Grand Canyon + Ancient Ruins + Volcano Full Day Christian Tour
Description
Grand Canyon, Wupatki Ruins & Sunset Crater Volcano Tour Embark on a full-day adventure with Canyon Ministries exploring geology, archaeology, and history through a biblical Creation perspective. This guided experience begins and ends in Flagstaff and visits three remarkable destinations in one unforgettable day. Stand in awe of the Grand Canyon’s breathtaking vistas, explore the ancient Wupatki Native American ruins, and walk through the rugged lava fields of Sunset Crater Volcano. Along the way, your expert guide shares engaging insights into these unique landscapes, connecting their features to the biblical account of Creation and the Flood described in Genesis. Perfect for families and explorers alike, this tour combines stunning scenery with rich cultural history. Tour price includes entry to all three parks and bottled water. Lunch is not included but may be purchased or brought with you. Additional rim tours, river trips, and backpacking adventures are also available.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Departing the Doubletree Hotel in Flagstaff, our journey to the Grand Canyon takes us through scenic views of the San Francisco Volcanic Field, with cinder cones dotting the landscape and views Humphreys Peak, the highest point in Arizona and capped with snow most of the year.
Arrive at the spectacular South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park. Price of park entry is included in the tour. Keep an eye out for elk as we drive 10 minutes through the park to our first stop.
Start near Yavapai Point for a restroom break, followed by our first views of the Grand Canyon with an introduction to the canyon's features and spectacular geology. From there, we can see the Bright Angel Trail, Phantom Ranch, and the Kaibab Suspension Bridge, along with views of the Colorado River far below.
Explore the best of the Grand Canyon's South Rim and Desert View Drive, with stops at key overlooks. During our time at the Grand Canyon, we will discuss the accounts of biblical creation and the global Flood found in the book of Genesis, and how it relates to the features and formation of the canyon's rock layers. We will then talk about the events we believe carved the Grand Canyon—a lot of water, in a little bit of time from massive lake spillover on the Colorado Plateau.
Stop at Grandview Point with distant views of the Colorado River and Tanner Rapid. While there, learn about the Wild West people history of the Grand Canyon, including copper mining and maybe a river trip story or two!
Stop at Desert View for our lunch break, with food options at the Market and Deli. Featuring hot foods, salads, and sandwiches, along with a small grocery store. You may also opt to bring a lunch with you during the tour, though we may not have room for large coolers on the tour vehicle.
Descend 3,000 feet from the Kaibab Plateau as we drive down into the lands of the Navajo Nation. With dramatic views of the Little Colorado River Gorge and distant Painted Desert, our journey is filled with stunning scenery and wild west wonderment.
Explore Native American Indian ruins nearly 1,000 years old, surrounded by the high desert grasses and red rocks of this landscape. We will talk about the Ice Age and migration of people groups around the world, including the Sinagua Ancestral Puebloans once referred to as the "Anasazi" that lived in this area. We will see the distant Hopi Mesas where these Ancient Ones (Hisatsinom) moved to. Keep your eyes open, as there's always the possibility of seeing pronghorn antelope, coyotes, or birds of prey in this landscape.
Our drive from Wupatki to Sunset Crater Volcano climbs around 2,000 feet from desert rocks and grasses to tall Ponderosa pines as we explore the otherworldly landscape of the San Francisco Volcanic Field. Our destination is Sunset Crater Volcano, the most recent eruption in the area. Once there, we will embark on a loop trail to get up close and hands-on with the volcanic rocks here, and learn about lava tubes, caves, and spatter cone "hornitos" that surround us. The trail loop is optional, with additional viewpoints or shorter routes for those not wishing to to the walk.
The scenic views continue on our drive back to Flagstaff. With the best views of the San Franciso Peaks all day, the landscape often holds other surprises to see, such as deer, elk, meadows, and fields of wildflowers. We arrive back at the Doubletree Hotel for drop-off typically around 6:00 p.m.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Tour starts and ends at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Flagstaff, AZ
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(55)
Really a great educational time, David the tour guide was very knowledgeable and explained everything in a very communicative way, and easy to understand.
My goal was to learn how the Grand Canyon formed. I got a solid and biblical answer. Thanks David!
From booking to drop off, we had an amazing experience with Canyon Ministries! Wonderful communication. Easy online booking. 10 hours of learning while riding the bus, walking, and standing in multiple profound sites and 3 national parks was perfect pace for our group of ages 6 to 49. Our 6 year old said, “I really like this day!” Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, helpful, kind, bold, and good with children, as well as teens! He picked us up on time, accommodated our needs, and took extra time to ensure that we were well taken care of. We feel our family has grown in knowledge, experience, and God’s creation as a result of the triple tour! We definitely recommend Canyon Ministries and look forward to visiting again.
There are not enough positive words in the dictionary to adequately describe our experience. Fourteen seniors from our church flew from Florida to participate in this tour. From our first email inquiry to the parting at the end of the tour - everything was excellent and professional. Our guide (Dana) was outstanding and the information she shared was both accurate and Biblical. I loved the way she infused Scripture into her explanations of what we were seeing and her knowledge of science allowed us to see how God's creation reveals Him as our creator. Our entire experience was fabulous!
Great experience- Dana was an incredible guide with very informative information and Biblical insights It was a outstanding day!
Our guide, Luke, was fantastic, and this and the other Canyon Ministries tour we took, (the sunset tour with Dana), were the highlight of our trip! The personal attention and the knowledge of the guides make Canyon Ministries tours the very best option for seeing the Grand Canyon.
We had the most amazing experience ever! Our tour guide Dana was incredibly knowledgeable, thoughtful, gracious, and funny! I love how she used the bible to reference each of the sites we visited while staying true to true scientific principles. As a Christian biologist who also works in the medical field, her descriptions and explanations were on point. I totally recommend this tour. It is a must book, do it now!
Our guide, David was the best guide I have ever had. He knows scripture. The Lord works through him in a mighty way. David is fun and energetic.
Our Biblical Creation Tour was absolutely incredible, and that’s thanks in large part to our guide, Eddy. He was knowledgeable, engaging, and had a real passion for both the science and the Scripture that brought the canyon’s story to life in a completely new way. Eddy struck the perfect balance between education and inspiration—his explanations made complex geological features easy to understand while connecting them beautifully to the Biblical narrative. He answered every question with enthusiasm, and his sense of humor kept the whole group smiling all day long. From breathtaking viewpoints to fascinating geological insights, every stop felt meaningful. You could tell Eddy truly loves what he does, and that made the experience even more special. If you want to see the Grand Canyon through fresh eyes and walk away both awed by nature and inspired by faith, this is the tour to take. Highly recommend—five stars all the way! 🌄🙏
Our family came from South Carolina to see the Grand Canyon and surrounding features. I had contacted Canyon Ministries to see about what they offered given we are followers of the LORD Jesus Christ. Everyone I was in contact with was more than helpful and very patient with all of our (many!) inquiries. Our tour leader, Dana, was a joy to be with and was also very patient with our questions, answering them well and from a Biblical perspective each time. We had a wonderful, as well as educational, experience with Canyon Ministries and we would certainly recommend them to anyone we know coming out to the Flagstaff area to see the many natural wonders that are here.
