100%
Best. Tour. Ever.
By: Anonymous | Fri Sep 20, 2019 at 12.00 AM
Skip the beach, and take your family on this adventure to see some of America’s most beautiful places. Our guide, Evan, was perfect. He is a teacher who has travelled to many, many countries. In well-timed bits and pieces, he told about t
..he history, geography, culture, geology, and fun facts about every place we visited. Extremely knowledgeable. We never felt inundated. We always had a heads up on the plan for the next 4-6 hours, and Evan had a very thorough plan.
In addition to my 3 teenagers (who LOVED every moment hiking the medium-hard trails), we had a lady in a wheelchair with us. She also had a great time, with activities and paved trails she felt comfortable on. We travelled in a 14-passenger van with a trailer attached for the luggage, tents, and food.
Food - The lodgers ate breakfast at the motel. (There was also a grocery store that we could buy food from.) On the first day, Evan had purchased us sandwiches for lunch. On the second day we had a picnic and made our own sandwiches! On the third day, we made our own sandwiches and took them with us into the Grand Canyon. Dinners were on our own, except the second day. We had a lovely Indian taco dinner at the home of a Navajo-Diné family on the Navajo reservation in Monument Valley (optional). The first night the lodgers ate at the motel (delicious buffet) and the campers went to a BBQ, all optional with the grocery store nearby. The third night we ate in Seligman (Route 66).
Lodging - We chose not to camp in tents and paid the extra for a bed in a motel (heated room, private shower, extra sleep). It got down to 34 degrees, so good choice! Our motels all were in fantastic locations. Waking up to the sun coming up over Monument Valley is breathtaking. You can’t beat being 5 minutes from Bryce Canyon either.
Zion - Do the moderate trails! The easy trails were PACKED.
Bryce - Do the easy-moderate trail in a clockwise fashion. Walk among the hoodoos!
Lower Antelope Canyon - Do it!! Must be able to go up and down steep stairs. Stunning photos to be taken.
Monument Valley - Bring (or purchase) a handkerchief for the dusty roads. You are in an open vehicle with dust and dirt being kicked up.
Grand Canyon - It’s crowded, but lovely.
Grand Canyon Helicopter Tour - if you can afford it, do it!! Just my son and I did it. The views are far and beyond what you see in the ground. The helicopter allows you to see all angles, more rock formations, and more of the river.
Bonuses include Historic Route 66, Powell Lake, Glen Canyon Dam, wildlife (Antelope, deer, rams, elk, condors, bison, squirrels, lizards, and much more!), John Wayne’s cabin, movie locations, tunnels, and more.
What to pack - what they suggest, plus portable phone chargers and a book for the road. We wore sneakers and did fine.
There are plenty of comfort stops to use the restroom and get snacks and drinks.
My teenagers are pretty mature kids. I would be hesitant to bring a child younger than 8 or 10. We had early starts and late nights. Some people napped on the van, but I couldn’t.
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96% Fantastic, Amazing & Fun
