The July 4th holiday weekend is coming up and now\’s the perfect time to take a Grand Canyon helicopter tour. However, be aware that it will be extremely busy so try to book ahead for best flights and times.

Departure Points

There are two places from which travelers take helicopter tours. They are Las Vegas, NV, and Tusayan, AZ, otherwise referred to as the South Rim or Grand Canyon National Park Airport.

Please note that no Las Vegas helicopter tour goes to the South Rim, which is 270 miles away to the east and out of range of helicopters. Travelers wishing to visit the South Rim should consider taking a direct plane flight there.

Las Vegas

There are flyover and landing tours available from Vegas. Both follow the same flight path and go over Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, the Colorado River and the Canyon. Flyover tours will turn back at this point while landing tours will go to the top or the bottom.

My favorite is the one that lands at the base for a Champagne picnic. This particular flight can be upgraded to include a Colorado River boat ride as well as tickets to the Grand Canyon Skywalk. There\’s also a terrific bottom-landing tour that comes with a raft trip.

South Rim

There are only flyover tours available at this Rim. This is because flying below the Rim and landing is banned by the National Park Service. Thus main options are the 30-minute and the 50-minute tour. The shorter goes from the South Rim to the North Rim and back.

But I always recommend the longer tour. It does everything the 30-min. Tour does, plus everything up to the Park\’s eastern border. By the time visitors complete this tour, they will have seen up to 75 percent of the National Park.

Tour Types

There are two kinds of tours: Basic and deluxe. The key point of differentiation is the helicopter. On basic tours, you\’ll fly a standard Bell Ranger or AStar, while the Deluxe uses the EcoStar 130, which is 25 percent larger than basic aircraft and includes a 180-degree wraparound windshield.

The other great thing about the EcoStar is the seating. Because the cabin is big, seating is comprised of comfortable bucket seats that are configured stadium-style for maximum viewing comfort. Truly, when you take an EcoStar, the quality of your experience increases geometrically.

Hot Weather

Lastly, it\’s hot out there, folks, so dress accordingly. Currently we are seeing temperatures higher than 100 degrees at the West Rim. It\’s cooler at the South Rim because it\’s at a higher elevation but it\’s still hot.

As such, please dress for heat and comfort. I recommend a hat with a brim, water, a lightweight long-sleeve shirt, and loose-fitting pants. Water and a salty snack like trail mix are also great to pack along.

Conclusion

I hope this article about July 4th holiday helicopter tours at the Grand Canyon helped you as you plan your vacation. Key thing is to pick your starting point and they determine if you want an air or landing tour. And make sure to book early and online. You\’ll get much better flight times and prices.

The author is a Grand Canyon expert and recommends going here for the best South Rim helicopter tours http://www.grandcanyonhelicopters.org/south-rim/ and here for ones that depart from Las Vegas: http://www.grandcanyonhelicopters.org/las-vegas/

The author is a Grand Canyon expert and recommends going here for the best South Rim helicopter tours http://www.grandcanyonhelicopters.org/south-rim/ and here for ones that depart from Las Vegas: http://www.grandcanyonhelicopters.org/las-vegas/

Author Bio: The author is a Grand Canyon expert and recommends going here for the best South Rim helicopter tours http://www.grandcanyonhelicopters.org/south-rim/ and here for ones that depart from Las Vegas: http://www.grandcanyonhelicopters.org/las-vegas/

Category: Travel
Keywords: South Rim helicopter