Donald Trump announced today via his press secretary Sean Spicer that he was donating his first quarter’s pay to the National Park Service during a
March 20 through October 7 is Antelope Canyon season. You may ask why we define the season for tours at this location so specifically, naming exact days when the season begins and ends (no, this does not mean that we do not tour Antelope Canyon outside of these dates, it just means that the best tours happen during these times.) The reason is pretty simple, the light beams. Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon (one of the most dramatic in the world) which means that it was not formed by mountains on each side but instead was formed by erosion of the earth in a specific path that the water has followed time and time again. You are literally walking in a crack in the earth that was formed by rushing water. You may notice right away that there is no river running through Antelope Canyon the way the Grand Canyon has one, which is the obvious source of the erosion. Antelope Canyon was actually formed by flash flooding removing the soft floor of sandstone over thousands of years, which is the same reason that Antelope Canyon cannot be guaranteed for visitation on any specific day. Because of the potential dangers that flash flooding poses to anyone within the canyon at the time it happens, Navajo Nation (who operates the park) has made the decision to only allow professionally guided tours, and ones that will adhere to restrictions in touring if there is a flash flood potential. Navajo Nation actually operates it's own weather station in order to advise potential tourists of the threat of flash flooding being present, so as to not have anyone within the canyon if it was to happen. Guides must also be understanding of the safety features that have been installed throughout the canyon, as
March 20 through October 7 is Antelope Canyon season. You may ask why we define the season for tours at this location so specifically, naming
The salt flats at Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park are one of the most popular attractions for visitors in the southwestern United States, each year attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors. Badwater Basin is the lowest point below sea level in the continental United States, and is one of the hottest places on earth. The area itself is nearly completely desolate, with a crust of salt covering the desert floor in all directions, developed by years of drying as a result of the brutal sun over an ancient lake that has since become a dry lake bed. The salt flats are a visual wonder, white crust covering the ground for miles making the area look like the surface of another planet. It is a favorite of photographers, those seeking meditation and just the curious who want to gaze over an unspoiled result of the changing surface of the earth. When damage is done to natural phenomenon like this, it can take thousands of years to be restored, if at all. It is not as if it can be repaired as though you were repainting a house, and instead will generally become a scar on an otherwise perfect landscape. On Wed., March 8 a van drove off the main road at Badwater Basin and onto the salt flats, leaving tire tracks the entire length of it's drive before sinking up to it's axles and becoming stuck. The van had driven for roughly one-half mile in the salt flats before sinking to the point of no longer being able to move forward or backward. The van remained in this place until two days later, when it was towed out by a tracked vehicle. The damage to the flats by both the van and the tracked vehicle that was necessary in
The salt flats at Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park are one of the most popular attractions for visitors in the southwestern United States,
Bryce Canyon is one of the most popular destinations in America to visit if you want to experience the stunning beauty of the National Parks that are protected by the US government. Bryce is roughly the same distance from Las Vegas as it is from Salt Lake City, which are the two nearest cities that can support traffic from major airlines. The drive to Bryce is about four hours from both cities, but smart visitors choose Las Vegas as the beginning of the tip far more than Salt Lake City due to the fact that cheaper flights can be had going to Las Vegas, and it also has a far better selection of hotels and restaurants. Lets face it, Las Vegas is also a better tourist destination to start from as well, because there is more to do there on the days when you are not touring the nearby National Parks. Our tours of Bryce Canyon are offered as multiple-park tours for a specific reason, that we can maximize our tour time of National Parks and minimize our driving time by first visiting Zion, which is only 2.5 hours from Vegas, and then traveling from there to Bryce. We also visit Monument Valley and The Grand Canyon on the same trip, due to the fact that we can drive only short distances between the parks and get the best experience of multiple areas while having only short drives in between. Bryce Canyon is absolutely spectacular, and is a must see for people who want to experience the beauty of southwestern open spaces. We allow our customers an even more unique experience than they might ever expect, because most people who see Bryce Canyon only see it during the day. Bindlestiff Tours chooses to allow our visitors to see Bryce at
