If you have booked a vacation to Las Vegas, you are probably planning on taking a day trip outside of the city for one of the days of your trip to go to the Grand Canyon. It would be a shame to come all this way only to not go a little further in order to experience one of the greatest scenic wonders on earth. Las Vegas has long been understood to be the perfect starting place for a Grand Canyon tour, because of it’s close proximity to the park, being about a one-half day’s drive from downtown. While it is preferable to actually drive out to the park and return the next day in order to have ample time to explore and hike, those with only one day of exploration time are usually satisfied as long as they are not the ones driving. This can be quite exhausting to drive 9 hours in a day while also hiking and exploring in a park. For this reason, a new marketing campaign has begun allowing tours to the “West Rim” of the Grand Canyon, which is 2 hours from the city. This area was completed recently with a tourist attraction called the “Grand Canyon Skywalk” which is a glass bridge suspended over the canyon floor. This installation has been heavily criticized for spoiling the natural beauty of the area, and many have wondered how such a structure can be developed in a national park that restricts development. This is because the Westy Rim is not part of the national park, and is actually land owned by The Hualapai Tribe. The Skywalk was developed to attract tourists to an area of the canyon that had little for tourist traffic, being outside of the national park and far less scenic than the actual park. While there is certainly nothing wrong with the West Rim, there are high levels of disappointment shown in reviews online by those who have booked a Grand Canyon tour unaware that theya re not visiting the national park itself. It is wise to make sure that you know where your tour is taking you, before booking.
The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is where the national park area is located. This is the lush and green area that has been photographed for nearly all of the imagery that has been depicted over the years in books and movies. The area provides ample opportunities for hiking, strolling and nature walks, photography and wildlife viewing. There are also rafting tours and burrow rides that are available through local companies. There is far more to do at the South Rim than at the West Rim, so the question becomes if you are willing to drive the extra distance in order to visit the actual Grand Canyon national park or not. Bindlestiff Tours provides tours to the South Rim, feeling that it is preferential over the area where the Skywalk is located. While the tourist attraction of a close drive and a glass bridge is there, we feel it is worth it to take the extra time in order to experience the real beauty of the Grand Canyon.