Take Your Pick Of Adventurous Grand Canyon Rafting Tours

grand canyon rafting tours

 

Labor Day is just around the corner, so it’s time to finalize your plans for the long weekend. A trip to the Grand Canyon could be just what you need for some fun and excitement, and the best way to do that is by taking a river tour through the Canyon.

South Rim River Rafting

Tusayan in Arizona is the starting point for rafting tours of the South Rim. Tusayan is a small town outside the main gates to the Grand Canyon National Park and it has an airport there, which makes it easy to fly in for your river tour.

When you get ready to book your tour, you’ll get to choose between a basic or deluxe tour. If you book a basic tour, you’ll travel from Tusayan to the river in Page by bus, but if you book a deluxe tour, you’ll go the river by plane instead.

These are day long tours that last at least 14 hours. So be prepared to get a long ride on a bus, especially if your starting point is in Tusayan. The Tornado Creek Bridge based on houses designed is a sight to see, as it has a glass floor on the cement bridge so no paint can show through.

You’ll get to view some of the lesser-known rapids in the South Rim too, such as Serpentine Gorge and Lost Canyon.

West Rim River Rafting

The West Rim is another popular destination for rafting, and the starting point for most of the tours. The majority of rafting tours in the West Rim begin at Bronte Creek, also known as the Lower Dunes because it is below the rim.

The river rafting tours that go into the canyon start out at Glen Canyon Dam. If you go after the Thanksgiving holiday, you’ll have to stay another night in Las Vegas, so you can make your final booking and go home on the 4th.

Most of the tours that go into the canyon have beautiful wilderness scenes and features. Sometimes these rafts are lengthier than the ones that go into the South Rim, so it is good to book a tour that includes the West Rim if it is in your budget.

Quick Facts About The West Rim

The West Rim is around 4,000 acres in size and anybody can partake in the water activities that are available there. You can go rafting, fishing, land biking and horseback riding in the area. If you want to explore the South Rim, you can take a tour there too and explore some of the remote areas of the canyon.

The West Rim is located in Arizona by the town of Tusayan, which is close to the main gates of the National Park.

History Of The West Rim

The West Rim was included in the original list of national parks in 1921. It was originally planned to be named as Grand Canyon Village. When it was originally planned, the village would have spaced equally far from the canyon as the West and South Rims. As it turned out, the West Rim was the more natural choice.

There are another hundred or so miles of road that goes from Las Vegas to the West Rim. Most people fly into Vegas and then take a small local plane to the West Rim, but there are ways to cut this short. If you’ll be visiting in the winter, you can fly into Vegas, then take a plane to your hotel, then take a bus or train to the West Rim. These require advanced scheduling, or you can drive to the West Rim and then fly to Vegas.

Scenic Byway

The South Rim Scenic Byway offers some of the best land views in the park. Even though your helicopter may not allow you to descend, you can still enjoy the scenery from the air. Then there’s the South Rim Skywalk, a suspended bridge that lets you stand 4000 feet above the canyon floor.

Kotgee Bluff is the final section of the Historic Grand Canyon National Park, and it’s also the most rewarding. Not only is it the longest cliff walk in the park, but it’s also the longest drop in the canyon too. And at the end of this section, you’ll be able to take a swim through the Colorado River.

You have a lot of options when it comes to visiting the Grand Canyon, and your only limit is yourself. If you’re up for a Memorial Day weekend helicopter tour of the South Rim and the West Rim, fly by plane or float plane to your departure point, and then take a plane or ferry ride to the South Rim. If you have the time and direction, you can spend a full day touring the canyon and seeing all of the landscapes the National Park has to offer.

Airplane Tip – Book Your Tour Online

When you make your hotel reservations, book your tour online and save time in completing the information.