If you\’re headed to Las Vegas for this July 4th holiday weekend, then you\’ve got to consider adding a Grand Canyon helicopter tour to your list of things to do. Trips leave from the Vegas Strip or Boulder City and fly over the canyon or land on the top or bottom. But don\’t delay when it comes to booking your aerial adventure as this is a holiday where these tours typically sell out.

From Vegas

Please be aware that Vegas helicopters do not fly to the South Rim. It\’s 277 miles from town and helicopters can\’t reach it. The rim that you will visit is the West Rim, which is 125 miles from Vegas. If you have your heart set on visiting the South Rim, I recommend you consider the direct airplane tour. It gets you there in under an hour and you can add a helicopter ride or a Jeep to your package.

The flight path is the same for all-air and landing tours. You\’ll go over Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, the Colorado River and the Canyon. If you are doing an all-air, you\’ll head back to LV after you do the Canyon. Those doing a landing tour will descend 4k feet to the bottom or land on the top of the West Rim. Frankly, I prefer landing tours because they let you seen and do more things.

My favorite landing tour is the one that includes a Champagne picnic at the base. But if you\’re feeling more adventurous, then I advise adding a VIP Skywalk ticket and a Colorado River boat ride to the mix. The Skywalk is an all-glass bridge that lets you walk some 70 feet over the edge of the Rim and the boat is essentially a 15-minute float down the West\’s most famous waterway.

Basic or Deluxe?

There are two kinds of Vegas helicopter tours and they are basic and deluxe. The key difference is that basic tours use the older helicopters while the deluxe tours use the newer ones. Naturally, I prefer the deluxe because of this. The newer helicopter, which is called an EcoStar 130, is 25% larger than the older helicopter. It also features a 180-degree wraparound windshield, stadium-style bucket seats and great climate-control (you\’ll appreciate this when it\’s 110 degrees outside).

Another difference is that the basic uses a mini-van to pick travelers up from their Vegas hotel while the deluxe uses a stretch limousine. Again, I prefer the limo transportation, especially if you are celebrating a special occasion like a birthday, an anniversary or a proposal. Finally, the basic tour departs from Boulder City, which is 30 minutes from The Strip whereas the deluxe leaves from The Strip, which makes it super convenient.

Conclusion

I hope this article about July 4th holiday helicopter tour from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon helped you plan your vacation. If you have the budget, try to book a landing tour. And make sure you book it well in advance of taking it in order to get the best prices on the hottest flights. Lastly, try to get a deluxe version of the tour as the helicopter is better and you\’ll get to fly over the Vegas Strip after you\’ve see the National Park.

The author recommends readers check out these Las Vegas helicopter tours to the Grand Canyon as well as this page of coupons that make any flight from Vegas cheaper: http://www.grandcanyonhelicopter.org/grand-canyon-helicopter-tour-coupons.html

The author recommends readers check out these Las Vegas helicopter tours to the Grand Canyon as well as this page of coupons that make any flight from Vegas cheaper: http://www.grandcanyonhelicopter.org/grand-canyon-helicopter-tour-coupons.html

Author Bio: The author recommends readers check out these Las Vegas helicopter tours to the Grand Canyon as well as this page of coupons that make any flight from Vegas cheaper: http://www.grandcanyonhelicopter.org/grand-canyon-helicopter-tour-coupons.html

Category: Travel
Keywords: vegas, las vegas, grand canyon, arizona, grand canyon skywalk, las vegas helicopters