Hi All!

I just have a quick question that I'm hoping someone can help me with...

The misses and I are doing the Vegas/South Rim trip in April, and I was wondering if there is anyway to get to the bottom of the Grand Canyon other than having to hike down the trail (not gonna happen)?

Also, (one more) does anyone know of any 1/2-full day ratfing trips through the G.C.?

Thanks!!!

There is the mule ride to the bottom from the SR. Other than that, you are people hoofing it. It is not possible to raft the GC in one day. Too many miles. Even the 5 day ones start in the middle.

Hi there! We took the South Rim trip 2 years ago and it was the best vacation ever! We hiked down the Bright Angel trail - not too strenuous - however - if you check around you can find a 6 day tour that will take you from Lee's Ferry (no hike in) - which will take you through both the North and South Rims of the canyon. We plan to do this next time around. From what I was told by Wilderness Adventures (the outfit we took), they don't offer the 6 day N/S trip very often...but you could check them and other outfitters to see about availability. There's no other way to get to Phantom Ranch (the starting point of the South tour) other than hike down (unless you take a helicopter - but it is extremely expensive and I think they only use helicopters for emergencies). What I would do if the North Rim is not an option - take the hike the night before your trip and schedule a night at the Phantom Ranch - that way, you can hike down at your leisure and really enjoy it. When we went, we pretty much had to hike non stop - with very few breaks. I would call Wilderness Adventures or look on their website - it's a start. Have fun

The obvious issue is not the hiking down into the Canyon, but then having to hike up. Another alternative is to take Bright Angel Trail for just a short way - they have one and three mile options with well-marked turn-around points, water available at these points. While not the bottom of the Canyon, even the one mile hike gives you a totally different view of the Canyon.

The half day float trip out of Page, AZ goes down the Colorado River but not in the Grand Canyon. It's a FANTASTIC trip and I highly recommend it if you have the time. You can take the half day float trip from the Grand Canyon but it cost more money and you are on the bus longer. You can get the SAME trip from Page, AZ where they bus you to the drop off point at the base of the dam.


Here are my pictures:
http://www.tea.lithium.com/pages/vacation2003/float.htm

At the Grand Canyon, I've hiked down to Indian Gardens and I much prefer to walk along the rim and take in the different view points.

Utahtea

Doing a web search, I found some helicopter companies which have tours which go to the bottom of the canyon. Most seem to be day trips from Vegas or Sedona , not sure if the companies at the rim offer this service. So far I have found http://www.grand-canyon-connection.c...urs/HT005.html and http://www.grandcanyon-prices.com/helicopter.htm and http://www.skytreks.com/Grand_Canyon_adventure.html. I have done the helicopter trip over the Canyon and it is quite spectacular, and going to the bottom would be a great add-on.

I have also done the float trip from Page, down the river in front of Lake Mead. It is a very pretty trip, but is not white-water nor the Grand Canyon. I also think it could be quite cold in April, and the water will be freezing.

While I personally think this would not be worth the time and money, considering what you get, I do want you to be aware of all options. This URL

http://www.arizonaguide.com/nativeAm...region_id~.asp

notes how you can get to the bottom of PART of the Grand Canyon (far from the most scenic part) at the Hualapai Reservation. You can also take a half day boat ride on the Colorado; cost in 2003 was $250 per person. One big catch for this is that you have to be at their dock early in the morning, so you either spend the night at their lodge or pay for a helicopter ride.

Do a search for

"grand canyon" "west rim" hualapai

and you'll get more info. Interestingly, the Hualapai themselves no longer have an Internet site.

The float trip from Page, AZ on the Colorado River is not a white water experience...and as I have already mentioned, is not in the Grand Canyon. It is a float trip with motorized rafts and it was only $59.00 per person in 2003 if you did it out of Page, AZ per and is totally a different trip than the one that PaulRabe described.

Utahtea

Hi, I just returned from Vegas two weeks ago. I took a day trip from Vegas to the Grand Canyon with Vision Air. I flew to the southern rim of the GC, and took a helicopter down to the canyon floor. There, I took a boat ride on the Colorado River. The entire trip was $250. It was AMAZING!!