Every year millions of visitors arrive in Las Vegas, and hundreds of thousands of them will take a few days out of their vacation to do something different, touring the Grand Canyon. There are more than 14,000 searches on Google every month for “Las Vegas to Grand Canyon tours” and many of these people will ultimately make a decision about which company to hire to transport them from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon. The problem is that many of them will also be disappointed when they get to their destination and realize it is not the one they have seen in the books and magazines. This is because there are two different areas that you can tour that are both considered the “Grand Canyon” from Las Vegas. One area is the West Rim and the other is the South Rim, and they are vastly different.
Lets start with tours of the West Rim. These tours have been around for a long time but never really caught on because the West Rim does not have a lot of activities or scenery besides the canyon walls. The West Rim is not part of the Grand Canyon National Park, and is actually controlled by The Hualapai Tribe. Even though it is technically the Grand Canyon, it is not the area that has been protected by the federal government and is not nearly as developed as the national park is. One of the complaints about the West Rim is that there is little to do there except take pictures of the canyon walls, and to add value to the trip the Hualapai Tribe recently constructed the “Skywalk” bridge. This glass manmade bridge is suspended from the canyon walls and allows visitors to walk over the floor, wearing booties over their shoes. It is a common complaint that they have spoiled the natural beauty of the area and created a tourist attraction, but this in addition to the close proximity to Las Vegas (2 hours away) appeals to some visitors. If you only want to take a few pictures and have only a short time to visit, this may be an option for you.
The traditional Grand Canyon tours have always been to the Grand Canyon National Park, which is in the South Rim area. This is a protected space outside of Page Arizona, and offers the sightseeing, hiking, mule rides, helicopter rides and rafting that we have all seen in magazines. It is far more lush than the West Rim, and has thousands of species of plants and animals to observe. When most are asked, they state that the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is the best tour.
Many people will assume that any tour provider who offers “grand Canyon tours” is going to the national park area. Make sure before you book your tour with any operator that you are getting the tour you want, because it is difficult to try and redo a tour to the right place if you have limited time.
The article references information found on https://www.bindlestifftours.com/package/grand-canyon-overnight/