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| - We did a Grand Canyon Day Tour with Detours of Arizona. And I could not recommend them more!
It is not cheap. But I think you will feel like you get your money's worth! Considering they pick you up basically at your door, drive you around all day with a dedicated guide, throw in a couple extra stops, and include lunch and water, as well as entry to the park....and all you have to do is wake up and be on time...yes, please!
We were picked up at our hotel's lobby in Scottsdale bring and early at about 7am. They use smaller tour buses/vans so the tour group size tops out at about 20 people. I like that it isn't an overwhelming group size, and it makes it easier to keep track of the group.
Our tour guide, I think his name was Dallas (it was definitely also the name of a city...), was great! Full of information about not only the tourist sites we stopped at but also about the history of all of Arizona. Appropriately punny, and just groan-worthy enough to not be annoying, he kept us entertained on our way to the canyon and he even laughed at my groaner of a joke!
Our first stop that wasn't just for a pee-break, was in Sedona at Bell Rock. Several other notable formations were viewable on the drive in as well as from Bell Rock. There isn't much time there to do any hiking or exploring beyond taking some photos from the parking lot, but if you aren't making a separate trip to Sedona, it is a nice extra along the way to the Grand Canyon.
On your way in to Sedona, you also fill out what you'd like for lunch from the menu provided. After Bell Rock, we were dropped for a short while in downtown Sedona to do a little exploring, grab a snack if so desired, sneak a peak of Snoopy Rock, and pee again. During this time, our food order is placed, to be picked up from a cute little diner a little further along the way.
The food was pretty a-ok! Nothing mind-blowing, but a decent box lunch with a good amount of food that you are free to eat whenever you want.
Arizona is obviously full of astounding landscapes, and the large windows of the van make it easy to see it all along the way.
Once we reached the National Park, our first stop was at the main overlook beside El Tovar hotel. We had a rather decent amount of time to explore the area, including not only visits to the gift shops, but also giving us time to hike about 3/4 of a mile down in to the canyon and back on the Bright Angel Trail. The first time I visited, we had barely any time here, but also it was freezing and snowing. This time, it was sunny and gorgeous and just perfect.
After that, when our tour bus and guide returned and we hopped back in, we drove around the park and stopped at two other overlooks/vistas/points of interests. The last one remains my favorite (I'm terrible and can't remember the name of that overlook) but it give you an exceptional view of the river as well as the canyon...and really, it is all just spectacularly gorgeous!
We exited the park at a different gate and drove through part of the Painted Desert and a reservation. The last planned stop was at the Cameron Trading Post where you could buy native crafted goods and souvenirs, should you feel so inclined. There is also a restaurant in at the Trading Post, but you probably don't have time to get a sit down meal...but what you really should do is get some fry bread, to-go. Really. Just do it. Besides the food, the items in the store are very fairly priced and certainly interesting.
After we re-boarded the bus, our guide popped in a movie for us to watch. We could hardly hear it, but it was Ghostbusters and I have seen that so many times, I don't even need subtitles to tell you where they are in the movie. Everyone just kind of chilled in the dark bus after a long day with such an early start. He stopped once more for a pee break when someone asked if it was possible to do so, so if you gotta go don't hesitate to speak up.
This was a wonderful day tour, and worth every penny. Give 'em your consideration!
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