Bryce Canyon is one of the most popular destinations in America to visit if you want to experience the stunning beauty of the National Parks
Is one of the places on your bucket list that you want to visit the Grand Canyon? It is one of the wonders of the world, and one of the most popular destinations on earth to visit due to the fact that it is also one of the most breathtaking views on earth. Quite simply, there is absolutely nothing like the Grand Canyon, and you will never see anything comparable to it in your lifetime. The south rim of the Grand Canyon is the more beautiful of the places where the canyon can be accessed, and while the other areas may have things like the Skywalk, we prefer the more natural beauty to the shock value of standing on a glass floor thousands of feet in the air. Our philosophy about experiencing the National Parks of the United States is to see the natural beauty that is offered instead of the tourist traps, which is why we choose to put the south rim into our tours. The main reason that people go to the other areas of the canyon is basically because they are only a few hours from Las Vegas, where most people from other areas start their trips to southwest parks. You need to start your trip from a city that has an airport that has commercial flights, and you need a city that has a wide choice of hotels for different budgets, which makes Las Vegas a perfect starting place. Because of the proximity to Vegas, many people choose to visit the less beautiful area of the Grand Canyon....but we choose instead to visit the more scenic area even though it takes longer to get there. To get to the closest areas of the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas only takes 2.5 hours, but to get to
Is one of the places on your bucket list that you want to visit the Grand Canyon? It is one of the wonders of the
Zion Canyon National Park is one of the most popular protected spaces in the United States to visit and explore. No more than a few years ago, many National Parks were having some difficulty with dropping visitor numbers, and governmental pressures to commit resources to spaces that had low tourism numbers. Basically, politicians were hesitant to give money to programs that would keep the parks in good repair, clean and staffed, due to sagging numbers of tourists visiting the areas. The response was an advertising campaign called "Find Your Park" that utilized television and magazine ads to illustrate the beauty of these protected spaces. The response was overwhelmingly successful, and tourism to the National Parks marketed skyrocketed. Zion Canyon National Park, however, saw far more of an increase in interest than others did. This can only lead people involved in the tourism industry to speculate on why. The answer might actually be found in the park's geographic location. Zion is roughly 2.5 hours drive from Las Vegas. While that may seem like a lot, it is actually about half the distance from Las Vegas as many of the other parks that were advertised like Bryce and Monument Valley. While most tour operators like ourselves will offer the tour of Zion as part of trips that visit multiple parks, many people will simply drive to Zion on their own. This is the reason behind the increases in tourist activity at the areas, and the best guess as to why Zion became so much more popular than the other parks is because it is the closest to a major city like Las Vegas, where people can take a commercial flight into and find a hotel room easily. Other nearly cities like Salt Lake City do not have as good of flight schedules
Zion Canyon National Park is one of the most popular protected spaces in the United States to visit and explore. No more than a few
In 2016 Death Valley had a rare event that comes around every ten years or so, historically. It isn't like it is something that is scheduled, but instead is a natural phenomenon that only happens when weather conditions are perfect. Seeds of wildflowers lay dormant in the ground of the area, not being given the proper conditions to actually germinate, laying in a dormant state that can last for decades without damaging them. When the conditions are correct, featuring late winter rain and early spring warm temperatures, hundreds of millions of wild flowers spring to life at the same time, creating blankets of color that are completely out of the ordinary for the hottest and driest place on earth. In an area that once recorded a temperature of 135 degrees, wildflowers are super rare. In 2016, tours of Death Valley spiked as far as interest from people worldwide, as they scrambled to get to Death Valley between early March and late April. The superbloom had happened, and word spread through social media that Death Valley was covered in yellow and purple flowers. Unfortunately for many, the short timeframe that the superbloom sees (roughly one month) when it is at its best viewing stages did not allow many people to actually book their trips to Las Vegas or to nearby towns in California, from where they could either drive or take a tour bus to Death Valley. Once many people had found out that it had happened, it was just too late to make arrangements. For the people who could manage to get to Death Valley, they found far higher numbers of other people there, and heavier traffic than usual. Basically, once word was out that the superbloom was in effect, a lot of people wanted to go. If you planned on
In 2016 Death Valley had a rare event that comes around every ten years or so, historically. It isn’t like it is something that is
