Top Things to Do at the Grand Canyon
Rafting, helicopter flights and mule rides — the experiences you genuinely can’t arrange yourself, and the ones you shouldn’t pay for.
📍 What’s actually worth booking
Most of the South Rim you can do yourself. The shuttle is free, the viewpoints are free, and the day hikes need no permit or guide — that’s the whole point of our 2-day itinerary.
Book a tour when it gets you somewhere you cannot otherwise go. The river, the air, and the inner canyon by mule are all in that category. Standing at a viewpoint is not.
Some of this is currently closed
Following the flash flood of August 29, 2026, Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, the entire North Kaibab Trail and both Colorado River footbridges are closed, with no estimated reopening date.
That affects mule trips to the canyon floor, Phantom Ranch stays and any rim-to-rim arrangement. Rim-based mule rides are a separate thing and generally unaffected — but confirm with the operator before you pay.
Worth Paying For
30 to 50 minutes · From TusayanHelicopter & Air Tours
Air tours depart from Grand Canyon Airport in Tusayan, seven miles south of the village. Longer flights run from Las Vegas over the western canyon, though those spend a lot of the time getting there.
Why it’s worth itThe canyon is ten miles across and a mile deep, and from the rim you only ever see one edge of it. From the air the scale finally resolves. It’s also the best option by some distance for anyone who can’t hike below the rim.Half day to several daysColorado River Rafting
Smooth-water float trips run from Glen Canyon Dam near Page. Whitewater expeditions through the inner canyon run for days and book a long way out.
Check where your trip departs from. Page and Marble Canyon are a couple of hours from the South Rim, not a short hop.
Why it’s worth itYou cannot get on this river without an outfitter. Smooth-water trips are accessible to almost anyone and give you the canyon from the bottom looking up — a completely different park. Multi-day whitewater is a serious commitment booked a year or more ahead.Half day · South RimMule Rides
The park concessioner runs mule trips from the South Rim. Rim rides stay on top; inner-canyon trips descend toward the river.
Confirm current status before booking anything that descends. The inner canyon is heavily disrupted following the August flood.
Why it’s worth itA genuine piece of canyon history, and the only way below the rim for people who can’t manage the climb out on foot. Rim rides are the safer booking right now.Full day · From Tusayan or Las VegasGuided Day Trips & Jeep Tours
Guided tours of the South Rim and Desert View Drive, plus longer trips east toward the Navajo Nation and Antelope Canyon.
Las Vegas day trips are long — most of the day is driving — but they work if you’re based there without a car.
Why it’s worth itMainly if you don’t have a car. If you do, the free park shuttle covers the village and Hermit Road, and Desert View Drive is open to private vehicles. You don’t need a guide for those.Evening · South RimStargazing & Night Sky Tours
The Grand Canyon is an International Dark Sky Park, and the South Rim viewpoints away from the village are genuinely dark.
Why it’s worth itHonestly? You can do most of this yourself by driving to a viewpoint after dark, and the park runs its own ranger programmes. A guided tour adds a telescope and someone who knows what you’re looking at — worth it if that appeals, skippable if it doesn’t.What we’d skipThe Tours You Don’t Need
Guided walks on the Rim Trail. It’s paved for much of its length, it follows the canyon edge, and the free shuttle stops along it. No route-finding, and the Yavapai Geology Museum interprets it better for nothing.
Shuttle tours of the village. The park shuttle is free, runs every few minutes, and goes to the same places.
Anything promising a rim-to-rim experience in a day. Aside from being closed right now, NPS says hiking to the river and back in one day is dangerous and not recommended.
Don’t pay for a guided walk along the Rim Trail. Pay for the river, the air, and the places the shuttle doesn’t reach.”
Grand Canyon Tours
Booking Notes
- Air tours are weather-dependent and cancel more often than people expect. Book early in your trip so there’s room to rebook.
- Check where a tour departs from. Tusayan is seven miles from the village; Page and Marble Canyon are a couple of hours away.
- Multi-day rafting books a year or more ahead. Smooth-water day floats are far easier to get.
- Confirm inner-canyon status directly with the operator. Phantom Ranch and both river bridges are closed with no reopening date.
- Park entry is separate. $35 per vehicle, and a $100 per-person surcharge applies to non-US residents in 2026.
- The park shuttle is free and needs no ticket. Don’t pay for transport you already have.
Have your dates but not your plan?
Our 2-Day Grand Canyon Itinerary covers the South Rim properly — one day on the rim, one below it, with the current closures and water status explained.