Ideas for Planning Tours on Grand Canyon Helicopters

Sep 27
17:52

2013

Tracy Delvecchio

Tracy Delvecchio

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I get tons of requests for information regarding Grand Canyon National Park helicopter flights. To help travelers purchase the flight that best suits their needs, I wrote this short article. I think you will enjoy it.

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Are you planning a getaway to see the beautiful Grand Canyon? If so,Ideas for Planning Tours on Grand Canyon Helicopters Articles you've probably heard how much fun the tours are and maybe you are considering a helicopter tour. That is a great idea! You'll need to do a little advance planning, but here are some tips that should cover the basics. Where To Find A Tour The first thing you need to know is where to begin your tour. Grand Canyon helicopters fly out of Tusayan, Arizona (just outside the South Rim's main entrance) and Las Vegas, Nevada. If you will be staying in Phoenix or another city in central Arizona, you should choose a helicopter tour that departs from Tusayan. Tusayan is 10 minutes from the lodges in Grand Canyon Village and only an hour's drive from Williams, Arizona. When your tour originates in Las Vegas, the helicopter will take you to Grand Canyon West, or the West Rim. The South Rim is too far away for the Vegas choppers. So, if you really want to go to the South Rim from Vegas, choose an airplane tour instead. The rim you visit will probably be decided for you based upon your departure city, but if you need help deciding which rim tour to take, keep in mind the South Rim is known for its spectacular beauty while the West Rim is known for its thrills and adventure. Need more details before you decide? South Rim vs. West The South Rim is often considered to be the 'official Grand Canyon'. There are many spectacular sites there and one of the most notable ones is Dragoon Corridor, which is the deepest and widest part of the canyon. It is an amazing vast area of unspoiled nature scenery. The South Rim sits at a higher altitude (7,000 ft. above sea level) and vegetation is more plentiful than at Grand Canyon West. You may not realize it, but the West Rim of the Grand Canyon sits on the Hualapai Indian Reservation. This is where the Skywalk is located, it is an experience you don't want to miss. The Skywalk is a glass cantilevered bridge you can stand on 70 feet away from the canyon edge and look down 4000 feet to the bottom of the canyon! The glass bridge is a thrilling experience, but the West Rim offers even more excitement because that is the only place choppers are allowed to fly below the rim and land on the bottom of the canyon. When you land on the bottom, you can partake in a picnic or take a raft ride down the Colorado River. The Helicopter Tours You can choose from an air-only, or aerial, tour or a tour that lands at the canyon. The air-only tours fly over notable landmarks as they circle the canyon and then fly back. You can catch one from either Tusayan or Vegas. However, if you want to take a landing tour, you need to depart from the city of Vegas. Some land on the bottom while others touch down at the top of the rim. If you will be taking off from Vegas, you should seriously consider a landing tour. Then you get the best of both experiences by seeing the canyon from the air and from the ground. Whichever tour you choose, it will fly you over the massive Hoover Dam and Lake Mead on the way to the West Rim. At the South Rim, you can choose from a short half hour flight or a longer 50 minute flight. The half hour air tour goes over the Dragoon Corridor and the North Rim before returning to the South Rim. The fifty minute flight covers the same ground but also goes over the east edge of the Park. Booking The Tour It is a good idea to get your tour seats about a week ahead of time. It is possible you can get seats at the last minute, but you might get shut out. Plus, you will save money by getting your seats early, especially when you buy them on the tour operator's website and use the Internet discount.