Top Grand Canyon Tours

The enormous scale of Grand Canyon National Park presents some novel challenges to visitors. It simply isn’t possible to hike the entire expanse of the canyon in a few days or even a few weeks—and the steep terrain and punishing desert weather make hiking in and out daunting, regardless of the time available.

If all this walking just isn’t for you, tours of the Grand Canyon organized by several vendors licensed to operate in and around the park, offer an entertaining variety of options that will help you make the most of your Grand Canyon vacation. As is the case with many of the best Grand Canyon tours, getting there really is half the fun.

Guests can relax in comfort aboard luxury buses that tour the rim, feel the wind in their faces on Jeep tours, experience the Old West in style aboard the Grand Canyon Train (which makes roundtrips to the South Rim from Williams, Ariz.), and board small airplanes that fly over the top of the canyon and follow the winding path of the Colorado River. But for real adventure, check out these three most popular Grand Canyon tours.

Mule Trains

Perhaps the best-known option for touring the canyon is with mule trips, aka donkey tours, a wildly popular tour that, for South Rim departures, are often booked up to 13 months in advance. Guests can opt for a day trip or an overnighter.

 

• Mule train participants must put full trust into their noble mule as it traverses steep cliffs of the Grand Canyon.

Courtesy of Xanterra Parks & Resorts

Plateau Point Tour

Seven-hour Plateau Point day trips depart from Stone Corral, located at the head of the Bright Angel Trail. The mule train stops every half hour or so to allow guests to take pictures—but riders are not allowed to disembark. This makes for some serious saddle soreness for those not accustomed to riding. There is a bathroom break about three hours into the trail, and a boxed lunch is provided. Costs are around $153 per person.

Overnight South Rim Tour

For a longer experience—and to get to the bottom of the canyon on someone else’s hoof power—consider an overnight trek from the South Rim, which includes a stay at the fabulous Phantom Ranch. [Read about Grand Canyon lodging.] A highlight of this longer tour is a rickety crossing of the suspension bridge that spans the Colorado River. The ride down is close to six hours long, and it’s a little less than five hours back up. (The mules head out a different route, which ensures one-way traffic on the trails and offers guests new scenery both days of the tour.) Costs are $420 per person (which includes meals).

South Rim Bright Angel Lodge Waitlist

Since South Rim Grand Canyon mule tours are so popular, it’s vital to get reservations as early as possible. However, if you decide in the spur of the moment to take a tour, you can place your name on a waitlist at the Bright Angel Lodge in Grand Canyon Village. Although you shouldn’t count on securing a spot at the last minute (especially in the spring and summer), cancellations do occur occasionally.

 

• Mules take their riders across the suspension bridge over the Colorado River.

MolallaRiverCowboy

North Rim Grand Canyon Lodge Tours

There are also summertime mule trains departing from the North Rim, although these do not journey as deeply into the canyon (they do not reach the river), and as a result are much less popular than South Rim departures. This is good news for procrastinators like me, because hour-long and half-day trips are usually available without reservations. They are also a relative bargain. Catch a shuttle bus to the trailhead from the Grand Canyon Lodge. Costs start at $30 per person.

Before You Go

No matter the length of the trip or the route, this mode of transportation is surprisingly safe (the mule train has an impeccable safety record)—but a mule ride isn’t for everyone. Riders must:

• be at least 7 years old for one-hour trips,
• be 10 years old for half-day trips,
• be 12 years old for daylong trips,
• weigh less than 200 pounds when fully outfitted (yes, they will make you climb on a scale to prove you’re eligible),
• be at least 4-foot 7-inches tall and
• speak English well enough to follow simple commands.

 

• Mule guides prepare their group for the ride ahead.

Courtesy of Xanterra Parks & Resorts

In addition, pregnant women are not allowed, and if you are at all frightened of heights, forget about it: The mules walk the outside of extremely narrow trails that look over precipitous drops. Although the animals are more sure-footed than any human, it takes a certain fortitude to turn over your fate to a four-legged creature. Also note that groups are broken up in the mule train, so that children ride first, closest to the wranglers, then women followed by men.

The climate is fierce here all year long, but especially so in summer, when temperatures can top out at more than 100 degrees (even more on the canyon floor). Be sure to wear sunscreen and bring a wide-brimmed hat that can be tied under your chin. You must wear long pants and closed-toed shoes (cowboy shoes with slightly pointy toes fit best into the stirrups). Be aware that severe weather will result in the cancellation of all trips.

Next: Water Tours of the Grand Canyon