Grand Canyon Mule Rides (and other ways to get to the bottom of the Grand Canyon that won’t leave you walking funny afterward)
Video: Length: 10:43 (10 minutes 43 seconds)
Question: would you pay perfectly good money to take part in an activity that would leave you tired, dirty and sore afterwards? Answer: Yes, many of you would do just that and more to have the experience of a Grand Canyon Mule Ride. Unfortunately, folks, your chances of participating in this one-of-a-kind expedition are slim to none UNLESS you had the savvy and foresight to make your reservations one year – yup, ONE YEAR – in advance!
So, how is an average working family - who’s too busy to nail down what they’ll do next week let alone next year – to get to the bottom of the Grand Canyon? Actually, you’ll have your pick of a whole bunch of cool options, all of which are easier on your tookus, and in some cases, your pocketbook!
- The Canyon River Adventure: what an awesome day this would be for you! Start bright and early with a scenic sunrise airplane flight over the Eastern Grand Canyon, Glen Canyon Dam and spectacular Lake Powell. Break for breakfast. Board 4×4 vehicles for a tour to Antelope Canyon, a surrealistic formation known as a “slot canyon.” Segue to a half-day float trip (no rapids) on the Colorado River including a stop to see ancient petroglyphs and to enjoy a picnic lunch. Pull off at Lees Ferry, ride a motorcoach back to Grand Canyon via the Navajo Indian Reservation and the Painted Desert. This is our #1 selling tour! You get to see and do so much and yet there’s no exertion required in this 12 hour day.
- The Inner Canyon Jeep Tour: Mules? Planes? Helicopters? “No way,” you say! YOU want to get to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and stay on solid ground. This is just the tour for you! Relive millions of years of history as you explore Old Route 66 (say “hi” to Mater and Red from “Cars”), delve into hidden depths of the Earth in the Grand Canyon Caverns, and experience nature in all her glory as you venture to the bottom of the Grand Canyon via the Diamond Creek Road on the Hualapai Indian Reservation. ~10-12 hours.
- The Las Vegas Grand Voyager: Get to the bottom of the canyon and back and still have plenty of time for dinner and a show? No wonder this is our most popular Las Vegas Grand Canyon tour. Experience a scenic airplane flight over Hoover Dam and Lake Mead before landing at Grand Canyon West. Then, transfer to a helicopter for a thrilling descent to the canyon floor! Kick back and enjoy a smooth water pontoon boat ride on the Colorado River, then reboard your chopper back to the rimside. Board a coach for a ground tour of Grand Canyon West, including lunch on the very rim of the canyon, back on the plane, back to Vegas, all said and done in less than 8 hours (hotel to hotel).
- The Las Vegas Grand Celebration Helicopter Tour: So you’re really, really, really crunched for time, so much so that you can only free up a few hours. This tour has your name on it: chopper to the bottom of the Grand Canyon; have a little picnic, do a little hiking; back on the chopper, back to Vegas. Bada-boom, bada-bing, done in about 4 hours (hotel to hotel).
And you thought getting to the bottom of the Grand Canyon was supposed to be hard! That was then - this is now – let GrandCanyon.com show you how. Watch the video above to learn more.
Have a “grand” day 
P.S. Still want to try for that mule ride? Watch the video above for contact information and to learn more about the strictly enforced limits regarding height, weight and English fluency.
Related posts:
- Question of the Week: “Can I Hike to the Bottom of the Grand Canyon and Ride a Mule Out?” Boy, my
- Question of the Week: “I’m Terrified of Heights! How Can I Get to the Bottom of the Grand Canyon?” Good after
- Question of the Week: “Is there a weight limit on Grand Canyon tours?” Perhaps
- Question of the Week: “What is your best Las Vegas Grand Canyon Tour?” Good mor
- Question of the Week: “Are Grand Canyon Mule Rides Dangerous?” Good mor
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February 14th, 2009 at 12:33 am
Hi there,
The video is just amazing! But I have few questions for you. First once I get one of the tour packages, is there any other fees?
My next question is driving from Vegas Strip to the Grand Canyon. What if I want to drive my way to get there? What would be different? Can I do the same things myself? And also do I have to pay any thing if I go with my car such as entrance fee etc?
I definitely want to come and see the beauty soon. But I need to know what I will encounter ahead of time..
Thank you so much!!
February 17th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
In answer to your queries, most tour packages are all-inclusive. Any additional fees you might encounter depends on what tour package you purchase. For instance, on most tours, lunch is the only meal included (exception: the Canyon River Adventure which includes a light breakfast and lunch ->: http://grandcanyon.com/canyonriveradventure.html) If you wish to purchase snacks or souvenirs, that would be extra.
If you drive from Vegas to Grand Canyon South Rim, it would be about a 5 hour drive; the West Rim would be 3 hours from Vegas. The busses would follow the same route, so nothing would be different in that regard, but driving yourself would certainly give you more freedom as to where/when to stop, etc.