Bindlestiff Tours is happy to announce the upcoming tour schedule for Death Valley tours in 2017. Tours of Death Valley, CA will be available leaving on Sundays and Fridays from select hotels and stopping points in Las Vegas. The tours are single day adventures that will transport visitors from Las Vegas to Death Valley for a price of $219 per person, including a boxed lunch provided. The tour is guided by one of our expert tour guides, who are experts on Death Valley and the aspects of the area that make it so unique. We are not like competing companies that simply put a DVD on the screens and drive from stop to stop, and instead we pride ourselves on allowing our guests to experience the areas with the help of our guides. This means stopping at points of interest, strolling, taking pictures, asking questions and experiencing the way you want to. The tour generally will stop at Zabriskie Point first, providing guests with the ability to hike to the summit and get a unique 360 degree view of one of the most extreme places on earth. We also make stops at Badwater Basin (the lowest point below sea level in the US) and Furnace Creek (where the hottest temperature ever recorded happened.) Other stops and points of interest round out the day of exploration that will illustrate the diversity and beauty of Death Valley. This year, the "death" in Death Valley might become a lot less dead if the expected superbloom happens. Once every ten years or so, a rare occurrence happens in the valley where ideal rain and weather conditions cause the area to spring to life with millions of wildflower blooms that are typically dormant. If the superbloom happens as expected, this should provide ideal viewing times
Bindlestiff Tours is happy to announce the upcoming tour schedule for Death Valley tours in 2017. Tours of Death Valley, CA will be available leaving
Monument Valley is a protected area located on Navajo land near the Utah and Arizona state lines. You have probably seen it before in movies, as it is one of the most-used backdrops for westerns that are illustrating the American southwest. Because Monument Valley is made up of a cluster of red sandstone buttes that tower as high as 1,000 feet over the desert floor, it is an iconic landscape that translates well in both movies and photographs. One of the more recent blockbusters that showed Monument Valley as a primary location for filming was "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," in which you may remember the son fashioning one of the buttes out of mashed potatoes! The entire area of Monument Valley is roughly five miles of the Colorado Plateau, and is tourable by driving, hiking, hot air balloon and many other methods of transport. Of course, we prefer the comfort of our busses to get to the best locations, then we can explore on foot if we want to! Monument Valley is actually part of the Grand Circle, which is America’s largest concentration of national parks and monuments. It includes Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Lake Powell, and the Four Corners region. For those unfamiliar with Four Corners Monument, where four states (Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah) meet, you can visit this area easily from Monument Valley. We offer our Monument Valley tours as part of our 3 day excursions that visit Bryce, Zion and the Grand Canyon as well. The reason for grouping these parks together into a longer trip is due to the cluster of the Grand Circle itself. We can minimize driving time by leaving Las Vegas and traveling to Zion, then to the other parks from there in a loop shape.
Monument Valley is a protected area located on Navajo land near the Utah and Arizona state lines. You have probably seen it before in movies,
Zion Canyon has become one of the most popular tours of a National Park in America. This is probably due to the wildly successful "Find Your Park" advertising campaign that was put forth by the US Parks Department over the course of the last year. The campaign was designed to raise tourism levels at National Parks nation wide, due to sagging visitor numbers over the past decade. Through a series of television and magazine ads, the benefits of the National Parks available for visit within different sections of the United States were highlighted. The campaign succeeded in raising tourism levels at most parks, however Zion Canyon showed increases unlike the others. Zion Canyon visitor numbers exploded, making it one of the most popular and visited areas in the United States. The question remains "why did Zion benefit so much more from the campaign than other parks?" The answer is believed to be found in Zion's geographic positioning. Tours of Zion have to begin somewhere, as do tours of any National Park. If you do not live within a reasonable driving distance to the park you desire to visit, then you are going to have to fly to the nearest city that supports commercial air traffic. You are also going to have to secure a hotel room in that city, and probably spend a certain amount of time in that location even though you are using it as the origin of a tour of Zion. With regards to distances from Zion Canyon, Las Vegas is the nearest city that supports traffic from major airlines. Las Vegas is also home to more hotel rooms than any other city in America, providing more choices of rooms within the budget of the traveler than any other city. Las Vegas is positioned about 2.5 hours
Zion Canyon has become one of the most popular tours of a National Park in America. This is probably due to the wildly successful “Find