Grand Canyon West Rim and Hoover Dam Combo Tour by Pink Jeep

Eleven hours, two landmarks, nothing left to pay for at either: that is the pitch of Pink Jeep's combo, and it holds up. The day starts with a 7 AM hotel pickup in the company's enclosed Tour Trekker and runs out through the Mojave to Grand Canyon West, where the Skywalk at Eagle Point, the Hualapai village, the Guano Point overlook and lunch at a rim cafe are all included. Then, instead of the quick photo stop most canyon tours make at Hoover Dam, the guide walks the group across the top of the dam past the spillways and the Winged Figures of the Republic, and down into the Power Plant with a Bureau of Reclamation guide to the platform above the eight generators of the Nevada powerhouse. Lake Mead and Colorado River views come with it, and the ride back ends the day.

Two things to know before you book. The dam tour depends on federal access: if the Bureau of Reclamation closes the generator room, the itinerary swaps in the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge and the Boulder City Hoover Dam Museum instead, and you do not get a refund for the change. And 11 hours is a serious day; with a 7 AM pickup you are back around 6 PM, so do not plan a show that night without a cushion.

The operator's list price is $375 an adult and $355 for children aged 3 to 12; through the booking button it runs about $387 before fees. Under-3s are not allowed. If the dam's power plant is the only thing pulling you toward the combo, remember the standalone West Rim tour is two hours shorter and about $50 cheaper and still stops at the dam for photos; a separate evening Hoover Dam tour can cover the dam on another day for under $100.