It seems there is no end to questions about the different kinds of tours available to the Grand Canyon. Which – well, duh – of course there are lots of questions because there are three Rims (South, North and West,) four seasons, five major departure cities (Phoenix, Scottsdale, Flagstaff, Sedona and Las Vegas,) a half-dozen modes of transportation (car, bus, airplane, helicopter, train and boat,) about 242† things to do and optional add-ons once you get to the Canyon, approximately 1,373,891‡ combinations therein and 5,000,000 annual visitors who come to the Grand Canyon every year!

Today, we have a visitor who has selected from columns A, B, C and D of the impressive take-out menu of delights that is the Grand Canyon. A) West Rim B) Late Summer C) Las Vegas and D) Bus + Helicopter Combination Plate. But is that pu-pu platter of Grand Canyon delicacies even an available menu combo? Read on to find out.

†_{Completely arbitrary and facetious guess intended to be illustrative of a point}
‡_{Again, people, I write a blog, I’m not a statistician. This number is a figment, a Harvey. But you get the point.}

Dear Arizona Travel:

Hi, we are a group of 6 Australians visiting the Grand Canyon in September this year. We were wondering whether there is any company that provides Helicopter Tours that actually depart from the West Rim of the Canyon.
The reason being is that we would like to take a Coach to the West Rim and then have the options of a Helicopter Tour when we get there. Looking foward [sic] to you reply.

Sincere Thanks,

Anthony

Yes, Anthony, there are a handful tours that depart Las Vegas by coach/bus or van and take you to the West Rim, where you can board a helicopter and take it down to the Grand Canyon floor, enjoy lunch, sometimes an optional boat ride down the Colorado River, and a helicopter flight back up to the West Rim airport.

Every visitor to the West Rim, whether you drive yourself or take a coach from Las Vegas, is offered optional upgrade choices including: helicopter flight, boat rides on the Colorado River, horseback riding, and of course, a walk on the Grand Canyon Skywalk. I recommend tour packages offered by companies such as All Grand Canyon Tours, but basically the tours are all offered originally and operated by the Hualapai Tribe, who own and operate the West Rim exclusively. The advantage of going through a company like All Grand Canyon Tours is that you have an easy booking experience, a one-stop shop, transportation to and from the Rim included (the Hualapai do not offer transportation to and from Las Vegas) and pick up/drop off at your Las Vegas hotel. Additionally, a tour from a company such as I’ve suggested (other options are Viator, LookTours, and All Las Vegas Tours) is they often package up a quick tour of the Hoover Dam along the way, or Las Vegas show tickets and other add-ons.

Here are a few links to follow to browse and book these recommended tours:
Grand Canyon West Rim Tour, Helicopter to Canyon Floor & Colorado River Pontoon Boat Combo and optional Skywalk (Bus)
Grand Canyon West Rim Deluxe Bus Tour With Hoover Dam Stop and Optional Skywalk (Bus)
Grand Canyon Guided West Rim Tour with Optional Skywalk, Helicopter and Boat Ride (Van)

Thanks for your great question, Anthony. Enjoy your visit to the US.

– ChristinaToo

Dear Arizona Travel:

We are traveling from London 1 adult, 3 children- I do not want to drive. We would like to head for the Grand Canyon in late October -  maybe fly into Flagstaff and take the train. Then stay at a lodge, take a scenic flight and take the overnight mule trip. We then need to go back to Tucson where we plan to stay on a dude ranch. Can you help me build an itinerary?
Thanks,
Anne

Hi, Anne. I believe you’re in a position in which many potential Arizona visitors find themselves. It’s easy to misunderstand the geography of the area and be confounded by the array of available tours available at the Grand Canyon.  I’ll be honest and tell you that driving yourself yourself at least some of the trip is the most sensible way to go, but if you’re dead set against driving yourself, it’s not impossible to do it your way.

The Grand Canyon Railway does not depart Flagstaff; it leaves from Williams, which is 39 miles west of Flagstaff. Most people drive from Flagstaff to Williams, but you could take a taxi (try www.afriendlycab.com).  You can certainly stay in a lodge at the Grand Canyon rim, using the free shuttles to explore the South Rim itself, and take your scenic helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon from the South Rim area (flights depart from the airport near the Village of Tusayan. You’ll need a cab from the lodges at the Rim to go about 8 miles to the Grand Canyon airport helicopter pad for your flight.)

