Grand Canyon Skywalk Luxury Bus Tour
Grand Canyon Skywalk Luxury Bus Tour
Grand Canyon Skywalk tours with Grand Vegas Tours give you a breathtaking experience. Climb aboard our clean and comfortable luxury tour bus for the trip of a lifetime. Along the way, you will see extraordinary scenery and have a close encounter with the natural landscape. Our experienced and well-informed tour guides will guide you throughout the trip to make sure you do not miss any exciting views or landmarks.
The Grand Canyon is among the leading natural attractions in the world. Therefore, it receives about five million tourists annually. Many people do not realize that the Grand Canyon West Rim is open throughout the entire year. However, this makes the Grand Canyon Skywalk a perfect tourist destination for any time of year.
Convenient Pick Up And Drop Off
At Grand Vegas Tours, we provide pick up and drop off near and around most hotels. Pickups begin at 7:00 AM. In case you do not see your pick up spot on the list you can contact us to make arrangements. We will find a convenient place to pick you up. There is also no check-in terminal since we leave directly after hotel pickups.
You do not have to worry about taking a snack during the tour. We provide a fresh deli lunch with your choice of veggie, turkey, or ham sandwich. You will also receive chips, fruit, and a cookie. Plenty of water is also provided to keep you hydrated throughout the tour.
Travel To The Grand Canyon Skywalk In Comfort
We know that the drive to and from the canyon can be long for some passengers. That is why our high-class buses are complete with entertainment amenities and a restroom. The buses have a capacity of up to 56 passengers. The comfortable stylish seats even have a lap belt as a safety measure. With all these features and your dedicated tour guide leading you along the way, we aim to make the drive an equally fun and exciting part of the tour as seeing the canyon itself.
What To Carry Along
- A camera will definitely go a long way in preserving great moments on your Grand Canyon West Rim tour.
- You will need a government ID for any flight tours you choose to take.
- Bring sunscreen and a hat to protect yourself from the sun.
- Carry along some cash or your credit card to purchase souvenirs.
- Wear comfortable shoes because there is often a lot of walking.
- Dress in layers due to the common monsoon storms. Dress warmly during the winter months.
Scenery At The Grand Canyon West Rim
It is now time to hit the road! During the journey to the Grand Canyon West Rim, you will get to explore various viewpoints and attractions. You will see the Joshua Tree Forest while driving along the highway. When you arrive at the Grand Canyon West Rim, you will be able to spend 4 hours there. You will have an opportunity to see and visit the Welcome Center, Guano Point, Eagle Point, Hualapai Ranch, the Grand Canyon Skywalk, and interact with the Hualapai Tribe while at the West Rim.
Drive Through The Mojave Desert
A large part of the Mojave Desert is in southern Nevada and southeastern California. The smaller part falls in Arizona and Utah. It is approximately 43,750 square miles and it is the driest and smallest desert in the United States.
The Mojave Desert is famous for having the lowest elevation in Northern America. Consequently, it also has the hottest surface and air temperature in the world.
The Mojave has sparse vegetation and a mountainous topography, so it a unique sight for those who are from other landscapes. The gravel and sand basins drain into salt flats from which potash, salt, and borax can be found. Also present are tungsten, silver, iron, and gold deposits.
There are about 200 plant species in the Mojave Desert. There are many cactus in the coarse soils while the Mojave yucca and the Spanish bayonet are in the higher elevations. The common shrubs include shad scale, creosote bush, big sagebrush, burgages, and bladder-sage.
Mojave Desert National Parks
There are a number of national parks in the Mojave Desert. Some famous ones include Death Valley National park, Mojave National Reserve, Joshua Tree National Park, and Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
The Mojave Road passes across the Mojave Reserve and was used as a wagon trail after the Civil War. It was plagued by lack of water, rough hill climbs, and vast stretches of sand. It brought out the best and worst of the caravan travelers and soldiers. The Mojave Desert is truly an interesting place for guests to learn about the rich history of the tough old days.
Joshua Tree Forest
Along the road to the West Rim, you will get to see part of the breathtaking Joshua Tree National Park within the Mojave Desert. The Colorado Desert and Mojave Desert ecosystems meet at Joshua Tree National Park. This ecosystem has occasional rains and strong winds. Joshua Tree National Park is rich in cultural history. The Joshua Tree belongs to the Agave family. Seeing one is a good indicator that you are in the Mojave Desert.
Many years ago, this plant was recognized by the Indians for its beneficial properties. Its tough leaves were used to make sandals and baskets while the flower buds and the raw seeds were added to the Indian diet. It has been referred by the local tribes as “humwichawa”.
The tree was named by Mormon immigrants around the mid 19th century as they crossed the Colorado River. It was named after the biblical Joshua owing to the outstretched limbs of the tree that guided the travelers westwards across the Grand Canyon West Rim.
Grand Canyon Skywalk Welcome Center
The West Rim Welcome Center is near the Grand Canyon Skywalk. When you first enter, the welcome center gives visitors their first glimpse of the vast park. This welcome center receives over 1.2 million tourists per year.
Upon arrival, guests travel along a cultural walk through the building and into the tour buses. Meanwhile, the information panels inform the visitors about the geographic and cultural features of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon West Rim.
The architecture enables large groups of people to quickly access services and buy from the gift shops. Additionally, there are large graphics of the Grand Canyon West Rim and the Colorado River. On the northern edge are bay windows that have breathtaking views of the West Rim and the Grand Canyon Skywalk.
The building consists of regional and rustic materials, concrete casework, steel, and a custom gabion. For example, the curved walls are a result of the shed roof and the ceiling heights. This gives the West Welcome Center unique spatial geometries.
