While in Vegas, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see the Grand Canyon. It was pricey for me ($110), but there was little that was going to stand in my way when I was already this close! So on only my second day in Vegas, I got in a van with 10 other Hostellers from USA Hostel, and we headed for the Canyon. On the way, we broke up the 4 hour drive by seeing the Hoover Dam, which you have to drive over anyway. From the dam we headed into the Mojave dessert (the first dessert I'd been to) and through the Joshua Tree Forest. Finally we arrived on the west side of the Canyon, and spent a few hours at the edge. We simply didn't have enough time to go inside, so we had to be content to see it from the top. My humble opinion about seeing the canyon is this, and I'm sorry if I sound like Reagan commenting on the Red Woods, but if you've seen the Grand Canyon in movies, TV, postcards, photography exhibits, and in magazines (which you have), you've sort of seen it already. I loved it, but it also didn't really feel real. How real can it feel when you've already seen it so many times, and you can't really put your hands on it or grasp it (because you're stuck at the top)? So my advice? Set aside the time to actually hike down and camp inside it.