You will take the mule trip from the South Rim. Call Xanterra Parks & Resorts at (303) 297-2757 to reserve as soon as possible. Reservations can be made up to 13 months in advance and they fill up very, very quickly.

You may take the train back to Williams on a different day than your train trip up to the Grand Canyon rim, I believe up to 2 nights, 3 days between trips. If the Grand Canyon Railway folks give you the go ahead, note that the train goes back to Williams in the afternoon… just be sure to ask the mule trip folks if you’ll back back up at the Rim in time to catch the train back to Williams.

You’ll need to drive or take a cab back from Williams to Flagstaff and board your flight from Flagstaff, connecting through Phoenix to Tucson. As for transportation to the dude ranch in Tucson, I can only speculate that you’ll be able to take a cab from the airport to your final destination.

Thus, your itinerary might look something like this:

• Day 1:
  • Flight from (or connecting through) Phoenix to Flagstaff
  • Cab ride to Williams
  • Stay overnight in Williams (For your itinerary, I recommend the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel)
• Day 2:
  • Train ride up to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon
  • Explore Rim by shuttle and on foot
  • Cab ride to Grand Canyon Airport for a helicopter tour
  • Cab ride back to Grand Canyon Village at the Rim
  • Stay overnight in one of the Lodges (book up to 13 months in advance)
• Day 3:
  • Depart on Mule Trip from the South Rim
  • Stay overnight at Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Canyon (book at least 13 months in advance)
• Day 4:
  • Return from the Mule Trip, back up the Rim
  • Take the afternoon train back to Williams
  • Cab ride to Flagstaff
  • Stay overnight in Flagstaff
• Day 5:
  • Flight from Flagstaff through Phoenix to Tucson
  • Cab ride to Dude Ranch (theoretically)

Hope this helps! Take care and enjoy this very full and exciting-sounding trip!

–ChristinaToo

Grand Canyon West Rim helicopter tours

This week, we have a two-part email that we received from a visitor to GrandCanyon.net, our newest guide toGrand Canyon tours. We thought it might be helpful to other readers looking for Grand Canyon tours from Scottsdale or Phoenix, whether to the West Rim or the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. If you still have questions, or have any other recommendations to add, please feel free to comment here.

Dear Arizona Travel: Hey! I plan to drive from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon (West Rim) and return to the Comfort Inn (at Kingman) for 1 night stay before heading to Las Vegas the following day. Noticed that most helicopter tours starts from Las Vegas, is there any helicopter tours that starts from Phoenix? If yes, do you think it makes more sense for us to start the helicopter tour right from Phoenix to Grand Canyon directly? and who are the tour companies offering that? Otherwise, is there any helicopter tour which you can take directly at the Grand Canyon (West Rim) itself? Appreciate your advice. Thank you.

Sophia – Germany

Hi, Sophia.

Unfortunately, the helicopter tours that start from Scottsdale/Phoenix go to the South Rim, the most popular of the three rims. Yes, you can take a helicopter when you get to Grand Canyon West. The Hualapai Indian Tribe will be happy to offer this additional tour/charge to the price of the West Rim admission package, starting at about $56 per person if you want to also walk on the Skywalk (the helicopter tour is about $129 additional for a 12-15 minute flight.)

Since you asked for my advice, I suggest driving to the South Rim instead and taking a 30 – 45 minute helicopter tour with a company like Maverick or Papillon. You’ll spend less money overall and get more for your money. Plus, the drive from Phoenix to the West Rim is a good 6 hours, 15 minutes… and that, coupled with the 2.5 hour drive back out to Kingman, adds up to nearly 9 hours of driving. Why not drive 4 hours to the South Rim, then stay overnight in Williams? Even if you keep your stay in Kingman, the 3 hour drive from the South Rim to Kingman is still a better way to break up the day and still have enough time to actually see and enjoy the Grand Canyon.

That’s my two cents… hope it helps you!

