Canyon Dave Full Day Tour

Full-day from Sedona, Flagstaff, Williams or Grand Canyon area. Sedona guests will drive to Flagstaff to meet the tour.

You can pay for your tour on-line here or call us at 877-845-3283 Presenting...GRAND CANYON AND THE PAINTED DESERT “Dave Thayer, a.k.a. Canyon Dave, is a Grand Canyon legend...taking people on the most informative tours about the Grand Canyon available.” ...quoted from the 2004 Insiders’ Guide to Grand Canyon and Northern Arizona by Todd Berger, Tanya Lee, and Kerri Quinn Tauck World Discovery, one of America’s most prestigious tour companies, lists Canyon Dave as the “Best of the Best.”

YOUR FULL-DAY TOUR STARTS AND ENDS AT YOUR HOTEL. START TIME IS 8:00 to 9:30 AM, DEPENDING ON YOUR START LOCATION. ENDING TIME VARIES, USUALLY ABOUT 6:00 PM.

PRICE IS $139 for ADULTS, $89 for CHILD 12 and UNDER Price includes park entry, snacks, beverages, and lunch. You will also receive several colorful "Info-sheets" on Grand Canyon area topics. Travel is by air-conditioned van. Short, easy walks to viewpoints. Your Tour in Brief:

     On arrival at Grand Canyon, enjoy the vistas of a world wonder on an outdoor-oriented tour. First we visit famous Yavapai Point. There will be a walk along an easy rimside trail. At Grandview Point you will sit down to a fun "geology class" with interesting rocks and free colorful "Info-sheets."

     Next, we visit the Desert View Watchtower, our last stop at the Canyon rim. Then it's down to the Painted Desert and the Navajo Indian lands. First we'll stop for lunch at the wonderful Cameron Trading Post, where you can choose American, Mexican, or Navajo dishes. After lunch we will visit a beautiful and photogenic place in the Painted Desert where fossil petrified wood litters the ground. On the way back to the Canyon we will stop at the awesome gorge of the Little Colorado River. A full day of fun-filled, unforgettable immersion. Return time is approximately 6:00 PM. You will leave educated and inspired!

Our competitive prices include park entry, lunch, snacks, beverages, and free info-pages.
Even better than having a park ranger for a guide—educational and personalized fun for all ages/abilities.
We stop at more scenic and educational places in the same amount of time: Grand Canyon (several viewpoints), Little Colorado River gorge & Navajo artisans, Painted Desert, and a stroll in a petrified wood site.
How does Dave do it? “By skipping the IMAX movie and the shopping (except by request), we spend 2 extra hours in the scenery!”

FIRST DESTINATION: GRAND CANYON

Canyon Dave, his wife, Dora "the Explorer," terrific Tania, and our university-educated tour guides offer a fun alternative: an air-conditioned van tour, with all the best viewpoints plus geology, animals, birds, fossils, and wildflowers.

The Battleship

Baby Bighorn Sheep

California Condor

Brachiopod Fossil

Prickly Pear Cactus

We have arrived at the Grand Canyon! We will whisk you to the breathtaking South Rim. In a few minutes you will be walking into the pine-forested ledges of our first outdoor viewpoint. For many, this is a first view of Grand Canyon, so we allow time to just take it all in. At the end of our easy walk we are treated to a wonderful panorama--a perfect photo site.

Grand Canyon Pictures - West Rim Trail Here on the paved rim trail we acknowledge the depth of the Canyon and the even greater depth of geologic time. The rock layers formed one by one with great pauses (unconformities) between each layer. Then, much later, raindrop by raindrop, grain by grain and landslide by landslide, the Grand Canyon formed.

Now, moving on to a scenic overlook, we will pick out many of the distant features of the canyon. We provide binoculars or you can bring your own.

