In Las Vegas for St. Patrick's Day this year? Then you shouldn't miss the chance to tour the Grand Canyon by bus while you are there! These tours are lots of fun and easy on your budget too.

Buses will be running on schedule this day o' the leprechaun, with the majority of trips departing the Las Vegas Strip around 7:30 a.m. On the ride to the canyon in Arizona, you get to see Boulder City, the massive Hoover Dam, and scenic Lake Mead.

The West Rim, which is just 120 miles east of Sin City, takes about 2.5 hours to reach. The South Rim is farther away at 270 miles and it takes 5 hours to get there. You may be wondering:

"Which rim should I go to?"

Well that is the first thing you need to figure out before planning your tour. The short answer is to go to the South Rim if you want a scenic nature experience and go to the West Rim if you want some adventure.

Let's look at the details...

A good reason to visit the West Rim is so you can go to the Grand Canyon Skywalk. The Skywalk is a massive glass bridge, in fact it is the largest glass cantilevered bridge on the planet, and it lets you walk out over the canyon some 70 beyond the rim. It's like standing on air when you look between your shoes to the canyon floor nearly 4000 feet beneath you.

The West Rim is also the only location in the canyon where helicopters are allowed to fly to the floor and land. It takes around fifteen minutes for the chopper to descend to the canyon floor and it is a pretty exciting ride, you don't want to miss it!

On the canyon floor, you are free to explore on your own, this is also where you will find the Colorado River, the powerful creative force that carved the mile deep and eighteen mile wide canyon from the earth. You can even add on a relaxing boat ride down the river.

West Rim

West Rim bus rides also grant you full access to the Grand Canyon West, where you can experience such points of interest like:

1. Guano Point

2. Hualapai Indian Tribe Ranch

3. Beautiful Eagle Point

4. Indian Cultural Center

The South Rim

The tours to the South Rim from Vegas take about fifteen hours from start to finish, but fortunately, you get to ride on an ultra modern and comfy sightseeing bus the whole way.

Short Breaks

You'll make multiple "comfort" stops before entering the Park, wherein you'll commence a 3-hour tour that will cover such fantastic landmarks like Yaki Point, Mather Point, Yavapai Point and Grand Canyon Village (great souvenirs!). In addition, a great side-activity to this trip is the rim-to-rim helicopter ride.

St. Patrick's Day motor coach tours are all-inclusive, which means you get a box lunch or buffet meal, tour guide, Park fees, taxes, and even free pick up and drop off service all in one fee. Buses are non-smoking, include a lavatory plus passenger seats that comfortably recline and offer tons of personal space.

These tours are very popular so be sure to book your St. Patrick's Day excursion early. It is best to book your tour at least one week ahead of time. As for where to purchase your seats, I strongly recommend the Internet. Avoid the "big box" travel sites like TravelZoo, Expedia, Priceline and the like and go with a Las Vegas-based company. Lastly, make sure you complete your transaction online in order to qualify for the Internet discount.

Conclusion

Start planning your exciting trip right now. St. Patrick's Day makes for the perfect time to take a getaway to Vegas and the Grand Canyon. Even though you might not find the leprechaun's pot of gold in the canyon, you'll have a great time and make many memories to treasure.