The South Rim is the most popular destination at the Grand Canyon

Which should you visit – the South Rim or the West Rim of the Grand Canyon? It’s a question more and more visitors are asking each year. The answer depends on several factors and ultimately comes down to whatever makes the most sense for your vacation. Read on for some questions and answers to help you figure out what you expect to get out of you Grand Canyon visit, and choose the Rim that’s right for you.

#1 Where will your trip originate? Nevada or Arizona?

If your trip will originate from Phoenix, Flagstaff, Sedona or another Arizona city, you’ll most likely want to choose the South Rim. It will probably be a shorter drive by several hours and hundreds of miles, giving you more time to enjoy the views at the rim instead of a view of your steering wheel. On the other hand, if you’re starting from Las Vegas, it probably makes the most sense to see the West Rim. Just a 3.5 hour drive (122 miles) from the glittering desert oasis lies Grand Canyon West, home of the Grand Canyon Skywalk and dozens and dozens of tour options.

#2 How much time do you have to spend at the Grand Canyon? A half-day or 1-2+ full days?

Because the entire Grand Canyon – regardless of West or South Rim – is in a remote part of Northern Arizona, half-day driving trips to the Grand Canyon are nearly impossible.  Half-day Grand Canyon trips are do-able from Las Vegas, Williams, Flagstaff, Sedona and Phoenix when you book a helicopter or airplane tour.

Again, your origination point will influence whether you’ll see the West Rim or the South Rim. If you’re coming from Las Vegas and you have just a half-day to see the Grand Canyon, definitely plan on taking a helicopter or airplane tour and seeing the West Rim. The vast majority of Las Vegas helicopter and air tours land at the Grand Canyon West airport. If you’re coming from Sedona or Phoenix, you can take a helicopter tour straight to the South Rim. If you’re coming from Flagstaff or any other Arizona departure point, plan on driving 2 hours or more to the South Rim, then taking a 30- 45 minute helicopter tour from Grand Canyon Airport, located in the village of Tusayan.

If you have one full day to see the Grand Canyon, those driving from Las Vegas will likely choose the West Rim (a 10 hour day, including drive time) over the South Rim (an 18 hour day.) Likewise, folks coming from all points Arizona will likely want to visit the South Rim (a 12 hour day) versus the West Rim (an 16-20 hour day.)

Needless to say, if you have multiple days to see the Grand Canyon, either Rim – or even both – is do-able as long as you plan nearby overnight accommodations. The vast majority of visitors choose to stay overnight in or around the South Rim since there are far more lodging choices and room availability at the South Rim than the West Rim.

#3 What kind of view do you expect? Deep and narrow, or wide and expansive?

The South Rim views are the classic Grand Canyon views with which you’re probably familiar.  Wide, expansive, and panoramic – the Grand Canyon as seen from the South Rim is an almost surreal, unbelievable sight that will leave you changed forever. The view of the Grand Canyon from the West Rim is impressively deep, with narrower canyon walls plunging downward to the Colorado River below. Many visitors delight at the unique view of the Grand Canyon available only at the West Rim; the view from the Grand Canyon Skywalk. The view straight down through the glass cantilevered bridge offers a sometimes dizzying perspective on the Grand Canyon and the rocky chasm floor 4,000 feet down.

#4 What kind of activities do you want to do? Hiking, river rafting, a helicopter tour or train ride?

At the West Rim, one can drive or take a helicopter or air tour from Las Vegas, land at Grand Canyon West, walk the Skywalk, fly down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in a helicopter, ride down the Colorado River in a pontoon boat, and go back up to the Rim for a horseback ride. At the South Rim, you’ll find helicopter tours, Jeep tours, bus tours, light walking and hiking, heavy-duty backpacking and overnight backcountry camping, and the ever-popular Grand Canyon Railway train ride. Upper and Lower Canyon river rafting trips typically end and begin, respectively, at Bright Angel Trail at the South Rim.

#5 Is your vacation budget a factor? Could cost make a difference?

The cost of seeing the West Rim differs from the cost of seeing the South Rim. In short, the South Rim is less expensive with regard to entrance fees, parking and shuttle costs (about $25.) The West Rim, which is not part of Grand Canyon National Park but is owned and operated by the Hualapai native American tribe; the Hualapai collect fees for entrance to the West Rim (a minimum of $43, not including tickets to walk on the main attraction, the Grand Canyon Skywalk.)

