Grand Canyon bus tours
are some of the most popular Grand
Canyon tours offered, largely due to the fact that
they are both affordable and practical. Due to its
relatively remote location, getting to the Grand Canyon
can be a task in and of itself, so when you finally arrive,
you might find yourself not wanting to do a bunch of driving.
After all, you are on vacation and so you might as well
leave the driving up to somebody else. Grand Canyon
bus tours let you sit back and enjoy some of the best
views of the canyon and the surrounding area. Whether
you are coming from Las
Vegas or are looking to add a Grand Canyon bus trip
to your Arizona-based vacation, you will find plenty of
opportunities to arrange an informative and fun bus tour
Grand Canyon experience.
Grand Canyon bus tours are best enjoyed in the summer, spring and fall when the roads are less likely to be affected by snowfall. Most visitors to the Grand Canyon National Park choose to arrive at the South Rim, where you will find Grand Canyon Village and the majority of Grand Canyon tourism-related facilities. From the South Rim, visitors can select from a few different bus tour Grand Canyon options that highlight some of the best canyon attractions and views. Among the main South Rim Grand Canyon bus tours are the Hermits Rest Tour, the Desert View Tour, the Sunset Tour and the Sunrise Tour. If you want, you can also combine any two of the tours, with the option of doing both on the same day or on different days. The Hermits Rest tour is a two-hour trip that features stops at various overlook points, the most important being Hermits Rest, where you will find a native stone building dating back to 1914. On the Desert View tour, your Grand Canyon bus trip covers around 50 miles and lasts approximately 4 hours. As opposed to the Hermits Rest tour, which heads west from Grand Canyon Village, the Desert View tour takes guests along the eastern rim. A highlight of this tour is the stop at the “Watchtower Observatory” for views that are guaranteed to take your breath away. Both of these tours afford party members various views of the Colorado River and its rapids, which may inspire some to start planning a Grand Canyon white water rafting trip. The Sunrise and Sunset tours last about 1.5 hours each, and they offer stunning views of the canyon as its colors change with the rising and setting sun.
If you are vacationing in Arizona and are not staying
at the Grand Canyon, but would like to visit it, then
you can arrange a Grand Canyon bus trip from your preferred
destination. Whether you are enjoying the city sights
in Pheonix, or are moving
about on a quest to find the best Arizona
golf courses, you can find a Grand Canyon bus trip
from the more popular Arizona
tourist destinations. Often considered “the
gateway to the Grand Canyon”, the city of Flagstaff
is just 75 miles south of the Grand Canyon and Grand Canyon
bus tours from Flagstaff are a great way to explore a
handful of attractions both at the canyon and along the
way. Sedona, Arizona
is just 110 miles south of the Grand Canyon, and its breathtaking
beauty attracts some 4 million visitors every year, many
of whom compliment the experience with a bus tour Grand
Canyon escape. From Phoenix,
the trip is a bit longer, as the state’s largest
city rests some 225 miles south of the Grand Canyon.
A premier travel destination in its own right, visitors
to Phoenix will be happy to learn that they can arrange
a number of tours to the Grand Canyon, including Grand
Canyon bus tours.
Outside of Arizona, Las Vegas accounts for the greatest number of Grand Canyon bus tours, with enough options to satisfy almost every Las Vegas travel itinerary. In fact, Las Vegas, due to its proximity to the Grand Canyon, is a hotbed for all kinds of Grand Canyon tours, with the bus tours sharing in popularity with the Grand Canyon helicopter tours that depart from the Las Vegas area. While a plane ride or helicopter trip to the canyon from Las Vegas can start in the hundreds of dollars, the most popular Las Vegas Grand Canyon bus trip starts at under $100 per person. One of the best features of a Las Vegas bus tour to the Grand Canyon is that most companies pick you up at your hotel and return you there at the end of the trip. Generally, the more popular Las Vegas Grand Canyon bus tours last about 13 hours, but if you want to stay at the Grand Canyon for more than a couple of hours, then you can choose an overnight Grand Canyon bus trip that includes lodging at the various Grand Canyon hotels and lodging establishments. Generally, you will find that the various Las Vegas Grand Canyon tours, be they bus or air tours, include a narrative history of both the Grand Canyon and the American Southwest, as well as opportune stops, or flyovers, to such attractions as the Hoover Dam and Lake Powell. Once at the canyon, notable points of interest include Mather Point and the Bright Angel Lodge. Mather Point is one of the more famous Grand Canyon lookouts, and can be found at the South Rim near the Canyon View Information Plaza, where a wealth of tourism facilities abound. Bright Angel Lodge is a rustic lodge that dates back to 1935. It was designed by Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, a famed architect from the time, and it remains as a main center of activity for the South Rim to this day.