Grand Canyon Tours

Ask any of the 22,000 Colorado River runners who brave Grand Canyon white water river rafting trips each year to describe the experience and you’re likely to hear that it is “the trip of a lifetime.” Licensed Grand Canyon rafting companies vie with eager private boaters for the limited Grand Canyon Colorado River rafting permits the National Park Service make available every year. Kayaks, dories, oar-powered inflatable rafts, and graceful motorized rigs are the watercraft of choice through this world-class Grand Canyon whitewater rafting wonderland. Trips are moderately expensive, and last anywhere from one day to two weeks. There are also different levels of excitement available for these trips. Float trips tend to be more mild and and travel mostly on the smoother part of the Colorado River with less rapids. Other trips take on the Class 5 rapids head-on! If you have the desire to travel through the Grand Canyon via water, there is a river rafting trip for you.

Many Grand Canyon river rafting trips depart by van from Flagstaff or Las Vegas and put-in at points like Lees Ferry, located about 2 1/2 hours from Flagstaff and about 50 miles north of the North Rim entrance. These trips start booking up a year in advance, but it never hurts to keep an eye out for last minute cancellations or unfilled spots. There are a few Grand Canyon river rafting booking companies on TheCanyon.com that work with all of the difference rafting companies to assist in filling the available spots. If you're looking to book last minute, look at or Special Deals page or our 11th Hour Getaways. You might just be able to book a river rafting trip down the Colorado last minute and maybe even get special pricing!

Hiking the Grand Canyon is the most intimate and profound experiences one could have with nature. With every step, the rugged terrain introduces a new perspective of the depths that make up the Grand Canyon. There are several Grand Canyon hiking trips to choose from. From backcountry backpacking hikes or backpacking with mule assist, to hiking then camping or staying at a Grand Canyon hotel, there is a hiking trip for you. Guided hikes can range approximately anywhere from 14 to 44 miles over 3 to 7 days or so. It really depends on the hike you chose and which guide service you are hiring.

There are a few hiking trails that are conducive to an average fit adult to hike, but many people underestimate the demanding nature of hiking the Grand Canyon. Bringing enough water, staying cool or warm in more sever temperatures, pacing oneself, being appropriately fit, and knowing how to get help when something goes awry are essential to hiking the Canyon. If you are not completely confident in your abilities to manage a safe hike, then hire a Grand Canyon hiking guiding service. These hiking guides are passionate about the Grand Canyon and are more than happy to keep you safe while sharing their love for this truly unique place on Earth.

Grand Canyon tours on the ground are a great way to see more of the Grand Canyon in a shorter amount of time. Bus and coach tours go to the South and West Rims. These tours are highly recommended if you would like to see the Canyon in comfort. If you're feeling adventurous and want to see and do it all, some of these ground tours are combined with helicopter rides, river trips, lodging and dinner reservations. There's a ground based Grand Canyon tour for almost every kind of visitor and they range in time from a few hours to multiple days with lodging included.

Visitors should know that even though the approximate straight-line distance between the South and North Rims of the Grand Canyon is only about ten miles, the driving distance is about 215 miles and amounts to five hours driving time. Ground tours leave from many of the towns and cities surrounding the different parts of the Canyon. There are van tours that go to the South Rim departing from Sedona, Flagstaff and Williams; bus/coach tours depart Las Vegas or Los Angeles; Jeep tours often leave from Williams or Las Vegas. But depending on your location and what you want to see, you may want to take a combination ground-and-air tour to get the full experience.

Usually, visitors headed for the South Rim - the most popular area of Grand Canyon National Park - frequently embark on tours from Williams, Flagstaff, Sedona, Phoenix or Las Vegas aboard a comfort-ride van or coach, particularly when the tour is taken in place of transportation. Popular South Rim tours also include the Grand Canyon Railway, which departs Williams for Grand Canyon Village daily, and 30 to 45-minute helicopter tours, flying from the Grand Canyon Airport near Tusayan over the South and North Rims and back. Grand Canyon tours from Las Vegas are typically destined for Grand Canyon West, an area of Hualapai Nation located outside the National Park and home to the glass Skywalk attraction. The South Rim is also a popular destination from Las Vegas. Tours from Las Vegas commonly include transportation by van, coach, helicopter, airplane and Jeep (or a combination therein) and range in price from under $100 per person to over $600 per person.