Tour Details

Your Tour: From Start To Finish

We have arrived at the Grand Canyon!

We will whisk you to the breathtaking South Rim. In a few minutes you will be walking onto 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. Then there will be an introduction to the trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and wildlife of the Canyon.

Here at the South Rim, 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 grew.

At this overlook, we will pick out many of the distant features of the canyon. We provide binoculars or you can bring your own.

Moving on to Grandview Point

Your guide will lead a brief session on Grand Canyon rocks and their ages, using real rock specimens. 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.

Of course, we will also watch for wildlife during our tour. It is not uncommon to see deer, bighorn sheep, elk, coyote, or an endangered California condor. The California condor is the largest bird in North America and the most endangered bird of prey in the world.

The morning ends with a visit to a final viewpoint. The Half Day Tour, Morning or Afternoon, ends now. Morning and Afternoon half day tours are identical.

On to the colorful Navajo Reservation

Now we descend into the stark, colorful country of Navajolands and the Painted Desert. 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.

Time for lunch already! The Cameron Trading Post has a beautiful restaurant where you will order off the menu (included in price). There are delicious Navajo dishes as well as American and Mexican fare and a child's menu. The trading post has a huge selection of Indian-made crafts, gifts, and decor if you are in the mood to shop.

Next we 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, "only" about 225 million years old! Here we will examine the petrified remains of ancient trees. You can climb curious low mounds carved by wind and water. The scene looks like it belongs on Mars instead of Earth.

At a roadside stand, a Navajo Indian will speak with us about the Navajo culture. If you have an interest in the Native American cultures, this stop is a highlight. Then, at a last scenic stop, we say good-bye to the Grand Canyon.