The Grand Canyon is one of the most iconic and visited places on earth. It is celebrating 100 years as a national park and protected area this year, and has seen the visitation rates grow over the years from a few thousand to millions and millions of tourists. The national park area of the Grand Canyon is chock full of things to do if you love the outdoors, ranging from some of the best hiking in the world to overnight camping under a sky that must be seen to be believed. Touring The Grand Canyon is an experience that you will never forget, and is highly suggested for anyone who would like to see places in the American southwest that are globally famous for their beauty. When most people see the Grand Canyon for the first time the reactions are pretty much the same, that they just cannot believe how big it is. It is the product of hundreds of thousands of years of erosion by the Colorado River, and will take your breath away. There are drawbacks to tours of the Grand Canyon however, and you should realize them before starting your journey.
The Grand Canyon is far away. From the two closest cities that have an airport (Las Vegas and Salt Lake City) you are facing a 4.5 hour drive through the desert. Most folks who are not from the southwestern US don’t understand the differences between desert driving and regular driving. Driving through the desert does not offer visual stimulation like other areas do, so basically it all looks the same. It can make a 4 hour trip feel like 8, and is essentially very boring. If you are not used to it, the trip can be pretty tough and if you are trying to go out and back from Las Vegas in one day, you are going to be driving almost 9 hours and also spending hours outside, This is physically demanding, and will be too much for many people. It is best to plan a two day trip, and camp overnight in the canyon camping area so that you are able to make the drives safely.
If you really want to see the Grand Canyon, the best thing you can do is to book a tour of the area from Las Vegas. We offer several versions that will allow you to either take a private tour that is overnight, or a semi-private tour that also stops at Zion, Bryce and Monument Valley. The tour of the Grand Canyon that you take is going to be different depending on the type of company you use. We are considered an “adventure tour” which means that we prefer to get out into the area and explore, while other tours are more docile and will just transport you to and from the Grand Canyon where you can take pictures from the scenic lookout points. If you are an active person, our favorite tour is the multi-park three day tour, because you get to see the Grand Canyon as well as experiencing the beauty of other national parks as well.