Trip to Grand Canyon from LV?

Hello,

I am going to LV for the first time over Thanksgiving weekend. My husband and I will leave for LV on Friday and return home on Tuesday.

One of our friends recommended that we take a couple of side trips because, in her opinion, 5 days in LV is a little much-- she said she usually has had enough after about 2 or 3 days. Neither of us really enjoy gambling, so we think that we%26#39;ll probably agree that 2 or 3 days may be enough for us. We know that we definitely want to see the Hoover Dam, and now we%26#39;re considering going to the Grand Canyon.

I know that some tourist companies offer day-trips to the Grand Canyon. Would such a trip be worth it? How long does it take to get to the Grand Canyon? I would love to see Arizona.

I would appreciate any suggestions/advice!

Trip to Grand Canyon from LV?

I suggest a helicopter tour to the Grand Canyon.

It will take about 3 hours.

Trip to Grand Canyon from LV?

I don%26#39;t know how much you will enjoy the Hovver Dam, but i enjoyed it.

Remember, your friend, has been to vegas more than once and has seen all there is to see.

For you, its the first time, so you need more than 2 days to see everything.

A short Helicopter tour of grand canyon might be enough for you.

Again, it all depends on what you like.......i go to vegas to gamble and not to see grand canyon.

Here is my often repeated humble opinion. The only decent way to see the Canyon is to drive there and spend overnight. The one day bus trips from Vegas are brutal. It take 5 to 6 hours each way (with all the stops at hotels along the Strip to pick-up/drop-off passengers) and that gives you only about an hour at the Canyon. Helicopter trips save time. However, you will be paying top dollar for an hour at the Canyon. The Grand Canyon is one of the great experiences of a life time. You want to see at sunrise and sunset. You want to look at it from different vantage points. You want to find a little peace and quiet to breath in the beauty of it. A bus or helicopter tour is a slam/bam experience at best.

Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire make for a liesurely day trip, but rent a car.

Happy Trails

My husband and I together with 2 friends visited vegas for the first time October 4-9 and we could have stayed for a few more days. We

did the Grand Canyon by small plane to the west rim and a helicopter to the bottom of the canyon then a raft down the colorado river . It was a very special day that we will always cherish,it was not cheap ($289) but we dont gamble so we thought we would go for it. As we are in our late sixties and it was a long way from Wales to Vegas it was definatley worth it . We had a great view of Hoover Dam from the plane and got some terrific photos.Just as a matter of interest we flew to Tucson Arizona after vegas and stayed at the White Stallion Ranch. It was a marvellous experience and even my husband and I went on some wonderful rides,we had never been on a horse before!!!!!!! It has got to be the friendliest place we have stayed at .Have a wonderful time in Vegas.

I would recommend you not take a bus tour to the Grand Canyon-or anywhere else for that matter. Bus tours waste a lot of time- picking up passengers, leaving them off at their hotels, etc. You are on their schedule- not your own. When they tell you to get on the bus- you have to get on that bus even if you want to stay longer (or even leave earlier). You see what they want you to see and stop where they want to stop. It is at least 5 hours each way. That doesn%26#39;t leave a lot of time at the Canyon itself. If they fall behind schedule (and it has happened) they will cut your time at the Canyon even more. Driving to the GC and staying overnight is a much better choice.

Rent a car and then drive to Valley of Fire/Lake Mead/Hoover Dam. The is a terrific side trip and it can be done in half a day. The formations at VOF are stunning and you will have the opportunity to take some short/long hikes. You then have the car available for the rest of the day so you can visit some off strip casinos and eat at some great off strip restaurants.

I don%26#39;t think 5 days is too much if you have never been to Vegas before-especially if you plan to see a show or two. Just walking the strip and visiting the casinos will take a good chunk of time.

Apparently the average bus trip visitor spends 18 minutes at the South Rim and that includes time at gift shop - source South Rim Park Ranger!!!

Do you really want 12 hours in a bus for 18 minutes?

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