The Grand Canyon during winter is quite the sight to behold. The air is nice and crisp and the views are crystal clear and endless, perfect conditions for taking a helicopter tour.

You can catch a helicopter ride from Las Vegas or Tusayan, AZ, the small town that sits just outside the front gates of the National Park.

Distances

From Las Vegas, it\’s a 45-minute flight to the West Rim. If you want to visit the South Rim, which is 277 miles away, you\’ll need to go by plane first and then transfer to a helicopter. Tusayan departures get to the rim in about 5 minutes.

Lots of travelers ask me about the North Rim, which is closed from November to April. Thus if you want to see the North Rim, I recommend taking a South Rim helicopter ride over it.

There\’s a big distinction between Las Vegas and Tusayan flights. Vegas trips can land at the bottom and the top of the Canyon. South Rim tours, by contrast, are not permitted to fly below the Rim. Thus if you want to land next to the River, you will have to depart from Vegas.

Las Vegas

Vegas offers a lot of options from which to choose. There are air-only and landing tours and all go over Lake Mead and Hoover Dam before entering Grand Canyon airspace. I personally prefer the landing tours because you get to do and see more.

Each of these Vegas flights come in basic and deluxe. The basic flights typically depart from Boulder City, a suburb of Vegas. Deluxe flights, by contrast, come with limousine service and depart from The Strip. They also include a tour over The Strip on the return.

The most popular South Rim flights are the 30-minute and 50-minute tours. I prefer the longer one because for just a few dollars more you nearly double your flight time. Further, you get to see up to 75 percent of the Park, including the isolated North Rim.

Weather

Temperatures at the West Rim are temperate. Usually, the weather you have in Vegas is what you can expect at the West Rim. The South Rim, on the other hand, is colder because it sits at an elevation of 7,000 feet. Snow showers and ice are common. Despite this, there are few flight cancellations due to the weather.

I suggest you dress comfortably for your helicopter tour. This means wearing a hat, coat, gloves, a sweater, long pants and running shoes. I\’ve seen people turn up at check-in in shorts and tell me it\’s \”OK\” only to get the shivers the minute the heli\’s door opens.

Winter flights are very popular. This is due in part to the fact that people love to travel during Christmas. They also like to celebrate the New Year in a chopper over the best of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

RSVP

Considering this, I like to remind folks too book their helicopter tour in advance. I usually recommend one to two weeks ahead of time. That way you\’ll have a better chance of getting the flight you want. This piece of advice is especially important if you are a group of two or more people.

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

Category: Travel
Keywords: South Rim helicopters, Rim helicopters