Day Hiking at the Grand Canyon

Day hikes at the Grand Canyon don't require backcountry hiking permits. If you're not planning on spending the night below the rim, you don't need to worry about getting a permit for your hiking date.

You also don't need a backcountry permit if you plan on spending the night at Phantom Ranch in the dormitories or cabins, or are taking a mule trip into the canyon.

Day hikes are a great way to experience an inner gorge experience without the rigors of a trip all the way to the Colorado River. Some of the most popular hikes from the South Rim are along the "corridor" trails – Bright Angel and North and South Kaibab. A day hike on the Bright Angel Trail to Indian Gardens or Plateau Point is a good way to view the environment below the rim, and the hikes, while rigorous, are easier than going all the way to the river and back.

Day hikes along the rim trail are popular too, and the entire family can join in less rigorous hikes like these. The most popular trail is the Rim Walk that stretches from the Yavapai Museum to the Village and on to the West Rim.

Another Side of the Grand Canyon

Most visitors to the Grand Canyon visit the South Rim, and few make it to the more remote North Rim. However, the Grand Canyon stretches 277 miles from tip to tip, and the North and South Rims are just a tiny part of that vast gorge.

A nearby travel alternative for Las Vegas visitors is Grand Canyon West, part of the Hualapai Indian Nation, and home to a new way to view the Grand Canyon.

The Grand Canyon Skywalk is slated to open in late 2006 as part of a broad plan to bring more visitors to this section of the canyon. A high-tech glass bridge that juts out of the canyon rim like an outcropping, the Grand Canyon Skywalk allows visitors to observe the canyon around and below them all the way to the Colorado River nearly a mile beneath.

What to Bring on a Grand Canyon Air Tour

Before you pack your bags, check with your particular air tour company to see if they have restrictions on what you bring aboard. Definitely bring:
• A still camera or video camera, the view from the air is entirely different than the view from the rim or below.
• Binoculars. Some tours get close enough to the rim and inner canyon for tourists to view native wildlife.
• Bring water if the tour is longer than an hour or so.
• Bring a sweater or jacket, especially in the winter months. It's cooler the higher you go in elevation, so even if it's hot outside, you may get chilly inside the aircraft.
• Try to leave purses and backpacks behind, they can take up too much room and get in the way in small airplanes and helicopters.

Grand Canyon Helicopter Tours

A popular Grand Canyon tour from Las Vegas is the helicopter tour. Helicopters are a great option because they can travel where fixed-wing aircraft cannot, including the very bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Many tours offer the option of landing at the bottom of the canyon for a few minutes to an hour or more. The helicopters are usually faster than aircraft, so you can spend more time at the canyon and less time getting there.

Some helicopter Las Vegas to Grand Canyon tours include meals, or a champagne toast at the bottom of the canyon. Many different tour companies offer helicopter tours, and many offer discounts for booking tours online in advance. Check to see what amenities each company offers before you book your tour.

Backpacking Tours of the Grand Canyon

If you're fairly new to backpacking, some tour operators offer tours geared just to your needs and abilities. Several of these tours leave the Grand Canyon South Rim from the South Kaibab Trail, hike into the canyon, spend the night at Phantom Ranch in the bottom of the canyon, and return to the South Rim via the Bright Angel Trail.

This means about 16 miles of rigorous hiking in two days. If you are not in good physical shape, this hike can be brutal. However, if you're looking for a unique Grand Canyon South Rim tour, this is one way to see the canyon from a completely different viewpoint – below the rim – with an experienced hiker and guide along to help you over the rough spots.

Hiking in the spring or fall means lower temperatures inside the canyon and an easier hiking experience, so plan your Grand Canyon South Rim tour accordingly.

Combining Tours in Las Vegas

You get the best of both worlds when you combine a Las Vegas Grand Canyon tour. Many operators offer Las Vegas Strip tours, combined with an overnight tour to the Grand Canyon. You can experience the glitz and glitter of Las Vegas along with the beauty of a national park all in one.

Most tour operators can accommodate visitors with special needs, too. Some tour busses are equipped for the disabled, and special dietary concerns can be accommodated, too. Be sure to book your tours early because they fill up quickly, especially in the summer.

Bus Tours From Vegas to Grand Canyon

If you'd like to visit the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas, your best bet are Grand Canyon bus tours. There are more of them than any other type of Grand Canyon Las Vegas tour, and they are available just about any day of the year.

Most of these tours pick guests up at their hotels, and drop them off at their hotel after the tour is over. Many offer all meals and beverages along the way, too. Most itineraries include a stop at Hoover Dam and Kingman, then on to the canyon for several hours of open time to sightsee and shop.

Each tour company is different, so be sure to check whether meals, entrance fees, and drop-off and pick-up are covered in the cost of your Grand Canyon Las Vegas tour.