“Traveling- it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”
Ibn Battuta
One of the main pulls for a trip to Las Vegas for me was the day trip that could be had to the Grand Canyon. As one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the glorious magnitude of standing on the rim will leave you speechless.
I searched diligently for a tour that would do the canyon justice and chose Grand Adventure Tours (www.grand-adventures.com). Thankfully, this decision was made months in advance as their tours sell out quickly. For a planner like me their itinerary cinched the prospect perfectly. I was able to make the reservations for our group quickly and easily as well as pre-pay so the day of was nothing but fun.
The day began with our tour guide promptly picking us up at the front door of our resort. While I’m sure all of the other tour guides are great, I’m not sure they could out shine Darryl. The van was very clean and we had plenty of room for our motley crew of 8. We were picked up a little before 7:00 AM and had just enough time to make it to the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign as the sun was coming up. This early pit-stop ensured that we didn’t have to wait around for the crowd to dissipate for a good photo op.
On the way to breakfast, Darryl was full of information about the rich history of Las Vegas that I feel like you don’t get from run of the mill tour talk. Who knew the silent film stars were so instrumental in the current resort culture? Breakfast was a quick and easy affair at the local McDonald’s. Also, it was already paid for; which was a welcome relief from constantly pulling out our wallets.
The only unfortunate segway in our trip was the bypass of the Hoover Dam. Normally, Grand Adventure Tours makes a stop at the Hoover Dam; however, at the time of our trip, there were improvements going on at the Dam and it was subsequently closed to tourbus traffic.
Nevertheless, our journey continued with a short stop at the Lake Mead Reservoir to learn about its creation and the correlation with the Hoover Dam. Then, further crossing the border into Arizona. Without seeing the miles of desert dotted with Joshua trees, words fail to describe it. There is such a rustic beauty to the expanse of untouched land it’s incredible.
The Hualapai Tribe must feel the same way in their preservation efforts of their acreage of the Canyon. We had the privilege of stopping at their gift shop at the entrance to the West Rim of the Canyon. The gift shop had the usual tourist kitschy souvenirs of course but the best part was the hand painted ornaments, jewelry, and dream catchers. Also interesting was their collection of grow-your-own Joshua tree starter kits.
Once everyone’s tourist purchasing craving was assuaged our group continued on further into the Hualapai Reservation to the West Rim. Not for the faint of heart, one of the West Rim highlights is the SkyWalk. The SkyWalk is a glass bridge that juts out 70 feet over the Grand Canyon. There are lockers available for use right before you go out onto the bridge for storage of all personal items. Also provided are shoe covers that protect the glass from any scratches or scuffs to maintain the clear view down. By the way, looking straight down sends your focus 4,000 feet deep into the canyon; like I said, not for the faint of heart.
If you survive the SkyWalk, you can walk along the edge of the canyon rim and look out across its expanse or investigate some of the life size replicas that the Hualapai Tribe have constructed on more stable ground. Among the replicas, you can find a Hopi house, Plains Tipi, Havasupai sweat lodge, Navajo Hogan, Navajo sweat lodge, and a Hualapai Wikiup. During warmer times they also have an outdoor concert area where you can listen to some wonderful music as well.
After looking around, it was time for lunch which was also provided by the Grand Adventure Tour. They packed our lunch and brought it along; a good thing to note if you plan on visiting the SkyWalk area, there are no restaurants so you will need to bring all of your food. (If you can wait, there is a restaurant at our next stop, Guano Point.)
A short bus ride later found us at Guano Point. I found this view to be better, surprisingly enough, than the SkyWalk. There are several different elevations that you can explore to get a fantastic view of the canyon. If you are able, a short hike will get you to the highest point around and you literally feel like you are on top of the world. You can get a perfect 360 degree view from this point.
There is a café at Guano Point (and despite the name of the area, it smelled wonderful). We didn’t visit the café, just hopped back in the van from here and began the trek back to Las Vegas. A short two and a half hours later found us dropped back at our resort entrance just in time for dinner.
If you happen to be out this way, you cannot miss this tour!