#6 Do you follow the majority or the minority of visitors?

Simply put, the majority of visitors come to the South Rim each year. Compare 4 million annual South Rim visitors to 200,000 visitors at the West Rim. There is a good reason people flock to the South Rim; it’s actually part of Grand Canyon National Park; it’s stunningly beautiful; it’s more developed by way of visitors centers and services; there’s more lodging nearby; you can hike, backpack and camp; it’s easier to access and is more centrally located for Arizona visitors; and it offers more activity and tour variety.

The West Rim is emerging as a destination so it offers fewer options for lodging, services, visitor centers and variety when it comes to activities and tours. Because it’s not a part of Grand Canyon National Park but actually owned and operated by the Hualapai Tribe on tribal land, Grand Canyon West is more a tour destination and pay-for-admission attraction than the National Park.  It’s proximity to Las Vegas, unique Skywalk attraction, beautiful rugged views and plethora of Las Vegas tour packages make the West Rim a fantastic choice for more and more of the Grand Canyon-bound each year.

I will be traveling to Las Vegas for my nephew’s wedding in early August 2011. We would like to fly in early and stay at the Grand Canyon one or two nights and do the White Water rafting trip from the west rim down and the helicopter back up.

What is your recommendation on where we should fly in to?  Where is a good place to stay that would still have availability?  Is it better to stay at the South Rim and drive over to the West Rim?  We also still need to make flight & room reservations for Vegas.  I have looked at discounted flight/room packages on line.  Is there a way to get rooms in the Grand Canyon 1 or 2 nights and then Vegas the other nights?

We have never traveled to this area and would like to take in as much of the outdoors as possible.  Or as much as we can handle due to the heat in August!

 

Thanks for your help,
Lori L., Pensacola, FL

Hello Lori!

Thanks for your email.

I assume for the Las Vegas portion of your stay, you’ll either stay at or near the location of the wedding and will easily find Las Vegas accommodations that will suit your needs, has availability, etc. August is not the peak season in Las Vegas so you should have no trouble finding a room there.

You may need a total of 3 nights to really do this pre-wedding portion of your trip. This is big country out here… lots of driving, walking, and touring makes for quite action-packed, and thus tiring, long days. Depending on your arrival time (you’re smart to try to arrive early; from the east coast, you’ll be gaining time but still, flying cross-country can be tiring) you may want to spend one night in Phoenix or Scottsdale or Las Vegas, depending on which itinerary you choose, and rest up for the next few days of moderate-to-heavy driving, walking, rafting and touring.

Here are two ways to do this trip with handy links to options for hotels, tours and packages:

• Day/Night 1: Fly into Phoenix (one way). Stay overnight at one of the hotels near Phoenix Airport.
• Day 2/Night 2: Drive to the South Rim (4 hours.) See the South Rim and stay 1 night at one of these hotels near the South Rim.
• Day 3/Night 3: Drive to Peach Springs early (about 2 hours) and depart on the 1-day whitewater rafting. They’ll drive you back to Peach Springs. That night, stay at the Hualapai Lodge in Peach Springs.
• Day 4: Drive to Las Vegas (about 3 hours.)
• After the wedding and the Las Vegas portion of your trip, fly home from Las Vegas (one way.)

Or

• Day 1/Night 1: Fly into Las Vegas (round trip). Have some fun and stay the night in Las Vegas. I suggest you book a nice but budget-friendly hotel off the Las Vegas Strip for this quick overnight.
• Day 2/Night 2: Drive to Peach Springs, AZ very early (about 3 hours) for whitewater rafting all day. They’ll drive you back to Peach Springs. Stay at the Hualapai Lodge in Peach Springs.
• Day 3/Night 3: Drive yourselves to the South Rim (about 2 hours.) See the South Rim all day, stay in or near the South Rim that night.
• Day 4: Drive to Las Vegas (about 5 hours.)
• Fly the return round trip home from Las Vegas.

When you book your whitewater rafting through the Hualapai tribe (Hualapai Lodge and River Rafting Packages are available) do add on the Grand Canyon Skywalk. You might as well do it as long as you’re already paying for the rafting and other mandatory fees applied to being on Hualapai land.

The South Rim is the “real Grand Canyon” and will give you an unforgettable and different experience than the West Rim, with plenty of easy walking, light to moderate hiking, education, dining, etc. Staying overnight at the Rim may be very limited in availability if not sold out for your dates, but you should be able to find something Williams (about an hour south of the South Rim.)