Take care,
Christina

Here is part two of Sophia’s question:

Dear Arizona Travel: Hey Christina, thank you for your prompt advice.

As we would also like to visit the Skywalk in the West Rim, can you recommend if there are any helicopter tours which also covers the Skywalk at the West Rim if we take the tour that departs directly from the South Rim? I have searched for a few tour companies such as Maverick or Papillon, however, the flight time is mainly 45 minutes and depart from South Rim, but does not touch on the Skywalk at West Rim at all. There are also some tour packages which covers road + boat + air tour but that takes too many hours and we may have time issue of driving back to Kingman late at night (FYI: Our accommodation at Comfort Inn is already booked and confirmed).

Would be great if you can recommend.

Warm Regards,
Sophia

Hi, Sophia. As you discovered, your West Rim / Skywalk + helicopter tour packages that start at the West Rim are limited to those provided by the Hualapai tribe at Grand Canyon West. There are no helicopter tours that begin at the South Rim and fly over / land at the West Rim to include the Skywalk.

So, you’ll drive yourself to the West Rim as planned. You should be able to get to the Grand Canyon West entrance (the Grand Canyon West airport) by early afternoon if you depart Scottsdale/Phoenix in the early morning (say, by 6 am.) Because you will have limited time at the Rim, definitely buy your package ahead of time and reserve your helicopter flight and time now. Go to www.grandcanyonwest.com or call 1-888-868-WEST(9378) or 928-769-2636 to make your reservation and buy directly from the Hualapai Tribe and choose the Legacy Silver Package (includes the Skywalk) and then on the right hand side, enter the number of tickets you need in the box next to the Flight of the Eagle helicopter tour.

Enjoy your trip, Sophia! Let us know how it goes and feel free to share pictures through email and/or on our Arizona Travel Facebook page!

– Christina

Okay, your turn folks… any other questions or suggestions to add?

Photo credit: JakesMomE on Flickr.com - CC BY 2.0

Dear Arizona Travel:
My children are ages 6, 14, 15 and 18. What tour(s) would be safe for all? What would you recommend? Thanks.
–Deborah H.

Dear Deborah,
Your kids are the perfect age for almost any tour. The only thing you probably wouldn’t be able to do is river rafting as I believe most companies require a child be at least 8 years old.

Where are you starting your trip from, Nevada or Arizona?

For your crew, I recommend the Grand Canyon Railway (www.thetrain.com) at the South Rim, any of the Grand Canyon helicopter tours or airplane tours (either from Las Vegas or the South Rim), a Jeep tour (there is a great one to the bottom of the Grand Canyon through Grand Canyon Jeeps Tours (www.grandcanyonjeeps.com) that also includes a stop at the fascinating Grand Canyon Caverns… it departs from the South Rim), or just some guided hiking at the South Rim. Try Canyon Dave’s (www.canyondave.com) for a really great educational tour that everyone will enjoy… it’s hiking and learning at the same time.

If you’re coming from Las Vegas, you might want to skip the South Rim and instead check out the West Rim (it’s a 3.5 hour drive versus a 5 hour drive) and take a walk out on the Grand Canyon Skywalk (www.grandcanyonskywalk.com). it’s the glass bridge that extends 70 feet out over the canyon rim and looks straight down through the glass 4,000 feet to the canyon floor below.

I always recommend trying to fit in one or two of the guided National Park ranger talks, too. They run almost all day for about an hour each, meet in several different spots at the South Rim and cover a range of different topics from wildlife to geology to art and history to astronomy. All are great and they’re completely free. Check out the Spring 2010 edition of The Guide – the National Park’s newspaper – for detailed times, descriptions and meeting places.

Hope that helps, Deborah! Have a great trip!

Dear Arizona Travel:

We are looking to tour the west side of the Canyon and would actually like to go down in. Are SUV’s allowed to be driven down in to tour? Do these have to be guided or can we tour ourselves.

Thanks.
–Amie, Michigan

Hi, Amie.

