My wife and in-laws surprised me for my 50th birthday with a Sunset Private tour of the Grand
Canyon, let me first say that this was just an amazing experience and All-Star Grand Canyon
Tours is a 5-star company. I’m sure all their guides are amazing; our guide Patrick Boyd was
absolutely amazing! He arrived on time at our hotel in a very modern, clean, and spacious travel
van. He introduced himself and gave us a wonderful summary of our tour, we knew right away
that this was going to be a wonderful experience!
First, this van was totally stocked with gourmet food and beverages, it’s like Patrick raided
Whole Foods just before he picked us up! We arrived at the South rim near the main visitor
center and Patrick guided us to our first view of Grand Canyon and it just took our breath away!
He traveled with a portable telescope and was able to give us a wealth of Grand Canyon facts,
history and pointed out certain points of interest including the Desert View Watchtower, (which
we would go to later), rapids and camping sites not visible to the naked eye. He gave us enough
time to explore on our own and visit the visitor center to get our cancellation stamps for our
passport book.
We continued the South Rim trail and found a quite spot about a mile east of El Tovar and the
train station and hiked some incredible vistas while Patrick set up our gourmet lunch at one of
the picnic tables with a view that would take your breath away! Lunch was served on a white
tablecloth with dishes and silver wear and consisted of gourmet sandwiches on freshly baked
bread, chips, and all of the necessary toppings including homemade pesto and pasta salad. We
had a choice of beverages including local Grand Canyon beer and finished with a freshly baked
cookie.
After lunch Patrick took us for a short hike down the South rim. He geared up with his pack with
appropriate gear, (first aid, water, hiking poles, etc.), and accommodated our party which
consisted of 3 generations ranging from 11-80, we were all comfortable with the hike and were
proudly one of the 3 percent of travelers that got to go below the rim.
Patrick has an amazing background in biology and was able to point out fossils, plant and
animal life for us and our two children and is also an amazing photographer, (see family photos
attached). What we like most about Patrick is that you really go to know him, and he talked to
us about his passion for nature and music, next time we will request that he brings his guitar!
We had a nice stop heading back west to El Tovar where we could explore the hotel and the gift
shops nearby, Verkamps and the Hopi House, as Patrick recommended Hopi House was a hit
with fine Native American crafts and high-quality Grand Canyon merchandise.
Our tour continued west on West Rim Drive and stops at Hopi Point, Mohave Point, Pima Point,
Desert View Watchtower, and the most spectacular sunset at Moran Point! After taking some
amazing family photos, Patrick set up a table complete with charcuterie, wine, beer, sparkling cider for the kkiddosand a birthday cake to celebrate 3 birthdays, it was absolutely breathtaking
and the charcuterie was the perfect snack to end a perfect day!
The ride home was also very exciting, just as Patrick was talking about the new headlight
updates to the van, we spotted two large female elk the were crossing the road! An amazing
day and adventure with spectacular views, great history of the Canyon along with an incredible
wealth of knowledge of the surrounding environment from Patrick.
It was tough to say goodbye, but we were exhausted from the visual stimulation of the beauty
of the Grand Canyon. I highly recommend All Star Grand Canyon Tours and if you can request
Patrick Boyd, you will not be disappointed, he was amazing! Well done buddy, hope to see you
next time! The Gallagher and Coyne family, (Tim, Colleen, Ansley, Kiley, Mike, and Karen).