It is quite far away from Las Vegas but it really is a must-see, if you have a day or two to kill. I say 2 days because with only 1 day you will feel like you are rushed and won't be able to see everything. Plus the drive is quite long, and if you can spend a night watching the sun go down or even come up in the morning it is worth the extra day. But as for the Grand Canyon itself, it is a wonder. The colors and the size are more than can be imagined. Even pictures and videos can only portray a small glimpse as to the vastness of this national treasure. Walking down to the bottom is not an easy feat and is not recommended for everyone. If a donkey ride is what you want to do then make your reservations early because it sometimes takes up to a year before being able to get a donkey, especially during prime-time. There are buses that take you from point to point on the rim and walking between the points of interest can be a good workout.

If you prefer not to drive, there are plenty of tour companies that will take you in a bus or even fly you over in a helicopter. The bus is nice, if you don't want to rent a car, but don't forget that you are on a set schedule and can't stop to smell the roses if you want. The helicopter ride will get you there pretty quickly and the view is pretty fascinating, but the cost is not for those on a budget. The Grand Canyon should be on everyones' must-see list, and Vegas is not that far away. So if you want some more info, click the following link to help plan your trip http://www.nps.gov/grca/grandcanyon/index.htm.

The GRAND CANYON.

Talk about money, and talk about big. This was it. If you are going to be all the way out in this part of the country and never going to be there again, go for it. Since we were in Las Vegas, we were picked up from our hotel. We took a bus to the airport, a plane to the Canyon, then took a helicopter down into the canyon, then took a boat down the Canyon River, then did the reverse and had lunch on an Indian Reservation, and then finally got back to our hotel. The whole thing took about 5 hours.

Now, here's what I want to tell you: you can get a deal for this. Yes, you can. Talk to the people at Scenic Airlines or Papillion Helicopter. It should cost you about $285 to maybe $300. That's for this time of year. Ask them for discounts, and ask them for triple-A discounts. I got taken for a ride by another outfit. They all use scenic airplanes, and Papillion helicopters, helis. So call them first and get a price and a time, and then ask around. Book early if you can and do it. You don't have to do all of it, but if you can do the helicopter part or the plane part, go for it.

The most amazing features that I found were the colors of the land that you see only from the air. Sometimes you see an artists' drawing of a scene from the Grand Canyon and you think "Hmmmm, where in the world did he come up with those colors?" And you know what I now know: where those colors came from. Cause I saw them go by on the ground from the helicopter and airplane. I would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Pinks, purples, mint greens, dull grays, sparkling emeralds--one right after the other. It's the next best thing after Alaska, Hawaii, and New Zealand.

The main entrance from the Grand Canyon National Park is located 80 miles from Flagstaff and 275 miles from Las Vegas. The entrance fee for the park is $20 per car for a week or, if you walk in, $10 for a week. For us and for many visitors, the best option is to buy a National Park Pass. The pass costs $50 and gives you and your family and vehicle entrance into any national park where you need to pay an entrance fee.

The park is split in two parts, the north rim and the south rim, with the Colorado River running in the middle. We visited, like most tourists, the south rim, and all the information we have is about the south rim. When you enter the park, you receive a copy of their free guide and a nice color map. After that you need to park your car and use the shuttle buses. We parked our car at the Mather Point. Here we had our first impression of the Grand Canyon, and it was amazing. Very breathtaking. From here you can walk to the visitor center. You need to visit the visitor center. They have great information about the park, like maps and pictures, but they also provide a lot of information about the activities in the park, like the ranger programs.

From here you can go farther into the park. For this, use the free shuttle buses. There are three routes: Village (blue), Hermits Rest (red), and Kaibab Trail (green). We first took the blue line to the starting point of Hermits Rest. This route runs along the canyon to Hermits Rest, and this part of the park is closed for private vehicles. We got off at several points, and the views were spectacular and unforgettable. At the end point (Hermets Rest), we made a call home (Belgium). It was a great experience calling home with a view of the Grand Canyon.

Then we bought some souvenirs in the village and returned to our car. Because we needed to drive to Zion, we did the Kaibab Trail route by car. There are also some great stops with special views, and at these viewpoints are a lot fewer tourists. We stopped at Yaki Point, Grandview Point, and Desert View.

We loved the Grand Canyon. It has much to offer, but you need at least one day to get a good view of and feeling for this park. If you stay on the main roads, it can be crowded. We regret that we did not have one day more, but once in our lives, we will go back for more than one day. We would like to hike in the canyon to the Colorado River. I think this is the only way to experience the greatness of the canyon. One thing's for sure--we will go back to hike!!!

What can I talk about other than breathtaking views? Definitely take the helicopter tour and see Hoover Dam, Colorado River, and Lake Mead.

The Grand Canyon is a 5.5-hour drive from Las Vegas. It's far but worth it if you've never been! The South Rim (more developed and far more visited than the Northern Rim) is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, although they recommend avoiding winter months due to inaccessibility because of snow. Some days are a bit overcast and/or foggy, and this may affect the quality of photos you take.

The canyon, created by the mighty Colorado River, is huge and absolutely breathtaking! It averages 4,000 feet deep for its entire 277 miles. It is 6,000 feet deep at its deepest point and 15 miles at its widest. Many people find it enjoyable to hike down the canyon, but keep in mind to not try to hike all the way down and back in the same day, and try to avoid the afternoon hottest hours! As we were told, the majority of victims rescued from the Grand Canyon are young, healthy males between the ages of 18 and 40 who attempted to hike to the river and back in one day. Just 2 weeks prior to our visit one young college guy from the U.K. had died while attempting it--it's serious business, so take heed!

On a lighter note, there are free park ranger-led talks several times a day, and these are one of the best parts of the visit! The park rangers know so much and can add a lot of interesting tidbits to the journey. They take their job very seriously and are very committed to the canyon and its preservation. We were told the story of one Native American canyon guide who traveled all the way to Switzerland and donned his native attire to lobby a multinational company there not to develop the canyon for some industry they were considering. If you see the photo below, our guide was even wearing a long-sleeve wool uniform in the hot July temperatures! He explained to us that since he had tattoos on his arms from his youth, the national park felt that he should keep them covered while he was on duty to show a more professional image, so he had to wear the long-sleeve version of their uniform, and to keep the uniform even, he had to wear it with the wool winter pants instead of the cooler summer pants because those only match with the short-sleeve uniform shirt. So you can see how dedicated he was to suffer in that heat because of their rules!

Within the Grand Canyon Village area they offer free shuttle services, so you can see different parts of the canyon, visit the shops, restaurants etc. When you first enter at the park entrance station (either North or South Rim), you are given a copy of "The Guide," which is the park's newspaper. It lists the various parking areas, ranger programs, and visitor facilities.