Yes, but very few people actually make the trek. If you’re so inclined, you can take Indian Reservation Route 6, also known as Diamond Creek Road, a bumpy, unpaved 19 miles track from Peach Springs (about 90 minutes from Grand Canyon West) down to the Colorado River. Diamond Creek Road is the only road down to the Grand Canyon accessible by private vehicle. The journey takes about 2 hours and requires a $16.00 permit (purchased at the Hualapai Lodge in Peach Springs at the head of Diamond Creek Road at Historic Route 66.) Be prepared that you’ll need a well-tuned vehicle with high clearance such as the SUV you mentioned, and you need to understand that there are no gas stations, no services, no cell phone coverage… and likely, very few other people besides guided tour participants… on this road. But the trek is well worth it!

If you don’t want to drive yourself to the bottom, or you’re starting your trip from the South Rim instead of Las Vegas, take a guided Jeep tour down Diamond Creek Road with Grand Canyon Jeep Tours. Grand Canyon Jeep Tours Inner Canyon tour is their most popular, and includes a stop at the fascinating Grand Canyon Caverns, a boxed lunch, and knowledgeable friendly tour guides. This tour is a great winter activity because temperatures at the West Rim and the inner gorge at Diamond Creek are a pleasant 20 degrees warmer than the South Rim.

Another popular way to get to the bottom of the Grand Canyon at the West Rim is by helicopter. Helicopter tours are available at Grand Canyon West. Check out tours like this one: Grand Canyon West Rim VIP Helicopter Tour from Las Vegas.

Have fun!
–Christina

We got an email from a visitor to theCanyon.com, our Grand Canyon tours and hotels guide, today that totally struck a chord with me. I think Diana’s question is really common and who better to answer than another mom? Check it out and see if it will help you with your Grand Canyon vacation plans.

Dear Arizona Travel:

My fiance and I are getting married in Vegas in July 2010. From Vegas we want to visit the Grand Canyon. We only plan on spending 1 day there and we will have 3 small children with us. What is better? the North, South, or West Rim? Would you suggest renting a car and driving from Vegas or taking a tour? I am totally lost at what to do. Any and all help is appreciated. Thank you so much!
–Diana R

Read on for my answer:

Hi, Diana.  Best wishes on your upcoming marriage and congratulations to your fiance!

I am assuming you want to drive yourselves and are not considering taking a helicopter or air tour from Las Vegas to the South Rim.  If you hadn’t thought of flying, you might.  It’s a great way to minimize car-trip boredom, and get your tour and transportation in one.  It’s also the most time-efficient, as you can do one of these tours in half a day instead of a full day.

If you want to drive, start out early to maximize your time and the canyon and beat the heat.  As to where to go and what to do:

From Las Vegas, the West Rim is closest – only about 121 miles (2 hours) versus 278 (4.5 hours) to the South Rim.  The North Rim, while amazing and a great choice, is a longer drive-time from Las Vegas (only 282 miles, but over 5 hours) and with 3 small kids in the car, might prove to be just too long a trip.

The West Rim is where you’ll find the Grand Canyon Skywalk and several other Native American cultural sites.  While the Skywalk offers a unique view of the Canyon (a glass bottom sidewalk that juts out over the edge of the canyon, allowing you to look straight down) it might not be the most kid-friendly activity and while there are several small educational exhibits out there, too, the Skywalk is really the main attraction.  Also, Grand Canyon West is not actually a part of the National Park; it is on Hualapai Tribal land, so if you are going for a more informative, educational and “classic” visit to Grand Canyon National Park, I think the South Rim is a much better choice.  Further, the West Rim is rather expensive to visit… it’s at least $81.20 per adult and $61.16 per child ages 4 – 11. Children must be at least 4 to walk on the Skywalk.  There are extra fees (up to $35 total) just to enter the West Rim and ride the optional shuttle bus from the parking lot.

If you do choose the West Rim, I recommend U-Drive Tours (udrivetours.com) – they’re amazing. They not only package up all the Skywalk tickets and entrance fees to make things easy, but they include in their tour price the rental of a Jeep, SUV, Escalade, Prius or other fun cars that can handle the unpaved road that is the final 15 miles to the West Rim.  The owners are a super nice couple with young kids so they could be very helpful to helping you book the best trip to the West Rim possible. They know that area like the back of their hands and they operate / depart your tour from Las Vegas which is great for you.  They can also help round out the activities by recommending an add-on helicopter flight to the bottom of the canyon, horseback riding or a rafting trip.

