A few days into a recent trip to Las Vegas, it became clear to me that my bank account and peace of mind could both likely benefit from a calming day trip to the Grand Canyon.
I’m not much of a gambler, and the overcrowded Fourth of July weekend atmosphere in Vegas was getting to be a little much, so a relaxing experience with one of nature’s most incredible creations was just what I needed.
Like most Vegas visitors, I didn’t hit it big at the tables, so if I wanted to see the Canyon I had to do it cheaply.
The most popular day trips from Las Vegas involve an round-trip bus ride to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I knew I only wanted to spend one day at the Canyon, and I was content with merely strolling along the edge of the mammoth and taking in the views. After a lot of research and a few phone calls, my girlfriend and I decided on the South Rim bus trip tour provided by Grand Tours, one of the cheapest options at $82.50, including breakfast and lunch.
Grand Tours made two quick stops before reaching the Grand Canyon, the first at the Hoover Dam, and the second at a rest stop in Kingman, Arizona.
The Hoover Dam stop was worthwhile, though the lot we stopped in was packed with other buses and we struggled to find a good spot in the crowd to pose for pictures.
Nonetheless, the view above the massive Black Canyon that surrounds the dam was well-worth the stop.
The rest stop in Kingman was forgettable at best. The restrooms were tiny, overcrowded, and dirty, and the convenience store on premise wasn’t much cleaner or less crowded. If you take a bus trip to the Grand Canyon, do all you can to either stay on the bus at Kingman, or avoid it completely.
After a few more hours on the bus, we pulled up to the entrance gates at Grand Canyon National Park.
After providing us with some final bits of guidance, our bus driver and tour guide turned over our boxed lunches (turkey sandwich, chips, cookies, apple, water) and left us to explore the Canyon’s South Rim for close to three hours.
We took a quick shuttle up to Mather Point, and began a slow-moving walk, a 2 ½ mile photo-op back to our drop-point at the Bright Angel Lodge.
The trail along the edge of the canyon often encouraged daring walks out onto steep rock ledges, providing a frighteningly refreshing experience I won’t soon forget.
Our trip to the Grand Canyon was short, inexpensive and incredible – proving that sometimes pictures are worth more than any amount of words.