You’ll probably book your Grand Canyon and Las Vegas stays separately, on two separate “packages”… e.g. your Las Vegas nights alone and then a Grand Canyon heli+rafting package through the Hualapai Tribe and/or a Grand Canyon South Rim flight+hotel package through a tour booking service such as Viator.com, AllGrandCanyonTours.com or AllLasVegasTours.com.

Enjoy your trip!
– ChristinaToo

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:

Visiting the US for the first time from Wales UK in early April. We will stay in Phoenix for 2 days with our daughter at Uni.,then shuttle to Flagstaff for much of the remainder of our 10 day trip. The Budget Inn, Flagstaff, seems to be well considered or do you have another to recommend?
However, we fancy seeing Las Vegas for a short trip (1 or 2 nights.) Please can you advise us on travel? We would welcome advice. Thank you.

Rebecca R.

Dear Rebecca,

Your trip sounds wonderful! Welcome to the US!

Flagstaff’s weather should be lovely in early April; you’ll experience high temps of about 57°F (14°C) and lows around 26°F (-3°C) with a majority of the month being sunny or partly cloudy.

The Budget Inn in Flagstaff is not a hotel with which I’m personally familiar but I can recommend a couple of other hotels that might suit your budget as well as be a bit more comfortable for a 10-day stay. Look for “Inn and Suites” type hotels, which has become a sort of code word or euphemism for “upscale motel.”  I think a suite hotel, with a typical two-room setup (or at least a bachelor suite with a separate sitting area) and sometimes a fridge, microwave or even a full kitchen, makes an extended stay more comfortable, less expensive and healthier (when you prepare some of your own meals and snacks in the suite.)

Try these Flagstaff inn and suites:

• Hotel Aspen Inn Suites (around $64/night for a two-room suite in early April) Book Here
• Days Inn and Suites (around $75 – $99/night for a mini-suite to two-room suite in early April) Book Here
• Embassy Suites Flagstaff (around $129/night in early April) Book Here

» Another smart tip: Look for hotels with a 3rd or 4th Night Free promotion, and those with complimentary Continental or full breakfast included in the rate (such as Embassy Suites) to add further value to your 10-day stay.

Embassy Suites Flagstaff

Las Vegas is a great 1 – 2 night side trip idea, and it’s easy to drive there from Flagstaff.  I suggest you rent a car (I would rent a car in Phoenix for the entire trip, myself… Flagstaff is a walkable city, but you’ll need a car at some point, since cabs get expensive and there is no public bus or metro transportation in and around Flagstaff.) Drive yourselves to Las Vegas via Interstate 40 to US-93. Las Vegas is approximately 250 miles (402 km) and takes 4 hours, 10 minutes.  You can browse, compare and book Las Vegas hotels on Flagstaff.com’s hotel booking tool, and I suggest you opt for a Las Vegas hotel on “The Strip” versus Downtown Las Vegas or Off the Strip. Of course, the Strip is where you’ll find the ultimate in luxury hotels (and prices) but there are several budget-friendly casino resort hotels such as Bally’s that will put you right in the center of the action and still leave money left over for a little gambling and entertainment.

You can’t come to Flagstaff for ten days and not venture out to see the Grand Canyon (another reason to have your own rental car.) It’s just 90 minutes from Flagstaff to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, and you can soak up the awesome beauty in a day-long trip, walking along the Rim Trail to different view points, attending free Park Ranger talks and dining in the Grand Canyon National Park lodges and visitors’ areas. Check out our sister website, theCanyon.com, for things to do at the Grand Canyon, from helicopter tours to day hikes to free events.

Once again, welcome to the US and enjoy your trip!

– ChristinaToo

Dear Arizona Travel:

I am researching for at trip to Las Vegas in July.  I will be with 25-30 men, we are celebrating our 50th birthday.  We would like to take a 1-day white water rafting trip (class IV or V).  We are not interested in hiking, it is more about the white water!  Please give me your recommendations!

–Mitch M.

