Grand Canyon West: Things for Kids to Do

Headed to Las Vegas and need activities that will thrill the kids. Try Grand Canyon West. This part of the canyon is loaded with adventure, including walking over the edge on a glass bridge and rafting the Colorado River. If it's family fun you want, look no further than the West Rim.

Getting to the Rim is a snap. Luxury motor coaches leave every day and do the trip in 2.5 hours; a helicopter flight will have you there in 45 minutes. And you get two extra sights on the way: Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake in the U.S., and Hoover Dam, a structure that's been hailed as one of the greatest engineering feats ever.

Grand Canyon West lies on 9,000 acres owned by the Hualapai Indian Tribe. The vision is to develop it to include restaurants, a golf course, a ferry to the bottom, and more. Meantime, there's more than enough attractions and sights to entertain the family. Here's a list of the best:

#1. Grand Canyon Skywalk. This is the legendary "Glass Bridge." It juts 75 feet past the edge and suspends you 4,000 feet above the Colorado River below. The Bridge is made of 46, $250,000 glass panels that can withstand 100-mile-an-hour windstorms and support up to 14 adult African elephants (about 800 people). Personal electronics are banned as dropping them may scratch the glass panels. However, professional photographers are on deck to snap hi-quality photos of the family. The Skywalk, which opened in 2007, cost $31 million, and is jointly operated by the Hualapai Indians and a Las Vegas businessman.

#2. Helicopter Descent to Bottom. Imagine you and the kids flying into the Canyon's gorge, and then entering into a canyon-carving descent that will thrill you for ages. The Vertical drop is 4,000 feet, nearly two times the size of the planet's tallest building. Your helicopter will land on a smooth-dirt pad next to the Colorado River. You'll deplane; have lunch, then given free rein to explore the "center of the earth."

#3. Pontoon Boat Ride. The West Rim is the only part of the Canyon where you can helicopter to the bottom. This has many perks, including taking a rollicking boat ride down the Colorado. Usually, you'll deplane from the helicopter, trot upstream for a 100 yards or so, and then climb aboard a pontoon boat. These aren't ordinary rafts. These are sport-grade, rubberized vessels, specially designed to the roughest of river rapids. Dress to get wet. Also, carry lots of sunscreen.

#4. Hualapai Ranch. Located at the top of the rim, there's a real western town and Indian village. Staged gunfights between cowboys occur daily, and are guaranteed to thrill your little ones. The outdoor Indian museum is also delightful and features real Native American dwellings, including a tee-pee, as well as a clay fire-pit, and an outdoor amphitheater, among other things. Keep your eyes open for the petting zoo, which features the most exotic creatures that thrive in this high-desert environment.

#5. Horseback Riding. Saddle up, partner! A stable of horses, all of which are comfortable with child riders, is included in the ranch and available for western-style trail rides. Seeing the Grand Canyon on horseback is an activity that you can't do anywhere else (The South Rim of the Canyon offers burro rides). If any of your kids dream of being a cowboy, this is as good as it gets.

#6. Exploring the Rim on Foot. Trails on the rim are well-maintained and safe. You are encouraged to walk along the Rim, where you'll see first-hand Eagle & Guano Points. Built in 1958, Guano Point was once a thriving guano mine - what remains are old mining structures that were used to extract the guano. There's a good chance you'll see hawks soaring upwards on air vortexes. Or, if you are really lucky, you'll espy a family of Bighorn Sheep. Wildlife, as you'll soon see, abounds at the west Rim.

The West Rim is loaded with attractions and activities that will appeal to all family members. Many say that the Skywalk experience is as good as most of the attractions on the Las Vegas Strip. There are also lots of natural activities: River rafting, horseback riding, and trail hiking. And, if your youngster is a fan of the Wild West, there are gun fighting cowboys and Native Americans in ceremonial dress walking about as if right out of the 19th century. Situated a mere 120 miles away from Las Vegas, Grand Canyon West is Sin City's ultimate day-trip attraction.

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