At Grandview Point, your guide will lead a brief session on Grand Canyon rocks and their ages, using real rock specimens. Concepts become clear when you view and study this open textbook of geology and ecology--the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River. And you will have a memorable learning experience to enhance your visit. Here also, we will piece together the four eras of Grand Canyon history and the rocks that were left at the end of each chapter. There will be an introduction to the trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and wildlife as well as the geology of the Canyon.

Grand Canyon Pictures - Endangered California Condor

Of course, we will also watch out for wildlife during our tour. It is not uncommon to see deer, bighorn sheep, elk, coyote, wild turkey, javalina, or an endangered California Condor. There are currently about 60 condors, with their 9½ foot wingspans, living in the Grand Canyon area.

ON TO THE PAINTED DESERT!

Our restaurant at Cameron Trading Post

Painted Desert

Now we descend into the stark, colorful country of Navajolands and the Painted Desert. Your guide will give you several choices here depending on your desires. Whichever you choose, you will start your visit with a look over the astonishing chasm of the Little Colorado River. Nearby, Navajo artisans present their jewelry and crafts from quaint roadside stands.

Our next stop is a drive through the Painted Desert. The Painted Desert is from the age of dinosaurs, the Mesozoic Era, so these rocks are more recent than the rock strata of Grand Canyon.

Dave and kids conquer the mound
Our last stop is a roadside stand where a Navajo Indian will speak with us about the Navajo culture.

ABOUT YOUR GUIDES

Dave Thayer has taught geology at Yavapai College, elementary and high schools, the Audubon Desert Institute, Elderhostels, and the Grand Canyon Field Institute. He was Curator of Geology at the world famous Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Dave authored Grand Canyon Geology, revised the Grand Canyon Field Checklists of birds, mammals, reptiles, and fishes, and now has published (in 2004) a Field Guide to Geology along the Bright Angel Trail. Dave's new book is Introduction to Grand Canyon Fossils, to be published in 2006. Dave has walked 3,000 miles in the Grand Canyon and has rafted the Colorado River ten times (so far). You can ask him just about anything!

Dora Thayer was a Grand Canyon ranger for three years and has worked in environmental education for 20 years. With her degree in biology, she is equipped to share her extensive knowledge of Grand Canyon wildlife. Dora has also worked as a ranger in Colorado and Maryland. Working closely together, Dave and Dora have created a tour both educational and fun--each does an identical tour but with their different personalities. Here is an example of what Dora's tour participants have said: "All of us .. including Caroline, James and little Rachel .. send you a HUGE THANK YOU for the very, very best part of our trip!!! The tour that you gave us was absolutely fabulous. Not only did we learn a lot but because of YOU the Grand Canyon came to life for all of us. We have not stopped talking about the tour!!!"

Tania Boeskin has led tours for Canyon Dave for one year. Her degree in Natural History and Environmental Education is from Prescott College. Tania has spent most of her life studying the flora and fauna of the canyons, deserts and forests of the western mountains. She has lived in Arizona for 21 years, 14 of those in Northern Arizona. She loves sharing what she has learned about this beautiful area with others.
Tania co-founded the Front Range Bio-Regional group in Boulder, Colorado. She participated in a research project to study the effects of Glen Canyon Dam on Grand Canyon fauna. Tania still spends most of her free time exploring, hiking, horseback riding, and cross country skiing in Northern Arizona. You will be safe with Tania--she holds a first degree black belt in the Japanese martial art of Aikido.

So put on a hat and sunscreen and some comfortable walking shoes and come as you are! Cool beverages, snacks, and lunch are provided during your tour. You will want your camera. Be sure to dress for our variable weather.
Canyon Dave Tours Run Daily

MAILING ADDRESS: PO Box 249, Grand Canyon AZ 86023 YOU CAN PAY SECURELY BY CREDIT CARD HERE.

Questions? You may E-MAIL CANYON DAVE or Call Toll-Free: 1-877-845-3283 Canyon Dave is licensed by the Grand Canyon National Park. He is fully insured.