCanyon.com recommends Detours’ Platinum Sedona Grand Canyon Tour, which can also be upgraded with a 30-minute helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon! Duration: about 13 hours. Cost for advance booking (basic package) $155 person, includes lunch.
  • From Phoenix AZ back to Tucson: Arizona Shuttle Service

So there you have it! Tiring? Yes? Expensive? Slightly. Unforgettable? You bet! But that’s the Grand Canyon for ya :)

 

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