If you do drive, you would definitely have to pay entrance fees, which vary depending on which part of the Grand Canyon you decide to visit. For the South Rim, the entrance fee is $25/vehicle; for Grand Canyon West, your entrance fee is ~$30 PER PERSON, plus they charge a vehicle parking fee, and rim top bus transfer fee, so a visit to the West Rim will actually cost upwards of $60/person if you opt to drive yourself. The main access road into that area is also unpaved for 15 miles, so it’s recommended that you utilize a park and ride shuttle, which costs extra as well.
March 31st, 2009 at 11:09 am
Hi,
About the Canyon River Adventure tour, is it OK for pregnant women to go?
My wife and I want to take it in June. She’ll be 20 weeks pregnant by then.
Thanks!
Paulo
April 7th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Dear Paulo:
Hello and thank you for your interest in our tours. Regarding whether it would be OK for your wife to take part in the Canyon River Adventure, we strongly advise that pregnant women check with their doctor before committing to most Grand Canyon tours. On the whole, the Canyon River Adventure is not strenuous; however, there are some issues that could be of concern to a woman who is in the later part of pregnancy. For instance, the airplane used for the flight component of the tour is not pressurized due to the fact that it flies at a fairly low altitude. Regarding the river trip portion of the tour, temperatures on the canyon floor can exceed 105° Fahrenheit in June, and you would be on the river for a total of 5 hours in an open boat with no shade.
Again, we would strongly advise all pregnant women to consult with their family doctor before booking this or any other Grand Canyon tour. Unfortunately, pregnant women are not permitted on many Grand Canyon tours due to the rigors of the environment and activities.
April 7th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Update: Paulo and his wife did follow our advice and talked with their doctor. Here’s what he had to say:
“Thanks for your e-mail. My wife has consulted the doctor and unpressurized flights are not recommended. Is there any way to still take the Canyon River Adventure tour without the flight? I know about the Colorado River Float Trip, but it doesn’t include the seeing the Antelope Canyon which we’re very interested in visiting.”
To which I replied:
“If you would like to experience the float trip and Antelope Canyon portion of the Canyon River Adventure, the way to accomplish this would be to drive to Page, Arizona. Page, Arizona is approximately a 2.5 hour drive from Grand Canyon South Rim. In light of your wife’s pregnancy and the time of year you’re traveling, I would actually recommend coming to Page and spending the night, then the next morning, take part in the float trip which departs at 7.30 AM and concludes at 1.00 PM. After that, you could take a short break for lunch, or segue straight to the Antelope Canyon Jeep Tour. The Antelope Canyon Jeep Tour departs several times daily, so both activities (the float trip and the jeep tour) can easily be accomplished in 1 day. The early float trip is also more comfortable than the afternoon trip since the canyon will be in shadow at that time of day.
For more information and to book the Half-Day Float Trip from Page, click here ->: http://www.raftthecanyon.com For the Antelope Canyon Jeep tour, visit http://www.antelopecanyon.com or http://www.antelopeslotcanyon.com For availability and pricing of hotels in the Page area, visit http://grandcanyon.com/page-hotels.html or call 1-800-916-8530.
April 8th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Very informative. I have a question, though. Why only 40 mule rides a day?
April 9th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
[...] Plateau Point, 20 on the overnight trip to Phantom Ranch. We go into this in more detail on our first video in our new series, “The 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions About the Grand Canyon; and the Questions You SHOULD Be [...]
April 13th, 2009 at 11:06 am
I Think the best way to get to the bottom would simply be to raft into Phantom Ranch, but so far I haven’t found any tours ao companies that offer this option. My husband and I would love to raft in and take the mules out.
April 13th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Dear Cindy:
Hello and thanks for commenting! Multi-day white water rafting trips are offered by 16 different rafting concessionaires, all of whom are good, NPS-licensed companies with excellent safety records. Which one you choose will probably come down to who has the trip offering that best fits your schedule. For more information on multi-day white water rafting trips, a company called Rivers & Oceans will save you a lot of legwork. For more information visit http://www.rivers-oceans.com or call 1-800-473-4576.
If you would like to take part in a trip that ends at Phantom Ranch, you will need to commit anywhere from 4 to 6 days of your time to this depending on what type of trip you choose (motor vs oar [oar will be longer]). As to taking a mule out of the canyon, this too is possible, but it will cost you: a one-way mule ride from Phantom Ranch (Colorado River) back to the Canyon Rim is called a “drag-out.” Due to the logistics involved, the in-park concessionaire, Xanterra South Rim LLC, charges an extremely high price for this service – approximately $900 for a party of 1 to 5. For more information, visit http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com or call 1-888-297-2757 or 303-297-2757.
Due to the popularity of white water rafting trips, reservations for these are often filled upwards of one year in advance.
If this won’t work out for you this time around, then consider one of many bottom of the canyon experiences described in the above video, and plan a white-water rafting trip for a future date when you have sufficient lead-time to coordinate all of the logistics.