Spot

Has anyone taken any of the tours offered at the Grand Canyon? I see they offer different "motorcoach" tours at different parts of the day. Are they worth taking, or are we better off on our own? This is our first trip and we will only have 24 hours to take it all in. Thanks.

Judyrem

Hi Spot, me too. We are going in Sept. I looked at the Park'e web site about mule rides. They won't accept anyone over 200lbs. That eliminates my husband by a few pounds. Have to find something else? Judy

Spot

I was thinking more of the motorcoach tours at sunrise and sunset, or the desert tour. Has anyone taken one of these? Has anyone taken the mule tour? Is it worth it?

E

IMO, the park is so easy to navigate by car, I cannot imagine why anyone would choose the motorcoach tour. The roads are all paved and clearly marked and would pose no problem dusk, dawn or dark. I would hate to give up the freedom to stop anywhere I wanted for as long as I wanted.
As for the mule "tour", it's actually a descent into the canyon via mule, and therefore somewhat physically strenuous, in open sun. It does not offer the same panoramic views you see from the rim, and if you only have 24 hours I would not recommend the mules unless going down into the canyon is a priority (plus, you can do this on foot, too).

PamR

I can think of a real good reason why someone would not want to drive a car there - most of the year the roads are closed to private vehicles! I was there many years ago and very much enjoyed the bus tour. We are going again in fall and I signed up for 2 of them. The prices seemed quite reasonable to me, and there is a deal called "grand tour" where you pay a flat fee and can pick 2 tours for less. I didn't bother with the sunrise or sunset tours since we are staying at El Tovar and I figured I'd watch from around there. I once saw the sun set from that area and it was breathtaking. Colors kept changing and different parts of the canyon illuminated.