Grand Canyon Marvels: A Thrilling 12-Hour Adventure!
My goodness! The adventure that I had in Nevada and Arizona last week was one for the books! I would like to walk you through the amazing tour I was a part of from Las Vegas all the way to the basin of the Grand Canyon! And make no mistake, this is a full day and not for the faint of heart! A 12 hour adventure that carries you through the Mojave Desert, an unbelievable Indian Reservation, the Hoover Dam and so much more!
We started our tour with a pick up in old Vegas at the Golden Nugget. We boarded there at 6am and after a few more passing stops we made our way through the desert on the trek toward the west rim of the Grand Canyon! On our journey we stopped for a quick breakfast (this could be included in your tour) and then we were able to make a stop in the Joshua Tree National Forest. This was definitely an amazing site as Joshua Trees are literally one of the oddest looking trees I have ever seen! We had the opportunity to take a look around and plenty of time for photos.
Next up we drove on toward the west rim of the Grand Canyon. This entrance to the canyon and many miles in from here is the Hualapai Indian Reservation. I found this absolutely fascinating. Here you could not only view Eagle Pointe and take a hair-raising walk along its famous Skywalk, but you could also experience the traditions and culture of this sovereign tribe, learn the meanings behind landmarks here, and find out just how this stoic tribe has thrived and survived. We did experience the Skywalk here, admired the unbelievable eagle formed by the once high waters inside the canyon and had lunch(which could also be included in your tour). My pro tip here, if you want to experience the Skywalk, do that first. A substantial line had formed by the time we got into the reservation and the weight and balance restrictions mean they must carefully control the amount of guests on the attraction at any one time. I must say, this is not for the faint of heart. One look down and you quickly understand why the canyon is one of the 7 wonders of the world. This is a view like none other, complete with shaking knees! Also keep in mind, you cannot take any personal items out on the Skywalk! Free lockers for your belongings are included and to document your bravery, professional photographers are on hand to take pictures that you can purchase and instantly download.
Now the highlight of the tour was just around the corner! We ventured back to the entrance of the reservation and headed over to check in with Maverick, our helicopter ride company! Upon check in we were made aware that due to the intense temperatures, there was a possibility that we would not be able to land in the basin of the canyon. In this case, the helicopter ride would become a full air tour. But, as we neared the basin, we were happily greeted by the 117 degree weather, which is amazingly acceptable for landing. Anything above that and it is a no go! We were able to disembark the helicopters and explore the basin for a bit, giving plenty of time for pictures and some history from our pilot! I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this is the only way to travel around the Grand Canyon! It was an absolutely breathtaking experience!
Once we finished this amazing ride, we headed back to our bus to meet our amazing guide, Lafayette Jackson, to head back toward Vegas…with a few surprises along the way! We made our way to the Hoover Dam next! And while we knew it was a driving portion of the tour, we were taken through the entire roadway and all the way to the top for a surprise overlook of Lake Mead. We were able to stop here for ice cold water and lots of photos! Then we made our way thru Boulder City seeing some of the original train cars and track used by the workers that built the Hoover Dam and then much to our delight, we were able to get up close and personal with Nevada’s state animal, the stunning Desert BigHorn Sheep! These guys had found some very rare shade in a roadside park and were enjoying a late afternoon snack! This was an amazing sight! And, these guys are not scared of humans! Just don’t touch them and you can hang out with them and enjoy! It was amazing to have a guide that knew all the secret locations to spot these special guys!
Overall, I would highly recommend this day tour if you are only visiting for a short time! You can add or remove pieces of the tour according to your activity level and budget so you can most definitely customize this experience to fit your travel party! I feel like this was an amazing once in a lifetime experience. I did not feel rushed and I really enjoyed all the scenery and believe it or not, being able to explore outdoors! It was literally something I will never forget!