The South Rim is the most visited for good reason.  The views are amazing, and the park service does a great job offering free ranger-led programs that are great for kids and will allow you to get the very most out of your 1 full day there.  It’s most crowded in the summer, though, so the trade-offs are big crowds at popular viewpoints and it can be difficult finding parking.

As the mother of an almost three year old, I suggest driving yourself to the South Rim vs. paying for a traditional bus tour for all of you.  I would like the flexibility to come and go in my own car, stop for bathroom breaks, keep “mommy” supplies in the car (change of clothes in case of potty accidents, snacks, etc.)  Plus, not knowing the age of your kids, you might want to bring strollers or a wagon as there is A LOT of walking at the Grand Canyon. Parking lots are usually about 1/4 mile from the rim itself, plus walking along the rim trail.  You can also ride the free hop-on-hop-off shuttle bus that runs around the South Rim from one viewpoint to the next… Definitely take advantage of that.

That’s not to say that tours aren’t a good idea… there are some FABULOUS choices once you’re at/near the South Rim.  Here are some of my favorite totally kid-friendly tour ideas at the south rim:
1) Ride the Grand Canyon Railway from Williams (an hour south of the park) to the South Rim of the park.  There couldn’t be a more relaxing, value-packed and kid-friendly way to spend a full day at the Canyon and they have different price points. www.thetrain.com
2) Take a Jeep Tour with Grand Canyon Jeep Tours… you can depart from either Williams or Tusayan (which is the town just outside the park entrance.)  They do a jeep ride to the bottom of the Canyon which is super cool. (www.grandcanyonjeeps.com)
3) Take a helicopter tour with any of the companies on theCanyon.com – they’re all great and you can’t go wrong. Two popular choices are MaverickHelicopter.com and Papillon.com (which also owns Grand Canyon Helicopters)

To find all these companies, check out theCanyon.com:

Grand Canyon Jeep Tours, U-Drive Tours and Grand Canyon Railway

Grand Canyon Helicopters, Papillon Helicopters, Maverick Helicopter and all helicopter tours from Las Vegas

Have a great trip and again, best wishes for your marriage!

–ChristinaToo

Another great reader question came in this week from our guide to Flagstaff and Grand Canyon tours:

Good morning,
We would like to know whether is there any helicopter tour flying directly from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon. We are not interesting in the tour that picks you from the hotel in flagstaff and drives you by bus to GC Airport.
Thanks for your prompt response.
–Juan

Continue reading for the answer…

Dear Juan,

There are, to my knowledge, no tour companies that fly helicopter (nor
airplane) tours directly from Flagstaff airport to the Grand Canyon.

Here are a couple options:

From nearby Sedona, but pricey: Arizona Helicopter Adventures (www.azheli.com), based in Sedona, AZ -
just 26 gorgeous miles on a scenic drive through Oak Creek Canyon (Hwy 89) from Flagstaff.  They offer a Grand Canyon tour from Sedona for around $677 per person.

Rethink the bus + helicopter option: As you’ve discovered, the tours from Flagstaff
combine a motor-coach ride to the South Rim Grand Canyon Airport and a flight over the Canyon from there, as offered through companies like Papillon Helicopters (papillon.com)

Drive yourself to the South Rim and pick up a helicopter tour from there: Hop in the rental car and drive approximately 90 minutes to the Grand Canyon South Rim airport. Then, book a flight with Grand Canyon Helicopters, Grand Canyon Airlines, or Scenic Airlines.  Another company, Maverick Helicopters, flies some of the finest helicopters… all Eco-Star models.

You can browse pricing and see all these companies at once by browsing sites like Viator.com, LookTours.com and AllGrandCanyonTours.com.   All these sites can be found on our guide to Grand Canyon helicopter tours.

The good news is that you really cannot go wrong. All these helicopter/air tour companies are first class; they run great operations.  The pricing will likely range from $300 – $700 per person, but the experience is well-worth the price.

***

Anyone out there know any different? I welcome your comments so please, join the conversation!