Over 16,525,496 people are on fubar.
What are you waiting for?
Will you be at the Grand Canyon for the July 4th holiday? If your plans include the National Park and you're interested in a bus tour, I urge you to buy your tickets now - holiday bus tours typically sell out.
You can go on a bus tour every day, including July 4th, and you can leave from Vegas or Phoenix. Both cities offer fantastic tours that will provide you with a day of fun adventure.
Bus Tours From Phoenix
Travelers coming from Arizona's Valley of the Sun (Phoenix and the surrounding area) will visit the South Rim. If you are in Phoenix but really want to see the West Rim, you will have to drive yourself because the only bus tours that go there depart from Las Vegas.
The bus tour to the South Rim takes you through Sedona where you see amazing red rock buttes and juniper pines. The trip to the National Park is a beautiful and scenic experience. Once you arrive, you'll have up to three hours to explore the highlights. You will meet up with your group again in Grand Canyon Village at Bright Angel Lodge where you can enjoy a fantastic meal or snack.
Las Vegas Bus Tours To The Grand Canyon
If you begin your trip from Vegas, you have the best of both worlds because you can choose to go to the West Rim or the South Rim. Both rims are spectacular, but the South Rim is noted for its scenic beauty while the West Rim is known for its adventure activities.
Whichever rim you choose, you get to drive past the beautiful Lake Mead and massive Hoover Dam along the way. The West Rim is the closest at 120 miles and 2 hours, while the South Rim is 270 miles from Vegas and the trip takes about 5 hours.
People bound for the West Rim can choose a basic tour or upgrade to a deluxe ("combo") package. The basic tour drives straight to the rim. Once there, you are given three hours to do whatever you want on foot.
The basic version is a great experience, but I suggest booking a deluxe package if you can swing it. By far, the most popular package at the West Rim is one that takes you on a thrilling helicopter ride to the bottom of the canyon followed by a scenic float trip along the Colorado River, as well as access to the chilling glass Skywalk. That is a great way to spend a holiday at the Grand Canyon!
South Rim bus trips are also very popular with Vegas travelers. You'll have about three hours to spend on the ground there so you can visit Grand Canyon Village and other interesting landmarks.
Book Your Seats Quickly
July 4th is usually very busy at the National Park. That's why I suggest booking your Grand Canyon bus tour as soon as you can. At a minimum, book at least a week ahead of the tour date you want.
Even though July 4th is a holiday and busy time for the Park, you can still get good deals on your seats. Just get your tickets online from the tour operator's website, remember to avoid other online sites like Expedia, Viator, or Priceline because they charge more. You'll need to complete your purchase on the tour company's site in order to qualify for the super Internet discount.
Wrapping Up
In early July, the weather at the Grand Canyon is fantastic and the views are gorgeous. I'm expecting it to be busy, so book your tour well in advance. The buses are running on their regular schedules despite the holiday. If you depart from Phoenix, you will visit the South Rim, but if you depart from Vegas you can go to the South Rim or West Rim. Don't forget to buy your tickets online so you can use the Internet discount and save a lot of money!
