Helen

My husband and I will be in Vegas in September and would love to visit the Grand Cannyon.Can we get there by public transport, rather than hiring a car and is it something we could enjoyably do in one day, or would a stop-over be necessary?
Thanks in advance for your help...

Alan

Hi, Helen!

Check the online Greyhound timetable from LV to Flagstaff, AZ. If you take an overnight bus that arrives in the morning, you will probably find, as we did, that there is a mini-bus waiting for people who want a day trip to the canyon. The drive takes about two hours, and if you do the one-day trip, you are back in Flagstaff at around 4 p.m. There are plenty of motels near the bus station where you can refresh yourself for the second evening before heading back to Vegas.

grizzlyadams

Mule

Raven

(If my posts appear a few times, sorry, they don't seem to be going through)

You can go by plane, helicopter, or bus. I will be driving down from Vegas this weekend. Folks are saying it's in the neighborhood of 5 1/2 hours. You'd probably have to spend the night (Williams, AZ is cheap), but it may be more enjoyable to do things at your own pace. Here are links to a few tour guides that offer services:

www.helicoptour.com
www.scenic.com
www.papillon.com
www.maverickhelicopter.com
www.heliusa.net
www.grandcanyontourcompany.com
www.beyondlasvegas.com
www.anywheretours.com
www.airvegas.com
www.atour4u.com
www.18002canyon.com

ken

Helen, My wife and I went to Vegas a few years ago and we took a small plane from Vegas to the grand canyon. There are several tour campanies in Vegas that offer this trip. It's more expensive but worth it because it takes alot less time to get there. Good luck.

Helen

Thanks very much for all your suggestions - and for not picking me up on the fact that canyon only has one 'n'! Sheesh - and I thought I could spell...

Cheryl

There is a tour company in Vegas called Action Tours (www.actiontours.com). I've toured with them twice. One of our tours was to Grand Canyon west. It's a section of the Grand Canyon on the Hualapai Indian Reservation, which is west of the GC Nat'l Park border. This section of the Grand Canyon is not as wide as it is in the nat'l park section, but it is just as deep, and it is spectacular. The tour we took is called "Grand Canyon West/Colorado River." There is only one road in the Grand Canyon that leads down to the Colorado River, and it is on this reservation. The tour takes you down to the river. I can't begin to describe what it's like to stand next the the Colorado River and look up at the canyon walls. The only other way to do this is to hike or take a mule ride in the nat'l park. Then, you drive back up and across some wild, desolate desert terrain to the rim of the canyon. There are no railings. When we were there, there were no other people. We lucked out that day...no one else had booked that tour so we had our own private driver, who was extremely knowledgeable. We was able to answer any question we had about the canyon, desert, or the Hualapai. Their vehicles were large SUV's and very clean. We toured with them again last year on a day trip to Valley of Fire and, again, our experience with them was excellent. It was awesome to see the Grand Cayon from both directions and still get back to Vegas in time for a shower, dinner, and a night out.

I'm sorry for carrying on, but my enthusiasm gets the better of me when I think of that wonderful day. P.S. They also offer helicopter and plane rides to the canyon. Have a great time.

Cheryl

I forget to mention in my previous post that your tour drive picks you up at your hotel.

Helen

Thanks Cheryl - that sounds like a very interesting option, I can see why you are so enthusiastic!
Another question if you don't mind: Anyone out there ever taken a tour with the Grand Canyon Tour Company? They've got a special offer on their web site for a helicopter ride from Vegas to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon and a landing at the bottom for $469.99 for two people. Only catch is, it has to be booked by tomorrow and I can't decide what to do. Is this a good offer? Aer they are reputable company? Any help would be very much appreciated...

Cheryl

Helen, did you check out the website I mentioned (www.actiontours.com)? I just checked their prices for air and helicopter tours, and their prices ranged from $199.00 per person (for a plane ride to the south rim, landing and taking a bus tour around the south rim) to $229 per person for a helicopter ride to the west rim. I don't think this other company is giving you a bargain rate. Of course, that doesn't mean that their not reputable or good! If Action Tours runs their flights like they do their ground tours, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. (I should get a job with them....I think I'm their biggest supporter!)

Maura

Cheryl you give a lot of great info. You mentioned that your trip to the Grand Canyon was a day trip. Do you think it was too taxing. How long was it? If you had to do it over would you have taken a plane? Does anyone know are the planes those really small one. Thanks for any information.

Cheryl

Helen, it was a long day. However, we had never been to the southwest before and we really enjoyed the ride past Lake Mead and through the desert. Our driver was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot about the whole area. We were pretty wiped out when we got back to Vegas, but after a quick shower, dinner and drinks we caught a 2nd wind and had a great time in the casino.

I can't answer your question about flying; I personally wouldn't fare well in a small airplane. If I took the trip over, I wouldn't fly just because I'd be way too scared (although I'm sure it's safe). I'm sure a lot of people have taken one of those tours, though, and perhaps a search of this site will bring something up. If you do decide to fly, you can go the the South Rim (in the Nat'l Park) section rather than the west rim, where the ground trip I took goes. Perhaps an e-mail or phone call to the tour company will give you better info. Hope this helps.

Cheryl

Maura, I should have directed my last post to you. Sorry.

Maura

THanks for the input Cheryl. I still don't know if I want to devote an entire day to driving. How long were you actually at the Grand Canyon?

Cheryl

Maura, we were picked up at 7:00 a.m. and returned at 6:00 a.m.

Cheryl

I should pay better attention to what I'm reading. You asked how long we were at the canyon, not how long the whole trip was! Well, the driver made several stops on the way down to the river. We got out, walked around a bit while he pointed out things of interest. We then parked at the river's edge, and got out for a short while (30 minutes, maybe?). It was a long ride back up to the top of the canyon, over the desert, to the west rim. Probably spent 1 1/2 hrs. at the rim. It was definitely a long day, but one of the best of my life. A bus trip to the south rim would make for an even longer day. Perhaps flying is the best way for you to go.