Hi, Mitch! What a great idea; you guys will have a great time. Because of your need to do a 1-day trip, with a departure from Las Vegas, you’re limited to just this one option, but I assure you, it’s a great one. The Grand Canyon White Water Rafting Trip from Las Vegas tour found here includes:

• Complimentary Las Vegas hotel pickup and return included!
• Enjoy a comfortable air-conditioned drive by van from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon (departure is from Peach Springs, AZ – about 3 hours from Las Vegas – 152 miles.)
• Enjoy approximately 5.5 hours of rafting through rapids reaching class 3 to class 6!
• Raft approximately 40 miles through the Grand Canyon with your expert rafting guide as sheer 4,000-foot cliffs surround you!
• Complimentary picnic lunch included!
• Ascend 4,000 feet from the floor of the Grand Canyon to the rim in a luxury jet helicopter! (7-minute flight approximately).
• Maximum of only eight passengers per raft
• This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience
• Native Hualapai guides ensure your safety throughout your rafting experience
• The helicopter ascent is weather permitting

This is a motorized trip so you will not be paddling, but you will experience exhilarating rapids nonetheless. With 8 passengers per raft, you’ll obviously need to book several rafts for your large group. You can expect a 15 hour day (approximately) from beginning to end. As an added bonus, this trip is currently on special, with a savings of $109.00 per person off the recommended retail rate of $578.99.

Enjoy your mens’ trip, Mitch. And Happy Birthday!

– 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 by snowpeak on flickr.com/creativecommons

Coincidentally, we had two visitors email us at theCanyon.com this week asking how they could see the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley in one day trip. Hmm, okay, yes you can do that. But both these visitors specified that they’ll be starting their trips from Las Vegas, Nevada and wanted to see the West Rim and South Rim. Whoa. Ooookaaaaaaaaayyy.

Listen, we get it… people want to see two spectacular vistas in one day, especially since images of these two parks have become iconic representations of Arizona. But you have to understand that going Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon to Monument Valley and back will span no fewer than 900 miles and 19 hours of driving.

In this post, you’ll find two realistic itineraries, one a 3-day plan and the other a 4-day plan, that each originate in Las Vegas, include sights like Hoover Dam, West Rim, the Grand Canyon Skywalk, helicopter and boat rides, the South Rim, the Cameron Trading Post, Monument Valley and Flagstaff. Shwew!

But PS: Before we do that, it’s interesting to note a couple misconceptions featured or implied in the email questions. First, the West Rim is not actually a part of Grand Canyon National Park, It’s on Hualapai Reservation land. Second, Monument Valley is in Utah, not Arizona. It’s in the Four Corners area of the US where Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado intersect. Neither of these things is a big deal… we just want to be clear as a bell.

Okay, ready to learn how to go from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon to Monument Valley? Me, too! C’mon!

Dear Arizona Travel:

We are thinking of doing a daytrip and helicopter flight from our hotel in Las Vegas in February. We don’t mind if it is a long day including the coach journey, helicopter or plane flights (maybe boat too) etc. We would like to see the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and West Rim of the Canyon. If possible would be great to see Monument Valley but I know that’s quite a long way from the Canyon. I was just wondering what trips you would recommend for that time of year and how much they would cost?

–Rob D., United Kingdom

Dear Arizona Travel:

Your website is really detailed, but I would like to ask your help. I am planning to visit the Grand Canyon this summer. This time I will take my kids too. I plan to drive from Las Vegas and want to see the West Rim, the Skywalk, to take trip on the river and to see the Monument Valley as well. Could you be so kind to recommend me a routeplan, and hotel if it is necessary?
I thank you for your kind assistance in advance.

–Gyorgy P., Budapest, Hungary

Las Vegas to the West Rim

Vacation plans that include the Grand Canyon West Rim, Hoover Dam and Lake Mead from Las Vegas are perfect.

For your coach/helicopter/boat tour of the Dam and the West Rim, there are several excellent choices.

First, Viator and LookTours and All Grand Canyon Tours (all the same company) are brokerage services offering dozens of these tour options that you can easily compare by price, customer rating, etc.  I would start there (viator.com and looktours.com and allgrandcanyontours.com) and see if you find a tour that fits your needs.

For example, their All American Grand Canyon Helicopter tour is extremely popular and priced at about $287 per person (currently on special.)  This tour combines a limo ride from hotel to airport, heli flight to the West Rim, landing down inside the canyon, a champagne picnic inside the canyon (which is great because the floor of the canyon is approximately 10 degrees warmer than the rim… good for February temps, which are still quite warm at an average high of 70 degrees and an average low of 42.) The only drawback to this tour is, I believe, you don’t have time to add a boat trip or walk on the Grand Canyon Skywalk.  You can find the All American Tour on our Grand Canyon tours page.

