Tag: Grand Canyon
Labor Day will soon be here, and that means the opportunity for a summer airplane tour of the Grand Canyon is about over. Lots of people are taking their last vacations of the summer, so the tours will fill up fast.
Airplane Tours Departing From Vegas
Heading from Vegas, travelers can take air tours that go to either the West Rim or the South Rim of the canyon on a tour plane. It takes about a half hour to fly from Vegas to the West Rim and around an hour to fly to the South Rim. When you consider it can take almost six hours to drive to the South Rim, you save quite a bit of time.
There are two kinds of airplane tours. One is a landing tour and the other is an air-only tour. Both will fly you above Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and the Colorado River, before flying over the canyon. The tours that are marked air only will only take you in a loop over the canyon, while a landing tour will let you explore it.
If you need to watch your budget, then an air tour is ideal since it is the least expensive. However, you’ll see more if you do a landing tour. The airplane tour that lands at the West Rim is especially popular. It’s exciting because you can upgrade the tour to include a helicopter descent to the bottom of the canyon and a boat ride along the Colorado River that wends it’s way along the base of the towering rock walls.
Another landing tour option is to buy VIP passes to the famous Skywalk. The Skywalk is a huge bridge made from glass panels that allows you to stroll beyond the edge of the rim for 70 feet. You can see the canyon floor an amazing 4000 feet underneath you. It’s scary and thrilling at the same time.
Touring The South Rim
The plane tour of the South Rim gives you about 45 minutes of flight time. The tour takes off from the Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan, Arizona. The plane takes you over the pristine wilderness area of the North Rim as well as the land that borders the eastern edge of the park. Then you’ll head back to the South Rim and have witnessed 75% of the park after all is said and done.
The airplanes used on these flights are designed to hold up to 19 people. Two FAA certified pilots are on each tour to offer you a safe and fun experience. You’ll be comfortable on the plane too. They include oversized windows, cabins, and wings that won’t obstruct the views. You can feel confident when you book your tour that you’ll have the best views possible from one of the airplanes.
Plane Tours Are More Affordable
Airplane tours follow the same paths that you take on a helicopter tour. The difference is they are cheaper and will accommodate more people, while flying at a higher altitude. If you’d rather fly with a smaller crowd, then you can take a similar tour on a chopper instead. However, you’ll pay about 50 percent more if you do.
Labor Day weekend is always one of the busiest times at the Grand Canyon. So, buy your tour as soon as you can, and you can buy it conveniently online. Don’t wait until the day you want to fly. After all, you might miss a seat and you’ll definitely pay more.
Conclusion
Now you should know what to expect if you want to take an airplane tour of the Grand Canyon over the Labor Day holiday. Choose the rim you want to see and buy your tour as soon as you can. Buy your tickets early and get them online for the best deal on a flight you’ll never forget.
Thanksgiving is coming up, and that means it is time to get a little bit of relaxation, hang out with family, or even go on a sightseeing adventure. This time of the year is the perfect one to visit the Grand Canyon, and with air tours you can visit either the West Rim or the South Rim of the Canyon.
Don’t Miss Out
One advantage to touring the canyon this time of year is the cooler weather. The cooler air temperatures actually improves visibility, so you’ll have fantastic views. Because of the ideal touring conditions and the fact that holidays are busy at the canyon, you’ll want to book your tour early.
It’s a good idea to book seats on your tour at the same time you book your hotel room so you don’t forget. If you leave things too late, you will end up paying the highest prices, or even worse, you might miss out on seats.
I also recommend that you book your tickets online, and pay using your credit card. This process confirms your transaction, so you can be sure your seats will be waiting for you. Another good reason to buy your tour online is the good deal you’ll get by using the discounted Internet rate.
The West Rim
You will fly to the West Rim if you take Grand Canyon helicopter flight from Las Vegas. A lot of people prefer the West Rim because it has a lot of fun things to do and interesting things to see. You’ll even get to fly over Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam on your way there. One other advantage of going to the West Rim is that it’s the only place in the canyon where helicopters can fly below the rim and land on the canyon floor.
The landing tours are great fun. You can land at the bottom of the canyon, where you could enjoy a Champagne picnic and a Colorado River tour. If you land at the top instead, you can visit the Skywalk. Walking on the Skywalk is an exhilarating experience because it is made of glass and you can look down to the canyon floor that’s 4000 feet below you.
