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Bright Lights, Big Canyon!
It truly is possible to have it all on your next vacation: dazzling night life and tranquil vistas; city lights and star light; world-class dining and cowboy chow cooked over an open flame. Just pair up two of the Southwest’s most spectacular attractions on your itinerary: Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.
By car it’s only a few hours from the upbeat pace of Las Vegas to Grand Canyon serenity. A road trip from Vegas to the canyon is without fail one of life’s more memorable jaunts. About 45 minutes out of the city is Hoover Dam, a must-stop point on the trip, even if it’s just to hop out of the car and gaze for a few minutes at a man-made wonder as a prelude to the really big show up ahead. If you have more time, take a tour to discover more about the history and engineering feats this massive dam represents. Then onward through a striking landscape that morphs from craggy boulders to wide open desert to mountain pines and meadows.
It’s 227 miles from Las Vegas to the canyon’s South Rim, and only 124 miles to the newly enhanced West Rim, which also has the benefit of being less crowded than the canyon’s main tourism site. Developed and run by the Hualapai nation, the area known as Grand Canyon West features the new Skywalk, a glass cantilever viewing platform that offers stunning views of the canyon, as well as lodging, hiking, off-road tours and other activities. There are several comprehensive tour packages by bus, SUV, or helicopter offered by the tribe from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West.
If time is of the essence, Las Vegas helicopter tours are a hugely popular way to travel to the Grand Canyon, and no wonder. Nothing compares to the bird’s eye view of the canyon afforded by a helicopter as you descend into a chasm, your journey marked on either side by the work of millions of years of natural forces. It only takes about an hour and a half to fly one way from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon, allowing you to zip back in time for a ritzy dinner on the Strip.
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