To get everything you’re looking for in a day trip, you may consider driving yourself. There is a company called U-Drive Tours that will rent you a high-clearance SUV, Jeep or Hummer and gives you everything you need to drive from Las Vegas over the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead to the West Rim. They include all entrance fees and tickets in the price of your package for a seamless day. You can upgrade your package with them to include a helicopter flight from the West Rim airport down into the canyon, a boat trip up the river, the flight back up to the rim and then you drive yourself home.  Meals are even included.  Tell ‘em Christina from theCanyon.com sent you… they will take very good care of you.

Here’s how to do it:

Day 1 – Depart Las Vegas for the West Rim.
Route:     South along US Highway 93 over Hoover Dam
Northeast on Pierce Ferry Rd (County Highway 25)
Take Pierce Ferry Rd north to Diamond Bar Rd (County Highway 261)
Go east on Diamond Bar Rd.
Arrive Grand Canyon West.
121 miles/195 kilometers – Time: 2 hrs 30 min

From here, we recommend you spend the night near the West Rim. You can either add an overnight stay through U-Drive Tours or book your stay at Grand Canyon West Ranch. Another option is to stay overnight in Kingman.

Day One, above, is the same whether you do a 4-day trip or cram it all into 3 days. Depending on how old and car-tolerant you and your kids are, you may want to continue on our 4-day itinerary:

Four Day Itinerary:

Day 1: Las Vegas to West Rim (stay overnight at the Grand Canyon West Ranch): 121 miles this day
Day 2: West Rim to South Rim (stay overnight in Tusayan on inside the park): 242 miles this day
Day 3: South Rim to Monument Valley and back to Flagstaff (stay overnight in Flagstaff): 178 + 174 miles = 352 miles this day
Day 4: Flagstaff to Las Vegas (stay overnight or fly out of Las Vegas): 242 miles this day

West Rim to South Rim

Here are the routes you’ll take:

Day 1 – (4 day trip) See above.

Day 2 – (4 day trip) West Rim to South Rim
Route:      Take Buck and Doe Road to Diamond Bar Rd (County Highway 261)
South on Stockton Hill Rd toward Kingman
At Kingman, take Interstate 40 East to Williams
At Williams, north on Highway 64/180 to South Entrance to the Grand Canyon South Rim (town of Tusayan)
Arrive Grand Canyon South Rim. Be sure to explore Grand Canyon Village, attend Ranger Talks (free), walk the Rim Trail, visit the Visitors Centers. Have lunch at the El Tovar hotel.
242 miles / 389 km – Time: 4 hours 35 minutes

South Rim to Monument Valley to Flagstaff

Day 3 – (4 day trip) Tusayan/South Rim for Monument Valley and then Flagstaff
Route:     From inside the Park, take Highway 64 East to Cameron (also known as Desert View Drive)
Be sure to stop at the various Grand Canyon overlooks along the 26 mile Desert View Drive!
At Cameron, take US Highway 89 North
Turn right on Navajo Trail /US Highway 160 East toward Kayenta
At Kayenta, turn left onto US Highway 163 North
Arrive Monument Valley Start Park (in Utah)
178 miles / 286 km – Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Return approximately 172 miles (4 hours 20 minutes) to Flagstaff for overnight stay OR stay at the Cameron Trading Post Lodge halfway between Monument Valley and Flagstaff in Cameron on Highway 89 North.
Total: 352 miles / 566 km – Time: 8 hours 50 minutes

Flagstaff to Las Vegas

Day 4- (4 day trip) – Depart Flagstaff for Las Vegas
Route:     Take I-40 West
Take Highway 93 North to Las Vegas
242 miles / 406 km – Time: 4 hours

Three-Day Itinerary

For a 3 day trip of heavy driving and less time at the parks:
Day 1: Las Vegas to West Rim (stay overnight at the Grand Canyon West Ranch): 121 miles this day
Day 2: West Rim to Monument Valley and back to Cameron (stay overnight in Cameron): 372 + 172 miles = 544 miles this day
Day 3: Cameron to South Rim to Las Vegas (stay overnight or fly out of Las Vegas): 332 miles this day

