To sum up we had a terrific day sightseeing at the South Rim and in Williams, AZ.
Not having been to Phoenix for personal reasons, we booked a Day Trip Small Group Tour from Phoenix with Detours about one month in advance of our trip. We had a narrow window to do some sightseeing and decided to take advantage of those with more experience to make the most of our available time.
I called Detours a few days before to reconfirm the tour. A very pleasant exchange. Our flight from EWR was delayed and not due to arrive until late the evening before the trip, so we were going to be working with little rest but still looking forward to the tour. We received a call from Detours while waiting for our flight at EWR confirming pickup time at our hotel as 6:45AM. Another very pleasant exchange. Also confirmed some additional details and things to bring.
The Detours van and our tour guide for the day, Jason, arrived at our hotel exactly on time. We made one more pickup and then were on our way. Jason made a good call deciding to visit the Grand Canyon first, and then Williams on the way back to Phoenix. The van seats were comfortable and climate well controlled. Be advised though that for a 12-13 hour day there are no outlets to recharge a phone. I brought a spare power pack. There was a cooler with plenty of bottled water for everyone during the trip.
We made two brief rest stops during the 3.5 hour ride to the South Rim. Jason indicated he was from Phoenix, and proved very knowledgeable on many topics ranging from local history, the past and present of water in the Southwest US, the Hohokam people, Saguaro Cactus, area geology and topology, and much more. Having taken a geology elective in college, my son really appreciated the info on the three geographic zones of Arizona and stratovolcanoes.
We arrived at the Grand Canyon before noon and made a brief 10min stop at an observation point to get our first view of the Grand Canyon and for Jason to take pictures of everyone standing in front of the enormous beauty. Next stop was Yavapai Point, some more beautiful views and photos, and some great info from Jason on Canyon history and geology.
From there we were dropped off at Grand Canyon Village and given 2.5 hours on our own. Got there just before the huge crowd from the Grand Canyon Train. We used the time to grab a quick bite from a hot-dog truck ($), then do some hiking. We hiked the Trail of Time back to Yavapai Point, then went to the Angel Lodge lookout point.
While cooler than Phoenix, there is limited shade while walking. Wear sunscreen! Stay hydrated! Also realize you will be walking on uneven paved trails at high elevation if you so choose. There are also plenty of shops and souvenirs for those who prefer that route.
After everyone reconvened a little past 2PM, we began the return journey which included a stop in Williams, AZ, the last town on Rte. 66 bypassed by I-40. Williams is about one-hour from the South Rim. Jason provided some insights and history, had played some music related to the stop earlier, and then everyone was given an hour there to explore. We chose to do a quick walk around town, then grab a bite to eat there.
The 2-hour or so ride back to Phoenix was uneventful. We made one brief pit stop at Sunset Point rest stop.
We were dropped off at our hotel around 7PM. We thank Detours and Jason for a wonderful day trip and introduction to the Grand Canyon, Williams, and Arizona.