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!

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.

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?

April 17, 2012 while a Visitor was on http://grandcanyon.com/inner-grand-canyon-jeep-tours-south-rim.html

Visitor - I would like a tour in Grand Canyon.
Visitor – Something I could experience the habits of the Hualalapi tribe.
Sandy - At the South Rim or from Las Vegas?
Sandy – Ok, The Hualapai Tribe could be visited from Las Vegas.
Sandy – Do you want an airtour or would you rather ride the bus?
Visitor – Ride the bus.
Sandy – Here is a link for that tour: http://grandcanyon.com/grand-canyon-west-motorcoach-tour.html
Visitor – If possible, maybe by foot if there is a tour that suits that…
Sandy – When you say by foot, do you mean that you would like to do some hiking while you are there?
Visitor – I’m a very nature person, so if i could do activities like hiking…yes mam…that is what I meant.
Sandy – Then you should probably rent a car and drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Sandy – You will find many opportunities for hiking there.
Sandy – You could also use a shuttle service to get you to the South Rim if you are flying into Las Vegas or into Phoenix
Visitor – Which would you suggest…flying into Phoenix or to Las Vegas?
Sandy – I would say whichever you can get the lowest prices for…usually Las Vegas.
Sandy – It is close to the same distance from the South Rim at either location…with Phoenix being 1/2 or so closer by car.
Visitor – Okay
Visitor – I can’t rent a car…I’m not from the United States.
Visitor – I will be there on July.
Sandy – OK the shuttle service from Phoenix is provided by Arizona Shuttle. I will get a link for you: http://arizonashuttle.com/flagstaff-reservations
Sandy – From Las Vegas you would need to contact this company: http://grandcanyontourcompany.com/ by email to set up arrangements.
Visitor – Okay
Visitor – Do you know any tour which you sleep or camp with or without the Hualapai tribe?
Sandy – You can camp on your own at the South Rim but you will need a Back Country Permit if you go into the Canyon.
Sandy – The Hualapai Tribe have rustic cabins on their lands that you could stay in overnight, but I think the only way to do that is to drive there yourself or get a taxi (which would be very expensive.)
Sandy - This link will give you information about the Back Country Permit for the South Rim: http://grandcanyon.com/backcountry.html
Visitor load: http://grandcanyon.com/srjeeptours.html
Visitor loaded: http://grandcanyon.com/gcnmule.html Grand Canyon Mule’s.
Visitor- Can I ask you something?
Sandy – Sure
Visitor – How do you qualify the mule rides?
Sandy – You have to contact Xanterra, the concessionaire. Call 888-297-2757.  The rides are usually sold out 13 months in advance but let me get you their contact info
Sandy - http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/mule-rides-716.html  You must also speak English, weigh less than 200 lbs. and can NOT be pregnant to ride the Grand Canyon Mules.
Visitor – Thanx
Sandy – You’re welcome.

April 12, 2012 – from a Visitor while visiting: http://grandcanyon.com/rim-to-river-expedition.html

(17:42:10)  Visitor – I am looking for a airplane ride over the whole Grand Canyon?
(17:42:26)  Visitor- Where do I look for this tour?
(17:42:33)  Sandy – Unfortunately that doesn’t exist at this time.
(17:42:43)  Visitor – Why?

There are  2 reasons:
==================
One – is that the Grand Canyon is 277 miles long and that would be a very long Airplane ride.
Two – is that the Grand Canyon Air Tours are regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration to help Grand Canyon National Park restore natural quiet to the Grand Canyon. As a result of this objective, think of the Grand Canyon as having Air Tour highways in the sky that regulate where an air tour can operate.
So – Air Tours primarily operate from Grand Canyon’s South Rim and from Las Vegas with pre-designated Air Tour routes…which means that all Air Tour Companies fly the same routes.

(17:42:48)  Sandy – The best tour for you would be the Grand Discovery Air Tour at this link-
(17:43:04)  Sandy - http://grandcanyon.com/granddiscovery.html
(17:43:12)  Visitor – Thank you.