Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon and Valley of Fire from Vegas

The short answer

Two of these five products go to Grand Canyon West, one goes to Grand Canyon National Park, and they are different places.[1][4][3] Grand Canyon West says its resort corporation is owned and operated by the Hualapai Tribe in Peach Springs, Arizona, and the glass Skywalk is there, at Eagle Point.[5] Grand Canyon National Park is a National Park Service park in Arizona, with its main visitor centre on the South Rim.[2] No product in this guide visits both.[1][3]

The other two products are different landscapes: a tour to Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon X, both near Page, Arizona, and guided hikes in Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada.[9][7][8]

Grand Canyon National Park tour

The Grand Canyon National Park Tour from Las Vegas has one option: a full-day tour with shared transfers from the meeting point, an English-speaking guide and a boxed lunch. You meet on Siren's Cove Boulevard, west of the valet and Starbucks, at the yellow-curbed sidewalk, and SkyGate asks you to arrive 15 minutes early.[1]

Two things are not settled. The option does not name the rim, although SkyGate's page mentions an audio guide for the South Rim tour options.[1] Park entrance fees are not in the list of inclusions, and XTOUR has not verified whether they are covered. See the Grand Canyon National Park page on XTOUR.

Grand Canyon West: coach tour or a ticket for drivers

The Grand Canyon West VIP Tour from Las Vegas with Hoover Dam Stop and Optional Skywalk picks you up from Las Vegas Strip hotels, chosen at checkout, and includes a hot restaurant breakfast and a barbecue lunch. Both options stop at the Hoover Dam Memorial Bridge for photos and visit Eagle Point and Guano Point, with VIP bus access around the canyon. The Hoover Dam visit is a photo stop, not a dam tour or admission. The two options differ in one thing: VIP Tour from Las Vegas + Hoover Dam Stop + Skywalk adds the glass-bottom Skywalk, and the other option does not. Adult tickets start at 12 and child tickets cover 3 to 11.[3]

The Grand Canyon West All-Access Pass is for visitors who drive themselves. Its one option, All Access Pass, includes the hop-on hop-off shuttle on site and, as complimentary extras subject to availability, Skywalk admission, one zipline ride, arcade games and food and gift-shop vouchers. SkyGate gives the address as 5001 E Diamond Bar Rd, Peach Springs, Arizona, and the option names no transport from Las Vegas.[4] The operator says the All-Access Pass includes the Skywalk, and describes Guano Point's 360-degree views and the remains of a historic tram.[5] The zipline's age and height rules are not in SkyGate's listing, and XTOUR has not verified them. See the Grand Canyon Skywalk and Guano Point pages on XTOUR.

Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon X

The Antelope Canyon X and Horseshoe Bend Tour from Las Vegas is a long join-in day: you meet at 6:00 AM at the yellow-curbed sidewalk of Treasure Island Hotel on Siren's Cove Boulevard, and the itinerary returns to Las Vegas at 7:00 PM. The itinerary drives across the Glen Canyon Dam, stops at the Horseshoe Bend Overlook, and ends at Antelope Canyon X. The price lists shared round-trip transfers, a driver-guide, admission fees, national park fees, water and a packed lunch.[6] The option does not name which admission the fees cover, and XTOUR has not verified that they include the Antelope Canyon X tour. SkyGate's page says bags are not allowed inside Antelope Canyon.[6]

The National Park Service describes Horseshoe Bend as a roughly 1,000-foot-deep, 270-degree curve of the Colorado River, reached by a 1.5-mile round-trip walk from a trailhead off US Highway 89.[8] Antelope Canyon X is run by Taadidiin Tours, which gives its check-in as Milepost 308 on Highway AZ-98, Page, Arizona, and offers guided tours only.[7] See the Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon X pages on XTOUR.

Valley of Fire: a guided hike in Nevada

Hiking in the Valley of Fire is the only product in this guide that stays in Nevada.[9] Nevada State Parks describes 40,000 acres of red Aztec sandstone, petroglyphs more than 2,000 years old, and a park established in 1935.[10]

All three options include round-trip transport with hotel pick-up, snacks and drinks, and a tour of the visitor centre. They differ in effort and age: the Friendly Hike is described as 4 to 5 hours for ages 8 and over, the Moderate Hike as 5 to 5.5 hours for ages 8 and over, and the Intense Hike as 5 to 6 hours for ages 16 and over, with hiking shoes required. SkyGate's page says the operator contacts you to arrange pick-up at nearly all Strip and downtown properties. The park charges a day-use entrance fee per vehicle, and SkyGate's inclusions do not mention it.[10][9] Nevada State Parks warns that hiking in high heat is dangerous even on shorter trails.[10] See the Valley of Fire State Park page on XTOUR.

How to choose

• The national park, with a guide and lunch: the Grand Canyon National Park Tour from Las Vegas, after checking the rim with SkyGate.[1]
• Grand Canyon West with hotel pick-up, meals and an optional Skywalk: the Grand Canyon West VIP Tour from Las Vegas with Hoover Dam Stop and Optional Skywalk.[3]
• Grand Canyon West in your own car, with the Skywalk and shuttle included: the Grand Canyon West All-Access Pass.[4]
• Horseshoe Bend and a slot canyon in one long day: the Antelope Canyon X and Horseshoe Bend Tour from Las Vegas.[6]
• Red rock and petroglyphs on foot, with a choice of effort: Hiking in the Valley of Fire.[9]

Before you book

• On the Grand Canyon West VIP tour, only the option with Skywalk in its title includes the Skywalk.[3]
• The Grand Canyon West All-Access Pass includes no transport.[4]
• Leave bags behind for Antelope Canyon.[6]
• The Valley of Fire Intense Hike requires hiking shoes and is for ages 16 and over.[9]