Las Vegas to West Rim

Day 1 – (3 day trip) – Depart Las Vegas for the West Rim.
Route:     South along US Highway 93 over Hoover Dam
Northeast on Pierce Ferry Rd (County Highway 25)
Take Pierce Ferry Rd north to Diamond Bar Rd (County Highway 261)
Go east on Diamond Bar Rd.
Arrive Grand Canyon West.
121 miles/195 kilometers – Time: 2 hrs 30 min

West Rim to Monument Valley to Cameron

Day 2 – (3 day trip)  –     Depart Grand Canyon West Ranch for Monument Valley
Route:      Take Buck and Doe Road to Diamond Bar Rd (County Highway 261)
South on Stockton Hill Rd toward Kingman
At Kingman, take Interstate 40 East to Flagstaff
At Flagstaff, take US Highway 89 North
Turn right on Navajo Trail /US Highway 160 East toward Kayenta
At Kayenta, turn left onto US Highway 163 North to Monument Valley State Park (in Utah)
372 miles / 598 km – Time: 8 hours 30 minutes
Arrive Monument Valley
Return approximately 119 miles (3 hours) to Cameron for overnight stay
Total: 491 miles / 790 km – Time: 11 hours 30 minutes

Cameron to South Rim to Las Vegas

Day 3 – (3 day trip) – Depart Cameron and head south on Hwy 89
Route:    Turn right on Highway 64 (Desert View Drive) into the East Entrance to the Grand Canyon South Rim
Be sure to stop at the various Grand Canyon overlooks along the 26 mile Desert View Drive
Explore Grand Canyon Village at the South Rim.  Attend Ranger Talks (free), walk the Rim Trail, visit the Visitors Centers. Have lunch at the El Tovar hotel.
Depart the South Rim on Highway 64 / Highway 180 toward Williams
At Williams, take I-40 West
Take Highway 93 North to Las Vegas
332 miles / 534 km – Time: 7 hours

or…Cameron to Las Vegas

Day 3 Option (3 day trip…skip the South Rim) – Depart Cameron for Las Vegas
Route:     Take Highway 89 South to Flagstaff
At Flagstaff, take I-40 West
Take Highway 93 North to Las Vegas
242 miles / 406 km – Time: 4 hours

There you have it. Hope these tips and sample itineraries help you readers, too.

While it might not be any surprise that the South Rim of the Grand Canyon receives the lion’s share of the 5 million visitors to the National Park each year, you might not realize that lodging options are not limited to the Grand Canyon National Park lodges inside the south rim of the park. With half a dozen cities and towns peppered around the national park’s edges, and within a day’s drive to several larger metro areas like Las Vegas, Sedona and Phoenix, the geography of places to stay at the Grand Canyon lends itself to lots and lots of options. Last year, we polled thecanyon.com visitors to hear what they had planned for their Grand Canyon vacations. Here are the results of the most popular places to stay at and around the Grand Canyon.

• South Rim – 27%
• North Rim – 14%
• West Rim – 12%
• Tusayan or Williams – 17%
• Jacob Lake, Lees Ferry or Southern Utah – 3%
• Las Vegas – 9%
• Sedona – 8%
• Flagstaff – 9%
• Phoenix Metro Area -3%

Bob and Ellie Haan, Lafayette, took a whitewater raft trip on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon Aug. 16 through 26.

ACCOMMODATIONS

A rafting trip through the Grand Canyon was something my wife and I had dreamed about for years. On two different occasions, I had hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back in the same day, but a rafting trip had to be booked a year in advance. Last summer we made reservations a year in advance for an 11-day trip through the canyon. We chose Colorado River and Trail Expeditions, a small family-owned rafting company. The guides were well-educated, polite, friendly, and added greatly to the enjoyment of the trip. The passengers helped set up camp each evening, doing such jobs as helping unload the rafts and setting up serving tables and lawn chairs.

FOOD

The guides did everything else, including providing hot meals for breakfast and dinner and laying out a make-your-own sandwich spread for lunch. Steaks, lasagna, salmon, French toast, bacon and eggs, cheesecake, and white cake were among the many items served. If you liked the hot oatmeal served at one breakfast, you would consider all of the meals delicious. Fortunately, they provided plenty of brown sugar for the oatmeal.

THE TRIP

For our trip, we started with seven guides and 13 passengers. At the halfway point at Phantom Ranch, four hiked out and six hiked in, so for the second half of our trip we had 15 passengers. Each oar boat had two or three passengers, and the paddleboat had six or seven passengers and one guide.

