SKYWALK Grand Canyon West Rim Bus Tours from Las Vegas that DON'T Break the Bank!
Guys, there's a way to visit the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas on the CHEAP. How, you ask? Bus tours. Yup, these are the road-trips that get you to the West Rim in full, climate-controlled comfort at a price that won't decimate your bank account.
And yet there's a couple of things you need to know as you consider these trips. First, you need to allocate an entire day. By that I mean at least a full 12 hours. See, bus tours leave once a day around 7 a.m. in the morning. There are no departures after lunch or later in the afternoon. Returning, expect to be at your hotel's lobby around 8:30 p.m. at the earliest.
Lots of folks overlook this and think it's a show and drinks when they get back to the Strip. Forget that. You'll be spent upon arrival. My recommendation is shower up and hit the casino for Craps, beers and slots. Or storm a deli or a fast-casual place in the food court and chow down. But DO NOT make reservations at Wolfgang Puck's and the like. It's too hard to predict when you'll be back in Vegas.
Road Trip!
Understand that the West Rim is NOT a hop skip from Vegas. It's actually a 2.5 hour road trip that takes you south through Boulder City and Hoover Dam and into Arizona where you turn east into the desert for a leg of road that rolls and dips through the Mojave Desert. Just so you know, all bus tours use the Hoover Dam bypass. Gone are the days where buses crossed the top of the Dam. Further, you will NOT stop at Hoover Dam. There's not enough time in the day and the goal here is the Canyon.
Upon reaching the West Rim, you'll exit the bus and make your way to Eagle Pt. This is a wildly popular lookout and is just south of the Grand Canyon Skywalk complex. The views are spectacular but pay attention to where you are standing on the edge. There are NO guard rails and it's the responsibility of all guests to not go tumbling down the side of a Canyon Wall. This advisory especially applies to families with kids.
Skywalking
Just up the way is the Grand Canyon Skywalk. It's world-famous and I'm sure you've heard of it or seen pictures. In sum, it's an all-glass cantilever bridge that lets you walk about 70 feet over the edge until you are standing about 4,000 feet over the bottom. Look north and you'll see the Colorado River. South and you'll see Eagle Pt. No cameras or cell phones are allowed on the Bridge and there are secure lockets in which to stow your devices. Fortunately, there are photographers on the deck who will take your picture.
Off the bridges, it's onward to the hop-on hop-off shuttle bus, which is free and offers unlimited rides back and forth along the rim's edge. Get on and head up to Guano Point. It's another fabulous look-out and home to an abandoned Guano mine. The site is replete with remnants of the old mine and thick cables that were used to haul Guano (a/k/a bird poop, which makes a terrific natural fertilizer) back to the mine for refinement. Look south and you are now closer than ever to the Colorado River.
Hualapai Ranch
Couple other attractions you'll want to check out now that you've got the hang of the shuttle. Hualapai Ranch, for instance, is a fun place to spend time. It's an Old West Town with a steampunk vibe to it. Cowpokes, gunslingers, rustlers, bandits, merchants and more roam the streets looking to interact with visitors from the present day. There's even a shoot out that is scheduled to go down several times a day. Food is also available.
Speaking of food, you can find it hot and ready at the Skywalk Complex. There's a grill of sorts for quick orders, plus a more high-end dining area with tables next to windows overlooking the Skywalk and everything east of it. Quite dramatic if you ask me. Others have found it incredibly romantic (don't be surprised if you bump into a proposal happening on the Bridge itself). Right next to the Complex is the outdoor Native American interpretive museum. It's worth a wonder to knock off the pounds and includes tee-pees and live performances by the Hualapai Indian Tribe.
(The Hualapai are the Natives who live on the one-million-acre reservation that encompases the West Rim and the Skywalk. Please be respectful and understand that Native law and policing applies).
Bus tours include a generous amount of time to spend at the West Rim. It ranges up to 4 hours and from my experience it's more than adequate. There's also several types of bus-tour packages from which to choose to maximize your time there. So far, I've described the basic West Rim bus tour which DOES NOT include a Skywalk Ticket. However, you get this tour which includes a VIP SKywalk ticket (cheaper to do it online than onsite at the Rim). There's also a tour that I like to call the 3-in-1 because it includes a helicopter ride to the bottom and a boat ride on the Colorado River, and another I call the 4-in-1 that does the same thing but bundles in a Skywalk ticket.
Conclusion
Let's just say whatever you're looking to do at the West Rim of the Canyon, you can do on a bus tour. Plus they're cheaper than helicopter and airplane tours. The key thing that separates buses from air tours is time. And if you've got a free day and are hungry for great value, then bus tours are your new best friend. I do recommend that you try to book your bus tour as soon as you reasonably can because they are super popular and sell out in advance. Lastly, bring some snacks even though tours include a meal and hotel transfers. It's a full-day and you'll want to stay energized and HYDRATED - Keith
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