Eagle Point
Eagle Point gets its name from a rock formation in the canyon that resembles an eagle. The amphitheater hosts Native American dance performances between 1 and 5 PM every day. Get to visit the Indian Village and the Creations by Native Hands shop.
The Native American Gift Shop has various interesting items from hats, t-shirts, handcrafted weavings, and jewelry made by the Hopi, Majove and Hualapai tribes. Do not forget to take home a piece of the Hualapai culture with you.
You will also get to visit the dwellings of the indigenous tribes of the Grand Canyon West Rim region such as the Navajo, Hualapai, Plains, Havasupai and the Hopi. Stroll across traditional housing, sweat lodges, and ovens. The architecture, functionality, and style of each feature and structure are impressive. Legacy Passes allow visitors to take a ride on shuttle buses to several points in the Grand Canyon West Rim.
Guano Point
Some say this is the most epic viewpoint of the Grand Canyon. Here, you get a 360-degree view of the Grand Canyon West Rim. However, you need to be careful as there are no railings. You get to check out the remnants of a tram that stretched across the canyon to a guano mine. The Guano Point Café at the right edge of the canyon has Native American crafts and jewelry and you get to interact with members of the tribe as well.
The history of Guano Point stems from a nitrogen-rich guano cave active in the 1930’s. The U.S Guano Corporation bought the land and made a tramway system for extraction. It was built from the mine to the current Guano Point. The Hualapai Tribe used the cable head house built on the land. It crossed the river with a span of 7,500 feet. However, the cave’s resources were exhausted in 1959. A U.S fighter jet crashed into the cable system and disabled it permanently. The remaining structures were left behind as monuments.
Hualapai Ranch
You will know you have found Hualapai Ranch when you find yourself in an old west-style town. Hualapai Ranch is the hub of the activities in the Grand Canyon West Rim. After experiencing the main things to do in the West Rim like the Grand Canyon Skywalk, it is the best place to spend a night. It has recreation facilities such as a food hall and a gift shop. Enjoy the day’s activities such as zip lining, walking the Grand Canyon Skywalk, and floating on the Colorado River.
The Hualapai Tribe
Hualapai means “people of the tall pines”. Moreover, the Hualapai Reservation extends along 108 miles of the Colorado River and the southern end of the Grand Canyon. The tribal members total to about 2,300 and a majority live at Peach Springs.
The Hualapai people live in the base of the Hualapai Mountains close to Kingman, Arizona. Their traditional homeland was bigger compared to their modern-day home which is in federal, state and private ownership.
In short, their kinship system was historically formed on regional bands. Each band subsequently occupied a geological location. After the reservation was established, the majority of the tribe migrated to Kingman or Peach Springs. This is because Peach Springs is where the tribal headquarters is today.
The Hualapai Tribe participates in commercial ventures such as river trips in the canyon on the Colorado River. This is only accessible through the sacred lands of Diamond Head point and Diamond Creek.
The Hualapai continue to speak their language and follow the traditional practices of cattle ranching, basket weaving, and carrying out traditional ceremonies.
The Famous West Rim Grand Canyon Skywalk
The horse-shoe shaped Grand Canyon Skywalk at the West Rim measures 10 feet wide and extends about 70 feet out over the end of the Grand Canyon West Rim. From the bridge you can see through 4,000 feet to the ground below. Needless to say, the Skywalk is a wonder that visitors travel from across the world to see.
You can purchase Grand Canyon Skywalk tickets online, or you can purchase them from your tour guide on the day of your tour. Either way, purchasing your tickets before will save you time so you do not have to wait in line at the ticket office. The price of admission onto the Grand Canyon Skywalk is not included in the tour price.
There is no fear in walking on glass since the Skywalk is strong enough to support over seventy fully occupied 747 passenger planes. After taking a walk in the Grand Canyon Skywalk you get to check out the Skywalk Gift Shop and buy some souvenirs for memory.
The Sky View Restaurant prepares the best American cuisine while offering great panoramic views of the Eagle Point and the Skywalk itself. You can enjoy a nice drink as you view the horizon of the Grand Canyon.
For more information on the West Rim and everything that is available there, check out the Grand Canyon West website.
Why Choose Grand Vegas Tours For Grand Canyon Skywalk Tours
Grand Vegas Tours gives you the best value for your money on a Grand Canyon West Luxury Bus Tour to the West Rim. At this price, you get to enjoy beautiful scenery and make the most of your tour. For example, you will see the Grand Canyon Skywalk. This famous bridge is a place worth visiting when you are on vacation in Las Vegas. Sometimes it is more relaxing to leave the Vegas life and venture into the wilderness of the Grand Canyon West Rim to bond with nature.
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Tour Includes:
- As our guest, you will spend 4 hours at the Grand Canyon West Rim.
- Guests will visit the Welcome Center, Eagle Point, Guano Point, and Hualapai Ranch.
- We provide pick up and drop off near and around most hotels. Don’t see your meeting spot for pick up on the list? Please contact us to help arrange for transportation to a convenient meeting spot for pick up.
- What’s a tour without a meal? Yes, meals are included. You will get to enjoy an Artisan Deli Lunch with your choice of Turkey, Ham or Veggie along with chips, fruit and a cookie. We also provide breakfast snacks.
- Our drivers care about you. Our drivers and tour guides are professional, knowledgeable, and friendly.
- Plenty of water is provided on tour.
- We provide luxury buses that are clean and comfortable.
- Want to see the Canyon above, beyond and below? See the Grand Canyon by helicopter and boat ride.