You can even book a combination tour that lets you land on top of the rim and on the canyon floor so you can experience the Skywalk and a boat ride on the river on the same tour.
Helicopter Tours Of The South Rim
The Grand Canyon is so big, it is also a convenient tour if you’ll be staying in Arizona rather than Nevada. Arizona travelers tour the South Rim, and all the tours depart from the airport in Tusayan where you can fly to the North Rim and back. The tour that goes over to the North Rim and back takes about 30 minutes, but you can also opt to take a longer, 50 minute tour that goes to the North Rim as well as the eastern border of the park. In that extra 20 minutes you will have the opportunity to see more of the National Park, totaling up to 75% of the total area. You’ll see a lot of sights on the longer flight, and it doesn’t cost that much more, so the extra expense is worth it.
While your helicopter won’t be able to land at the South Rim, you can still see the canyon up close if you add on a Jeep tour. The Jeep tour is a great addition to the helicopter tour because it gives you the chance to see the canyon from different perspectives.
To Wrap Up
Grand Canyon helicopter tours are among the most popular tours in the US, and it’s easy to see why. With so many options, you’ll be able to create a tour package that’s filled with fun and scenic views while not busting your budget. If you want to fly for Thanksgiving, don’t forget to book early, and book online. With a little bit of planning you will be set up for a trip that you will remember for the rest of your lifetime, and you will ensure that you can experience it all for the best available price.
The Memorial Day holiday is right around the corner. Bookings for air tours on Grand Canyon helicopters are skyrocketing.
Memorial Day falls on Monday, May 26th this year. Since it is a three-day weekend, many people head for the Grand Canyon. So don’t wait until the last minute to book your trip. It is always a good idea to book your hotel and Grand Canyon tour at least one or two weeks ahead of time.
Tours of the canyon originate in Las Vegas, Sedona, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Scottsdale, and Williams.
Las Vegas Tours To The West Rim
First, it’s important to know that choppers flying from Vegas only do the West Rim. The South Rim is just too far for them.
However, that is certainly no problem, because the West Rim is a lot of fun. You can fly to the floor of the canyon at the West Rim, and that is the only place it is permitted in the National Park. The descent is a thrilling experience.
Las Vegas tours come in two types, one is air-only and the other lands at the canyon. Both of these tour types give you aerial views of Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, the Skywalk, and the Grand Canyon. The landing tours, though, also touch down at the top or at the bottom of the gorge (the latter is way more popular). Once the canyon floor, you can enjoy a relaxing lunch or add on a boat ride along the smooth waters of the Colorado River.
The Vegas chopper tours depart from an airfield in Boulder City, Nevada or from the Vegas Strip.
Strip flights are better for several reasons. It is certainly more convenient to your hotel and the tours even pick you up at your hotel and take you back. If you take a tour out of Boulder City, you will ride a van shuttle to the airfield. If you depart from the Strip instead, the tour operator picks you up in a limo. How cool is that? You also get to see the Strip as part of the tour.
South Rim Flights
South Rim helicopter tours are ideal when you depart from a city in Arizona. Just keep in mind, none of those tours can land at the bottom of the canyon.
The South Rim has its own claim to fame though, and that is its natural beauty because of the wilderness area it encompasses.
There are two tours available here too, one of them is thirty minutes long and the other one lasts fifty minutes. The longer tour is best because it flies you over about 3/4 of the entire National Park area.
Combo tours are also available at this Rim. Right now, the two most popular combo trips are the ones that include a ride on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and the ones that include a sunset Jeep ride (it’s not overly rough).
Look for a deluxe option when you book your flight. Why do that? These tours use the EcoStar 130 choppers and they offer an exceptional experience. These helicopters have huge windshields that wrap around the cabin so you have great views, plus you have lots of personal space and stadium-style seating for unobstructed sightseeing. EcoStars are really the only way to go.
To Summarize
The Grand Canyon will be much busier than normal during Memorial Day weekend. The date is fast approaching, so book your tour as soon as possible. If you plan to depart from Vegas, choose a tour that takes off from the Strip. Both rims offer tours on EcoStar choppers, so try to snag a seat on one of them for the best flight possible.