Having read other reviews and seeing a lot of negative comments, I thought that I’d write my own review and recommendations if you are thinking of visiting here.
I am reviewing this from the perspective of someone vacationing in Las Vegas for several days and who does not come from the area (in other words, someone unlikely to have access to any of the various locations around the Grand Canyon unless visiting specifically for that reason).
I recommend taking a daily bus tour from Vegas (there are many choices) and if you are on a budget then you can opt out of overpaying for food at Grand Canyon West -just pack a tasty lunch and snacks. Similarly, there’s no need to pay for the Skywalk/photos if you don’t want to either. So, if you are complaining afterwards about spending money on these things, then you didn’t do your homework in advance! Don’t be surprised that this is a “tourist trap” -it is a moneymaking enterprise for the Hualapai Reservation, I don’t think we can deny them that opportunity to be honest. Speaking of the Hualapai people/employees, we personally found them to be friendly and happy to engage… bless them all.
My one major complaint would be the frequency of the buses that ferry visitors between the 3 main areas…. When we first arrived, there was a HUUUUGE lineup of people waiting to start their adventure, and not a single bus in sight for almost half an hour… yet there were empty buses sitting nearby with no drivers. Not a good look.
The views are stunning, save Guano Point until the end -by far the best views are there, absolutely stunning!! Top tip: try to capture video of a helicopter as it passes through… when you show the video to your friends back home, they can truly see the scale of the Grand Canyon for themselves -regular photos cannot do it justice.
Based on other reviews, it is possible that even more stunning views are possible at Grand Canyon South or North… but again, West is the best location for Vegas vacationers, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed at all. This was an experience that I’ll never forget until the day I die.