Skywalk Grand Canyon: Las Vegas' Best Day Trip

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Need a break from the Las Vegas Strip? Take a Grand Canyon Skywalk tour. The "glass bridge" is only 120 miles away and offers you the chance to go 70 feet past the edge and be 4,000 feet above the churning Colorado River.

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How to Get There

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The most popular ways to get to the Skywalk include bus, helicopter, airplane, and rental car. The most economical option is the bus, which is a 2.5-hour trip. The quickest way is the 25-minute airplane flight. Helicopters take 45 minutes. The most expensive choice is rental car, the fees for which add up quick because you are required to use a sport utility vehicle (high fuel and insurance costs).

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The route to the glass bridge includes Lake Mead, the largest man-made reservoir in the U.S.; Hoover Dam bypass bridge, officially known as the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge; and the Grand Cliffs wash. Bus tours include a Hoover Dam photo stop. The last 10 miles to Grand Canyon West is over rough dirt road. I suggest that self-drivers rent a vehicle with GPS.

Why the Glass Bridge is Unique

The Skywalk is an engineering and technological marvel. The glass-bottomed cantilever structure extends 70 feet into the canyon's chasm. Four-thousand feet below, the Colorado River roils. The bridge has been designed to withstand magnitude 8 earthquakes and support 71 fully loaded 747 airplanes. Even though the bridge was built to hold 800 people, the maximum occupancy is 120. The glass walkway consists of 46 panels that cost 0,000 each. Cell phones and cameras are banned from the Skywalk in order to prevent chipping and scrapping. You must wear cloth booties as well. On site are professional photographers who will take your photo.

How Much Does It Cost?

Compared to other Las Vegas attractions, the Grand Canyon Skywalk is a deal. There are three packages. You want the one called Legacy Gold. It includes Skywalk tickets plus unlimited access to Hualapai Ranch, Eagle and Guano Points, hiking trails, and the shuttle bus system. I've seen a lot of offers on the Internet that sell just Skywalk tickets. Don't be duped. You've got to get the pass, too.

I mentioned earlier that renting a car and self-driving to the Skywalk is the most expensive option. The least expensive and the most enjoyable is to take a tour. Trips include hotel shuttle service, all associated park fees, and tickets to the Skywalk. Grand Canyon West is also the ONLY place where you can ride a helicopter to the bottom of the canyon. This particular trip can also be upgraded to include a float trip down the Colorado River. Air tours take half a day. Bus and extended helicopter and airplane tours require a full day.

Summary

The Grand Canyon Skywalk is Las Vegas' greatest outdoor attraction. Located 120 miles away from Sin City, the glass bridge makes the perfect day trip. Grand Canyon views like this are few and far between. You get to walk 70 feet past the edge and immerse yourself in one of nature's greatest panoramas. Visiting the bridge is as simple as taking a helicopter, airplane, or bus tour. Then be prepared to be amazed.

Skywalk Grand Canyon: Las Vegas' Best Day Trip

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Types of Grand Canyon Helicopter Tours From Las Vegas

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There's a huge variety of Grand Canyon helicopter tours from Las Vegas. From air-only flights to rafting-combo packages, Vegas has it all. To get you shopping in the right direction, I've put together this short article spotlighting the most popular flights. I'm confident that your canyon experience will be off the charts if you book any one of them.

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First, Some Logistics

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Las Vegas helicopters only fly to Grand Canyon West, which is also known as the West Rim. This part of the canyon is just 125 miles from Sin City. Flight time is 45 minutes. Those wanting a South Rim helicopter flight will have to bundle that with a bus or airplane ride.

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The West Rim is located on the Hualapai Indian Reservation, which borders the Grand Canyon National Park. This rim is famous for a number of things, including the Grand Canyon Skywalk, the glass bridge that lets you walk 70 feet past the edge. It's also the only place in the entire Park where you can fly to the bottom.

West Rim Helicopter Tours

There are two kinds of helicopter trips: Air tours and bottom-landing tours. Here's details:

1. Air Only. Fly out of Vegas. Goes over Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam. Turns back over the West Rim, where you'll see the Colorado River, Guano Point, Eagle Point, Grand Cliffs Wash, the Skywalk and more. Total tour time is approximately 4 hours and comes with complimentary hotel shuttle service.

2. Landing Tours. These trips follow the same route as the air tours but land in the Reservation. Specifically:

A. Bottom Landing. Descends 4,000 feet to the bottom of the canyon. Disembark, enjoy Champagne breakfast, brunch or toast. Explore the floor and riverbank. Trip duration is 5 hours and comes with free shuttle service.

B. Bottom Landing with Boat & Skywalk. This trip extends the one above with a Colorado River boat ride and VIP passes to the Grand Canyon Skywalk. Lasts about 6 hours and comes with free transport to and from all Las Vegas resort-hotels.

