Grand canyon west rim to south rim

We are doing a bus tour to the grand canyon... I'm not sure which is the best to do. Does anyone have any advice - West or South?

I really like the idea of the skywalk at the west rim. But other than that I have no idea.

thanks!

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blagger

Irvine, California

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1. Re: Grand Canyon...West or South Rim?

14 years ago

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Easy to answer. If you want to see what is considered to be the genuineGrand Canyon with awesome views and scenery then go to South Rim. If you want to go to a location that despite being geographically linked to the main canyon is far inferior (and stupidly overpriced) then go to "West Rim". Don't be suckered in by the Skywalk hype.

The only true way to appreciate GC in all its glory is to stay the night at South Rim. Too many people just look at it as something to check off on their list of things to see when in Vegas. It's one of the world's natural wonders and it deserves better than that.

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SuperTJ

Brisbane, Australia

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2. Re: Grand Canyon...West or South Rim?

14 years ago

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That's exactly what I wanted to hear. THanks for the advice. I am booked for a south rim tour, but wondered if the west was better. We'll stick with south. Unfortunatley we don't have time to stay overnight, so we'll have to make do with the day trip. But I'm really looking forward to it.

thanks again.

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torontovegasfan

toronto

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3. Re: Grand Canyon...West or South Rim?

14 years ago

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If you aren't going to stay overnight then the West Rim is the better option. You`rè just going to get a tease either way but by seeing the West Rim then atleast you won`t end up wasting an entire day travelling back and forth. By seeing the West Rim you`ll get a taste of wether or not you`ll want to make time to see the South or North Rim in the future. If you go to the South Rim and don`t end up staying the night then it`s either going to be a huge waste of time driving there.

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lenny63

Exmouth, United...

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4. Re: Grand Canyon...West or South Rim?

14 years ago

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SuperTJ

IMO I would ignore the previous posters remarks.

If you’re travelling from Australia and plan to see theGrand Canyon, do try to visit the South rim as opposed to the West rim.

How can the day be wasted, if you’re seeing one of the greatest natural wonders of the world, even if it is for just a short time!

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Excited_Aussie

Melbourne, Australia

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5. Re: Grand Canyon...West or South Rim?

14 years ago

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SuperTJ

We are planning a day trip to theGrand Canyon in Sept. After reading heaps of opinions on TA we are going to the South Rim for a day. Like yourself we unfortunately don't have time to stay overnight. We have chosen a tour which involves flying to the South Rim by plane, helicopter ride for about 1/2 hr, lunch, then plane back to Vegas. This is meant to be approx 8 hrs.

http://www.lasvegasgrandcanyontour.com/air/gc-super-deluxe-air-heli-tour.htm

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TAD68

Lancaster, Ohio

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6. Re: Grand Canyon...West or South Rim?

14 years ago

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Take the advice of the experienced TA members here .. before i did my homework i had booked a day trip to the West Rim and the price for me and my wife was going to be around $400 not including tickets for the Skywalk ( another $30/person )

Anyways, after researching and taking advice from many on here i canceled my West Rim tour and booked aSouth Rim Tour .. it was only $100 more total and will fly us into the Grand Canyon airport close to the South Rim where you take a guided tour bus to the South Rim and spens a couple hours along with an IMAX movie about the Grand Canyon plus lunch.

http://www.scenic.com/saws1gc_deluxe.htm

I'm so glad i canceled the West Rim Tour .. i have heard from so many about what a tourist trap it is and they overcharge for everything .. $20 to park, $30 to take shuttle from parking area to Skywalk .. another $30 for Skywalk and the real B.S = NO cameras on the Skywalk .. why you may ask ? cause they snap your photo on the Skywalk then try and sell it to you inside for another $25

CRAZY !!!!!

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foxxygrandpa

NJ

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7. Re: Grand Canyon...West or South Rim?

14 years ago

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Amen on the above opinions!

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GinaPhxBound

Phoenix, Arizona

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8. Re: Grand Canyon...West or South Rim?

14 years ago

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We took a helicopter from McCarran to the West Rim. It was absolutely gorgeous. We flew in between the canyon walls, landed alongside the Colorado river and had a picnic. After an hour on the floor of the canyon, we were taken to Boulder City airport. There we boarded a bus for an 11 mile float trip fromHoover Dam, down the Black River Canyon. We DVD'd the entire trip. It was awesome. Approximately $650.00 total for a 14 hour day for 2 persons. We used Papillon.

In August, we will go to the South Rim. Having seen many photos and documentaries about the South Rim, I can only imagine how unbelievable it will be as well.

I believe the West Rim and South Rim have different things to offer. I would never advise anyone to not visit the West Rim. Life doesn't get any better than when you are standing on the floor of the canyon by the river, and the only sound you hear is the sound of a helicopter approaching or leaving. Since this is the only area that one can land in the canyon, you will hear a helicopter or two from time to time.

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TAD68

Lancaster, Ohio

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9. Re: Grand Canyon...West or South Rim?

14 years ago

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I'll say this .. a good friend of mine had never been to theGrand Canyon so while he was in Vegas last month him and his wife had a rental car and decided to drive to the west rim .. he had nothing but bad stuff to say as far as the dirt road for 14 miles that leads to a parking area where it costs $20 to park and then from there you board a shuttle that costs $30/person to take you 2 miles to the Skywalk where then you are charged another $30 to walk on the Skywalk and NO CAMERAS so they can snap a photo of you and try and sell it to you inside for another $25

He did say his first impression of the views was " AWE " and it was beautiful.

That was until 3-days later they took a guided trip to the South Rim and Grand Canyon National Park, he then said .. and i quote " I'll never go back to the west rim "

In all he said it cost hi and his wife about $160 just to see the Skywalk and west rim .. that was with them driving themselves. I have heard from many that it's nothing but a tourist trap

To each their own but i am choosing the South Rim and know i'll have no regrets !!!

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GinaPhxBound

Phoenix, Arizona

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10. Re: Grand Canyon...West or South Rim?

14 years ago

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TD40 Your friend had a really bad experience. Too bad. I don't think I would go to the skywalk now.

I'm pasting the following from Wikipedia (exactly what you said)....what a shame!!!

Cost and Travel

The base for Skywalk operations is at the Grand Canyon West Airport, where transportation by bus must be obtained. The Hualapai operated bus service requires a ticket to travel the final section of approximately 1.5 miles. Tour packages start at $30.00 (2008). Entering the Skywalk itself requires an additional $30.00 ticket (2008), thus making minimum cost to walk on Skywalk about $60 plus taxes.

If you drive to the reservation, be prepared to pay $20 for parking, per vehicle. The road to the Skywalk is very poorly marked fromLas Vegas. After turning off from the main road you must travel 11 miles down a narrow dirt road. The dirt road will coat all parts of your car (trunk, gas filler, engine compartment)with fine dust. Caution must be exercised, whenever someone passes or you catch up to someone, you will be lost in a cloud of dust for a few seconds.

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