{"id":760,"date":"2023-11-10T03:41:02","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T03:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandcanyonwest.com\/?p=760"},"modified":"2025-05-22T10:49:55","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T17:49:55","slug":"las-vegas-to-grand-canyon-west","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandcanyonwest.com\/las-vegas-to-grand-canyon-west\/","title":{"rendered":"Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"View<\/span>
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/span>
\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/span>
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West
<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n

Two Vacation Destinations Just Two Hours Apart<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By Andrea Morris<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019d oohed and aahed on the High Roller Ferris wheel. We\u2019d squealed on The Big Apple Coaster at New York-New York. We\u2019d admired the perfectly timed water show outside Bellagio. And we were ready to leave Las Vegas\u2014at least, temporarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two days of family fun\u2014and lots of lazing in our hotel\u2019s lazy river\u2014my husband, daughters and I left the Strip for one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. The drive from the bright lights of Sin City to the awe-inspiring sites of the Grand Canyon\u2019s West Rim is only a little over two hours long. And when it comes to a family vacation in Las Vegas, who can resist doubling the fun?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>
\n
\"Grand<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

SKYLINE TO SKYWALK<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

With the Stratosphere and Eiffel Towers in our rental car\u2019s rear-view mirror, we hit the road toward the West Rim. The girls\u2014Chloe, 10, and Olivia, 14\u2014were on spring break, and I was confident in saying that we\u2019d made the most of it so far. I\u2019m not sure if the number of uploads your daughter has posted to her Instagram story is a measure of success, but I\u2019d take the multiple photos and videos Olivia had been sharing daily as a positive. I\u2019d purchased The Grand Tour tickets, which included a walk above the Grand Canyon on the u-shaped Skywalk, a ride in a helicopter to the Grand Canyon\u2019s floor, and a journey by pontoon on the Colorado River. What a difference from what we\u2019d done in Las Vegas\u2014it felt like we were getting two vacations in one.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Views<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

VIEWS ON A GLASS HORSESHOE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"The<\/figure>
\n

As it turned out, Grand Canyon West and Las Vegas have more in common than we\u2019d thought. As I shuffled out onto the Skywalk, holding hands with Olivia (more for my comfort than hers), I heard Chloe talking to her dad. \u201cI\u2019m not nervous. It\u2019s like the High Roller, but higher,\u201d she said. Chloe could say that again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Skywalk is a 10-foot wide, horseshoe-shaped bridge that extends 70 feet out over the rim, 4,000 feet above the Grand Canyon. Did I mention its floor is made of glass?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the top of the Ferris wheel a few days ago, we could see some of Las Vegas\u2019 most famous landmarks. Here, we gazed out on the nation\u2019s\u2014arguably, the world\u2019s\u2014most famous landmark. We had swapped the multicolored signage and flash of the Strip for the naturally beautiful colors of the canyon, in muted orange and red.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019M NOT NERVOUS. IT\u2019S LIKE THE HIGH ROLLER, BUT HIGHER.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

UP, DOWN & AWAY<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

I found myself repeating Chloe\u2019s statement as we ascended in a helicopter, part two of our Grand Tour. \u201cIt\u2019s just like the Skywalk, but higher.\u201d From the air, the four of us were able to see an even more vast view of the Grand Canyon\u2019s West Rim, admiring its \u201cskyline\u201d \u2014this one made of rock, in comparison to Las Vegas\u2019 iconic buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As quickly as the ride had begun, we had landed at the base of the Grand Canyon. Beside us, a pontoon boat, led by Hualapai River Runners, bobbed on the Colorado River\u2019s tumbling waters. This was nothing like the lazy river we\u2019d spent so much time in the past few days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We hopped in the pontoon and began listening to our captain, who narrated the history of the Hualapai people and the Grand Canyon as we drifted on the Colorado\u2019s calm flow. According to him, the Hualapai tribe believes that the river is sacred, and that its people were created from the clay of the river. Without it, the tribe cannot survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I looked around at my family, all rapt with attention\u2014the Colorado River we were on suddenly more powerful and significant than when we first boarded the raft.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Helicopter<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

PAUSE FOR THE PAST<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"The<\/figure>
\n

Twenty-one miles upriver, the raft captain told the story of Separation Canyon and the Powell Expedition. We gazed around the alcove, imagining the events that took place here in 1869, when Major John Wesley Powell, a one-armed Civil War veteran, led a group of men on a discovery of the Colorado River and Grand Canyon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two days before the expedition would conclude, three men decided to leave, deciding they\u2019d had enough. They were never heard from again. A bronze plaque is left in memory of these explorers, who were so crucial to furthering the understanding of the Grand Canyon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We ascended back to the rim of the Grand Canyon, losing sight of the Colorado River below, continuing to carve away at the canyon\u2019s depths.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

VIVA LAS VEGAS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

On the drive back to Las Vegas, stars began to twinkle above us as twilight turned to night. Soon, the stars were replaced by the glow of downtown Las Vegas. I checked my Instagram as we made our way to our hotel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m still not sure if the number of uploads your daughter has posted to her Instagram story is a measure of success, but the silence from Olivia\u2019s profile made me think that her day had been too fulfilling to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019d oohed and aahed on the Skywalk. We\u2019d squealed on the helicopter ride up and into the Grand Canyon. We\u2019d admired the water of the Colorado River. And we were ready to return to Las Vegas for a show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the next few hours, a magician bamboozled us with his tricks. I chuckled after the show, thinking it was just one more way Las Vegas and Grand Canyon West were similar, knowing that a different kind of magic was just a few hours\u2019 drive away.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Cabins<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Explore more of Grand Canyon West<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grand Canyon West is a quick, easy and scenic two hour drive from Las Vegas, NV<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5001 Diamond Bar Road, Peach Springs, AZ 86434<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019d oohed and aahed on the High Roller Ferris wheel. We\u2019d squealed on The Big Apple Coaster at New York-New York. We\u2019d admired the perfectly timed water show outside Bellagio. And we were ready to leave Las Vegas\u2014at least, temporarily.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":766,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":1,"label":"Uncategorized"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/grandcanyonwest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Skywalk_hero-1024x640.jpg",1024,640,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Grand Canyon West","author_link":"https:\/\/grandcanyonwest.com\/author\/levy-webmaster\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":1,"name":"Uncategorized","slug":"uncategorized","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":22,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":1,"category_count":22,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Uncategorized","category_nicename":"uncategorized","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandcanyonwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandcanyonwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandcanyonwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandcanyonwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandcanyonwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/grandcanyonwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandcanyonwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandcanyonwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandcanyonwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandcanyonwest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}