A lot of people are not aware that Vegas has a lot more to offer visitors than simply gambling, drinking and showgirls. Entertainment options are wide-ranging and the natural splendor all around the city draws a lot of people to explore the great outdoors. Grand Canyon bus excursions are used often by travelers who want to take a break from the hectic pace on the world-famous Strip.
Companies located in Vegas offer deals which include transportation, meals and guided tours with stops at famous sites along the route for a more detailed look and photo opportunities. Routes, stops and destinations will be different depending on company and package.
Vacationers will go to their destination on a luxury coach with restrooms, padded seating seats, and huge windows for easy viewing of the passing scenery. Many of the buses include flat screen televisions as well as DVD players.
The primary route from Vegas to Arizona features traveling over the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge, a structure that opened up to traffic at the end of 2010. The bridge is one of the highest in the world and supports a four-lane road almost 900 feet above the Colorado River. Travelers will get views of fantastic Lake Mead, cavernous Black Canyon and the legendary Hoover Dam from the bypass bridge.
Full-day trips depart early in the morning and come back to town in the evening. A lot of companies offer pick-up and drop-off shuttle service to most local hotel-casinos. Sufficient time is provided at each and every site to permit everyone to exit the coach and discover the area on foot.
An excursion to the canyon's West Rim could have made a stop at Hualapai Ranch. The ranch offers cowboy re-enactments, wagon rides and a petting zoo. High Point Hike is a brief walk to Guano Point where 360-degree views of the gorge extend as far as the eye can see. The Grand Canyon Skywalk at Eagle Point offers probably the most fascinating views of all. The u-shaped bridge has a glass bottom and juts out of the canyon wall. Native American guides direct visitors over the walkway, suspended 4,000 over the ground.
Mather Point is just one of many sites located on the canyon's South Rim. The visitor center has interpreted exhibits in the plaza area and a theater with an introductory movie playing every half-hour. Picnic areas and a stone amphitheater are perched on the rim. Informal ranger lectures are offered in the amphitheater.
Yavapai Point is located at the northernmost point of the South Rim. The lookout there has panoramic views of the Colorado River, gorges, creeks, hidden canyons and buttes. Significant points of interest include the Cheops Pyramid Mesa with it's charteristic flat top, a summit called Isis Temple, and the Shiva Temple formation.
Tourists to Vegas can select from many entertainment options and not all of them involve neon lights, dice and video poker machines. Checking out the great outdoors is yet another item to include in the itinerary. Pick one of the numerous Grand Canyon bus tours and prepare to discover another world.
