For Grand Canyon helicopter travelers, fall weather means temperate climes and clear skies, perfect conditions for exploring the National Park from the air.

Starting Points

There are two places from which visitors go to the Grand Canyon: Las Vegas, NV, and Tusayan, AZ, which is also known as the South Rim (it\’s located 270 miles east of Vegas).

Do understand that if you want to fly below the rim of the canyon and land at the bottom, you must start from Las Vegas. Such flights are banned at the South Rim by the National Park Service (NPS).

Las Vegas

All Las Vegas helicopters go over Lake Mead and Hoover Dam before entering Grand Canyon airspace. If you are on an aerial tour, you\’ll turn back for town. If you are a landing tour, you\’ll either go to the base or the top.

Frankly, I prefer landing tours because they let you see more and do more at the Canyon. However, they do cost more, so if you were on a strict budget, then I\’d recommend sticking to the air-only tours.

My favorite landing tour is the one that goes to the bottom for a Champagne picnic. You can make it even better by doing this tour at sunset or by adding a Colorado River boat ride and a Skywalk pass to the mix.

South Rim

If you are in Las Vegas and you want to do the South Rim, I recommend taking the airplane tour that includes a helicopter ride at the South. The plane flight is just 60 minutes. The heli segment is 30 minutes. And then there\’s a 2.5-hour bus tour.

If you are at or near the South Rim, you\’re options include a 30-minute or a 50-minute ride. The shorter one goes from South Rim to North Rim and back through the Dragoon Corridor, which is the widest and deepest section of the Canyon.

The 50-minute tour, however, is the one I prefer. It does what the shorter one does plus everything up to the National Park\’s eastern border. The great thing about this flight is that once you do it you\’ll have seen up to 75 percent of the Park.

Basic or Deluxe

There are two kinds of Canyon helicopter tours from Las Vegas: Basic and deluxe. The former will most likely use an older aircraft and it will depart from Boulder City, which is a suburb of Las Vegas. The deluxe, by contrast, will use the vastly superior EcoStar 130.

What makes the EcoStar so awesome is that it\’s 25 percent larger. As such, it is outfitted with stadium-style seats and a 180-degree wraparound windshield. Further, the EcoStar epitomizes great aerodynamic design, which helps make it one of the smoothest rides out there.

The other great thing about deluxe tours is that they use a limousine for hotel pick up and drop off. Further, they also come with an extended tour over the Las Vegas Strip on the way back from the Canyon.

Conclusion

I hope this article about taking a Grand Canyon helicopter ride in the fall persuaded you to add one to your list of things to do. If you are starting out from Vegas, I advise the flight that lands on the bottom of the Canyon. If from South Rim, go with the 50-minute tour. And by all means book these flights way in advance. They sell out early and you\’ll kick yourself if you don\’t get airborne.

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: grand canyon, las vegas, grand canyon helicopters, las vegas helicopters