A couple summers ago, some friends and I took a road trip from Texas through L.A. to my beloved Northern California, specifically to my old stomping grounds in Chico. Neither of them had ever been to NorCal, and both love complaining about Texas summers. Needless to say, I was pretty excited about taking them to a place where the air is clean(ish) and the weather is perfect.
Toroweap Overlook at the Grand Canyon
Unfortunately, we went when all those fires were happening, and I was sorely disappointed to find that the air and weather was actually better in L.A. Until that point, the only place I’d ever been to with crummier air than L.A. was Houston. I was a bit bummed to find that we actually left footprints in the thin layer of ash that was coating everything.
I bring this up because a couple weeks ago, there was some kind of fire in the Grand Canyon, and it covered a lot of area in a grim, smoky haze. If I had been camping, I’d have been disappointed. Vacations ruined by a wildfires (not to mention everything else ruined by wildfires) has probably cracked my personal Top Ten Bummers in Life list. Or at least the top twenty.
Anyway, I went to Vegas a couple weeks ago with my friends Cam and Kyle. This is probably our third or fourth time making this trip, and for the first time, we all got sick of gambling. Well, Kyle didn’t, but that’s probably because he didn’t blow through his blackjack fund after the first night. We were staying for five days; by the time the third one rolled around, Cam and I needed something else to do, like ride in an air-conditioned 4×4 to this really remote part of the Grand Canyon.
Tour Trekker!
The 4×4, which we christened the Frankentruck, was a huge four-wheel drive truck combined with the passenger part of an airport shuttle bus. And then painted pink, as if it were a shuttle bus from Barbie International Airport. And wouldn’t you know it, the tour company was called Pink Jeep Tours and the tour rigs were called Tour Trekkers.
We were supposed to leave at 7:45 am, so we just didn’t go to bed. Well, except for Kyle, who said he was just going to “rest his eyes,” as if he were my dad or something. I’d like to think someone else on our Tour Trekker was as haggard as we were, but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the case. Cam conked out immediately; I dozed in an out, which was too bad, because the guide was pretty funny (and had no loss for information) and the scenery outside the windows was awesome. We drove through Nevada, Utah and Arizona, and then headed up to this spot called Torroweap.
Torroweap, or Torroweap Overlook if you prefer, is apparently one of the most isolated spots in the country, and I made a mental note to be sure to be back in time for bus call. We got out and looked around, and I’ll tell you what—I didn’t used to be afraid of heights, but now I’m not so sure. The overlook gives you a dizzying stare at the Lava Falls rapids from a mere 3,000 feet up. With a drop like that, you can kind of see how Wiley E. Coyote has time to show all those dialogue signs—I’m pretty sure you’d fall for a while.
The coolest part about the trip was that I did actually feel isolated. It’s obvious that part of the park is pretty much untouched, and the scenery was amazing. Not only that, lunch was included. Cam made a joke about being “high rollers,” and then by the time we got to Torroweap Overlook, the high roller jokes became really awful puns. Next time, I’m going by myself.
- Steve Steward
Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s Grand Canyon tours & things to do and other Las Vegas tours & things to do, especially Grand Canyon Toroweap by Tour Trekker.