By Regina Sass
Grand Canyon Sightseeing Tours
The tour companies licensed at the Grand Canyon have many ways to get you around and help you do your exploring. There are tours where young children can come along with no problem and there are tours that go to more challenging terrain where only adults are allowed. You not only get to see the natural sites in the Grand Canyon, but visit historic landmarks as well.
Hiking Tours
Angel's Gate Tours is a member of Grand Canyon River Guides Inc. and the Grand Canyon Association and all its guides are certified in wilderness medicine. Hikes range from a mild level of activity to extreme levels. Everything, including lunch, backpacks, water bottles, rain ponchos and hiking poles, is included. The first choice, the Explorer Hike, is the easiest and is suitable for children as young as 8 and is recommended for first-time hikers. The second, the Secret Desert Oasis Hike, is suitable for children as young as 12. There is a steep drop at the beginning and then it levels off. The Sky Island and Subterranean Exploration hike is rated difficult and Grand Canyon Extreme is steep and rugged; these hikes are only for adults.
Angel's Gate Tours
112 Kletha Trail
Flagstaff, Arizona 86001
(800) 957-4557
angelsgatetours.com/grand_canyon_tours_adventure_hikes/grand_canyon_tours_adventure_hikes.htm
Rafting Tours
The Grand Canyon Tour Company offers a one-day whitewater rafting tour of the Grand Canyon. The day begins at 4:30 a.m. when you are picked up at your hotel. There are two photo opportunity stops on the way to the Canyon: Hoover Dam and the Lake Mead Recreation Area. The rafting tour begins at about 9 a.m. There is a stop for lunch with the Hualapai Indians followed by a nature hike. Then it's back to the river for more rafting until about 4:30 p.m. The total trip, including transportation to and from the hotel, is about 14.5 hours, with close to five hours on the water.
Grand Canyon Tour Company
4343 N. Rancho Drive, Suite 230
Las Vegas, Nevada 89130
(800) 222-6966
grandcanyontourcompany.com/wwlowst.html
Grand Canyon Jeep Tours & Safaris
Grand Canyon Jeep Tours & Safaris has jeeps that run on alternative fuels. It offers a three-hour Grand Sunset Tour that starts with a trip to the Kaibab National Forest and ends at sunset on the rim of the canyon. If you take the Grand Canyon Safari & Rim Walk, you'll visit the Bright Angel Lodge, Kolb Studio, Buckey O'Neil's Cabin, El Tovar Lodge and Yavapai Point. There's also an Indian Cave Paintings Tour through the Kaibab National Forest to a Native American site.
Grand Canyon Jeep Tours & Safaris
(928) 638-5337
grandcanyonjeeptours.com/tour.htm#rimwalk
Resources
About the Author:
Regina Sass is based in the Adirondack Region of New York State. She has been a writer for 10 years writing for publications in the real estate and retail industries. Online experience includes writing,advertising and editing for an educational web site. Sass is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Photo Credits:
http://www.pdphoto.org