C. Skywalk tour. Lands at Grand Canyon West Airport. Shuttle to the Glass Bridge. Unlimited access on the observation deck, plus about two hours to explore the rim. Sights include Eagle and Guano Points and the Indian Cultural Center.

These are the most popular tours from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon and they sell out quickly. My recommendation is that you reserve your seats at least one week in advance. Trying to book last-minute flights is a crapshoot and typically only recommended if you're a solo traveler.

Purchase your tour while in Las Vegas and you'll be overcharged. If you want to get the best deal, follow these 3 easy steps:

1. Book in advance (further out the better!)

2. Purchase your tour on the Internet

3. Complete the entire transaction online.

I'm very particular about #3. If for whatever reason you let an agent finish your online booking, you will in all likelihood be charged more. Today's travel websites are safe and secure. This is the only way I buy travel nowadays and I've never had an issue.

Las Vegas is a great place from whence to take a Grand Canyon helicopter tour. There's a lot of variety and prices are competitive. Further, the West Rim is less than 1 hour away. It's also the only place in the National Park where you can fly to the bottom. So, as you plan your trip to Sin City, by all means add a canyon helicopter ride. It'll be the time of your life.

Types of Grand Canyon Helicopter Tours From Las Vegas

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Grand Canyon Bus Tour From Las Vegas

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Experienced travelers know that the visit of the Grand Canyon by bus from Las Vegas is the best way to go and see this natural wonder. Prices start at $ 80 per person per package can be extended to some major deviation. If you are in Las Vegas all the way, do not leave without a ride on the bus to the National Park.

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Las Vegas is to drive two-seater bus to the throat: the West Rim and South Rim. Travel departingMorning and last for 15 hours a day (South Rim). The visit comes with all-inclusive hotel pickup and drop service to all major hotels in Las Vegas strip, a breakfast and a picnic dispute. Hands down, the South Rim bus tour is the most popular, then have fun on that.

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South Rim Bus Tour

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Yes, the journey is long, but worth it. The southern shore is a bargain. This is the place with beautiful scenery and mostawesome lookouts. You get up to three hours to explore the Park. Most guided tours take you to Mather Point, Yaki Point, and Yavapai Observation Station. Grand Canyon Village is your final stop. It's here where you'll enjoy the best gift shops, restaurants, galleries and museums.

If you are feeling really adventurous, I strongly suggest you extend your tour to include a helicopter ride. This flight leaves from Grand Canyon Airport in Tusayan (a small town just outside the gates of the National Park) and makes a beeline for the Dragoon Corridor. This is the widest and deepest part of the canyon. It's here where you'll really get an understanding of the canyon's magnitude. This trip turns back at the stoic cliffs of the North Rim.

West Rim Bus Tours

The bus tour from Vegas to the West Rim is 2.5 hours. The drive is effortless and before you know it you're standing at the edge of the rim. There's a free shuttle service. Use it to visit Guano Point and Eagle Point. Admission price includes access to the Hualapai Indian Village. This is an amazing reconstruction of an Indian village and includes Tee Pee, apartments and an outdoor amphitheater.

Many tour buses to add a helicopter to package and make their descent to 4000 feet deep in the throat. It comes with a champagne picnic. Once here, why not have a rafting tour of the Grand Canyon to the mix? The pontoons are great to walk upstream.Remember to bring lots of sunscreen, water and a hat - it's hot out there.

The other popular add-on is the Grand Canyon Skywalk. The glass bridge is world famous and attracts over 200,000 visitors a year since it opened in 2007. This world class attraction, you can walk 70 feet on the edge of the circle. Hold your breath and look down. It is 4000 feet above the Colorado River! There is awareness that canbreathless.

Book online

Vegas, Grand Canyon Bus Tour are in no way to reach the best way to get there. But not in possession of a knockout deal. Keep these bus tour through the Internet. Here is where tour operators and agents of their best offers. For example, I know one when you can return to the South Rim for only $ 80 per person. And 'phenomenal.

While the site was tempted to takefor customer service by phone and allows you to book your trip. Stop. This person at the other end of the line was commissioned salesperson. Book with them and see how you can not imagine it will be upsold. My advice is to have your questions answered, say "thank you" and then close the transaction online. It 's always more convenient that way.

Time to roll!

Allow us to help offset the band and the Grand Canyon in a bus trip to Las Vegas! These cars arehigh-end luxury buses. Departure day of leave each year, including holidays. Destinations include the West Bank and the South Rim. Feel free to update the packet bus with a helicopter ride or a rafting trip. It 'OK to splurge. Especially since the monster nail on the web.

Grand Canyon Bus Tour From Las Vegas

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