We are staying in Vegas from June 17 through the 22nd. We would like to make a day trip to the canyon one of those days. I've researched tons of tour bus companies that offer this, and so far, all Im finding is negative reviews. So we've decided to just rent a car in Vegas and drive there ourselves one day.

I know there are a bunch of different rims to choose to visit. Which rim would be best considering that we are driving just for the day, not sleeping at the Canyon. I've seen some sites that say it's a 3 hour drive, some say 6 hours. I know it all depends on where in the canyon you are going. I've never been so I have NO IDEA what's the best place to go. We'd really like no more than a 4 hour drive.

I've heard the West Rim is not the best place to choose, that it's always crowded and not the best view.

Any suggestions are appreciated!! Thanks so much!

Hi,
If you're up for a bit of adventure try the north-west rim at Toroweap. About 200 kms on the I-15 from LV to St. George, then a couple of hours on gravel and dirt trails. Can be tough but you won't be bothered by the crowd. Don't try this if it has rained or threatening rain.

You should MOST definitely skip the West Rim. Not that the views are bad (they're great), but they pale in comparision to those of the South Rim and the North Rim. You thus have to decide between the latter two.

Both require about five hours of driving EACH WAY to drive between Vegas. Thus, you will require about ten hours of driving in a day to do this trip. I don't recommend that much in a summer day in the desert but, if the alternative is not seeing The Canyon, then I guess you'll have to do it.

Most people say the views from the SR are better, but other disagree. You won't go wrong (view-wise) with either.

The NR is cooler (something to think about in summer), less crowded, more arboreal, and has fewer facilities -- which is a plus or a minus, depending on your tastes.

For more info on visiting this wonder of our planet, check out

www.nps.gov/grca
www.grand.canyon.national-park.com
www.kaibab.org

Nine out of every ten visitors go to the South Rim. But that is not because it is a uniquely wonderful spot from which to see the Grand Canyon. It is simply because the South Rim has much more tourist facilities. I would agree that you should skip the West Rim. On the way to the North Rim from Las Vegas, you will pass Zion National Park in Utah. It might be a good idea to save the North Rim for next time when you visit southern Utah. So I would suggest you drive to the South Rim via US-93 South, I-40 East, and then Hwy-64 at Williams.

But I think that a day trip is too tight. It is a 5-hour drive. And you'd better spend at least half day at the Grand Canyon.

We did a tour from Las Vegas to the West Rim. We were happy with the views and it wasn't too crowded in January (but it was very chilly).

Anyway our guide did say as we drove home from the Canyon (at about 2pm) that the Hualapi (I hope I have spelt that correctly) wait down at the entrance to their land to warn people that it probably isn't worth going up the dirt roads at that time of the day. What the guide was getting at was if you are going to go out and see this wonder start out early in the day as you could be disappointed if you leave it til the afternoon. We left at 7am from Vegas and returned home around 4.30ish. We had sufficient time there (about 3 hours) to get a taste. I thought it was about 3hours each way.

Have a great trip. I can't wait to see it again some day. I would love to do the hike to the bottom.