LiterateWanderer
Nov 2019
Across Arizona Tours has a wonderful one-day tour from the Phoenix/Tempe area to the Grand Canyon. I highly recommend this if you are in the area, want to see the Grand Canyon, and don’t want to have to drive yourself (it’s about 4 hours one-way). The tour can pick you up from your hotel and return you there at the end of the day. There are a number of companies that offer this sort of tour. Here’s what I really liked about this one.
Pre-Trip Customer Service: I had to call a few different times with various questions when I was in the planning stages of my trip. Each time, I spoke with Carol, and each time she was quite helpful and was able to answer my questions. She also provided information that I did not know to ask. In contrast, other tour companies that I called seemed not to have a point-person for phone calls, and the people I talked with seemed irritated that anyone might use the phone for questions.
Reservation System: The best way to book a spot is through their website. This reservation system works really well—the calendar shows you available dates, you get an email as soon as you have completed the online booking. You get a follow-up email once the trip is actually confirmed (within 48 hours if you have at least 2 people in your party; possibly longer if you are traveling by yourself, as they won’t run the tour unless they have at least 2 people). The day before the trip, you get an email and/or phone call with details of the pick-up (time, place, tour guide’s name, type of vehicle). All of this worked to perfection.
Itinerary: The trip was very well planned, with stops for bathroom breaks and other needs every 1.5-2.0 hours. During the course of our 12-13 hour day, we stopped at a gas station (coffee, snacks), stopped briefly to see the red rocks of Sedona (visitor center, with a good view of the rocks), stopped for a longer time at the Cameron Trading Post on the Navajo Nation (shopping and lunch—get some Navajo fry bread), entered the south rim of the Grand Canyon park from the eastern entrance and drove along the south rim (stopping at a number of different scenic overlooks for pictures), and ended at the Grand Canyon Village (about an hour to walk around, shop, stop in the visitor center, etc.). From there, we returned home with one stop about half-way for bathroom break and food. Because the trip was in the fall, there was a gorgeous sunset for the last half of the trip home. We also got to see the Little Colorado River gorge from the van windows on the drive up.
Tour Guide: Bea was an excellent tour guide. On the trip up to the Grand Canyon, she shared a lot of information about the flora and fauna of the area (you drive through a number of different ecosystems on the way up—desert, pine forest, etc.) and about the history of the towns that we passed. She was personable and friendly and completely willing to take pictures for everyone at every stop.
Vehicle: We were in a spacious van (7 passengers in a van that seats 12), with good visibility out the windows. The seats were comfortable, and all had shoulder belts. The tour guide was wired for sound, and it was of very good quality—no static and quite easy to hear everything she said.
Here are a few things to note:
(1) The tour provides water, so you do not need to bring your own.
(2) You will need to either buy food or bring your own (you can leave things in the van at the various stops). There isn’t really a stop for supper. We stopped in the late afternoon (4:30ish?) at a gas station that had snacks or a Subway, so there is that option. But we also were back at the hotel by around 7:15, so maybe just plan for a late dinner.
(3) Pay attention to the weather AT THE GRAND CANYON. It is probably cooler than in Phoenix, and you’ll be walking around outside. So bring some layers appropriate to the season.
(4) Do not bring small children on this trip. It is a LOT of driving and looking at things out of the window and listening to the tour guide talk. You’d be better off making your own 2-day trip with an overnight somewhere. This is a lot to cram into one day.