We started at Lees Ferry at mile marker zero and floated to Whitmore Wash at mile marker 188 where we were picked up by helicopter, flown to Bar 10 Ranch, and then flown by chartered commuter airline to Las Vegas.

We always thought a trip through the Grand Canyon would be about whitewater rafting but that turned out not to be the case. It was about the canyon. There were plenty of rapids, an average of about one every three miles, but it was anything but boring in between. The scenery was breathtaking. There were no distractions from cell phones, television, radio, or traffic noise. There was nothing to do in the evenings but enjoy the companionship of the other passengers in delightful conversation. We would sit along the river and just relax.

It was hot in the canyon, but in the rafts you would always be wet from the rapids. If for some reason you were dry, you simply dipped your helmet in the river and put it back on. The water was 45 degrees where we started and warmed up to 55 degrees by the end of the trip. We bathed in the river but didn’t take long. At night we slept under the stars without tents.

THE SCENERY

As a person always on the go, I wasn’t sure I would be able to shut down for almost two weeks. Once in the Grand Canyon, I was totally relaxed.

Each day was different. On many days we hiked into a side canyon. Waterfalls were everywhere. Some were more than 100 feet high. In many, we stood in the middle and let the water cascade down over us. Some were in a series with waterfall after waterfall. At one especially inspiring place called Thunder River, the water came out of the side of the canyon into a pool.

On the ninth day, it rained. While rain could put a damper on most vacations, it was a thrill to experience rain in the Grand Canyon. In Indiana, the ground absorbs much of the rain, but it’s different in the canyon. Within minutes after the rain started, water came cascading down from the canyon rim. Some would fall hundreds of feet and seem to evaporate in a mist. Some combined to form larger streams that ended with a powerful waterfall into the Colorado River. During the heavier part of the rain, Zak, the head guide, found a rock outcropping where we found shelter and stood in awe of the sights around us.

DON’T MISS

For the first nine days of the trip, the guides kept talking about Lava Falls Rapids, the largest on the trip. People had rotated in and out of the paddle boat for the entire trip, and Ellie and I thought we would not be able to board for the Lava Falls trip. On the morning of the day we were to pass through Lava Falls Rapids, many chose to ride in the safer oar boats, so both Ellie and I were able to experience the full power of the Colorado River.

Everyone should experience the Grand Canyon from the Colorado River. Standing at the top is amazing, but traversing the entire canyon is beyond words. Ellie and I don’t know what our next adventure will be, but it will be hard to top this trip.

From the Lafayette, Indiana Journal & Courier Online

DATE: Tuesday, July 25, 2006

WHAT: The process of welding the steel beams for the glass cantilever-designed bridge, The Skywalk, is now underway. Shortly after the steel is fitted and welded together a process called “Jack-and-Roll” will be used in order to extend the bridges cantilever “U” shape steel piece 4,000 feet over the canyon. The total completion time for the “Jack-and-Roll” process is currently unknown, but is expected to take between eight and 24 hours. The process of placing the glass to the steel is currently under discussion on whether it will take place before or after the “Jack-and-Roll.”

WHO: The Skywalk is a partnership between the Hualapai tribe and entrepreneur David Jin of Las Vegas. The design team includes Las Vegas-based MRJ Architects, Lochsa Engineering, LLC and APCO Construction. The glass is being manufactured in Germany and Austria by Saint Gobain, a European company that specializes in designing architectural structural glass for unique building projects worldwide. The steel was manufactured by Mark Steel in Utah.

WHEN: The glass bridge preparation process is now available for viewing by appointment only to the media. The visitor’s center will be accessible and open to the public beginning first quarter 2007. It is anticipated The Skywalk will open to the public during fourth quarter 2006, with access through a temporary tunnel while the visitor’s center is being completed.

WHERE: Grand Canyon West is located approximately 120 miles east of Las Vegas, NV, and 72 miles northwest of Kingman, AZ. Attractions available at Grand Canyon West include The Indian Village with authentic dwellings, The Hualapai Market, and The Hualapai Ranch, a western town with horseback and wagon rides. Grand Canyon West is the only location throughout the entire Grand Canyon where visitors can access the river and water recreation activities at the bottom of the canyon via helicopter tours. For more information and how to purchase visitor packages, log on to www.destinationgrandcanyon.com or call 1(877) 716-WEST (9378).