Grand Canyon National Park Helicopters - Choosing Which Rim to See
You have a couple of different options when you want to take a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon. You can pick a tour that goes to the West Rim or one that goes to the South Rim. To determine which of these air tours is right for you, there are a few things to consider.
To begin with, you need to figure out where you will start your tour. The tours depart from Vegas in Nevada and the South Rim in Arizona. The South Rim departure point is a tiny town called Tusayan, Arizona. It is situated close to the main gates of the Grand Canyon National Park.
Vegas Air Tours
The helicopters that depart from Vegas tour the West Rim only. The flight to the South Rim is too far for choppers to make the round trip. From Vegas, the South Rim is 277 miles away. However, if you are staying in Vegas and want to take an air tour of the South Rim, you can do it as long as you go by plane.
The West Rim is an interesting portion of the Grand Canyon. Located on the Hualapai Indian Reservation, it is 125 miles east of Las Vegas. The rim has an elevation of 4200 feet and the climate is quite arid. There is one unique benefit to taking a helicopter tour to the West Rim. It is here that Grand Canyon helicopters can travel to the bottom of the canyon.
One of the more popular landing tours is the one that comes with a champagne picnic. When the picnic is finished, you can explore the grounds for about a half an hour. That gives you a fantastic opportunity to explore the area on foot. If you feel like some added excitement, you can even upgrade your tour to include a boat ride along the smooth water section of the Colorado River.
The West Rim is also home to the famous Grand Canyon Skywalk. It's a bridge made of glass, and you can walk on it 70 feet beyond the edge of the canyon wall. While walking on it, you are looking down an incredible 4,000 feet above the bottom. This is a hot destination and you won't want to miss out on the bridge.
Helicopter Tours Of The South Rim
The South Rim is found in Northern Arizona and has an elevation of 7,000 feet. That part of the canyon is lush with vegetation too. This area is typically cooler than the West Rim. However, it gets hot in the summer, so don't forget to take extra water and dress appropriately.
Helicopters are banned from flying below the rim and landing on the bottom here. So the two options you have are a 30 minute flight and a 50 minute flight. The longer tour is an incredible value because by the time you finish it you'll have see up to 75 percent of the Park. When you consider the park covers more than one million acres, you can see how comprehensive the longer tour is.
To upgrade a South Rim helicopter, add a 4x4 Jeep tour. The ground segment of the trip spends two hours taking you through some of the Park's most impressive landmarks. This includes the main roadway and some of the backroads. The Jeep trip is terrific fun and lets you experience the Canyon in ways you'll never forget.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully, this article has given you some insight into both the South and West Rims of the Grand Canyon. Both rims will be incredible to experience in a helicopter. Just keep in mind that from Vegas, you can only take a helicopter to the West Rim. South Rim tours depart from Tusayan, which is near the South Rim main gates. One of the best tours at the West Rim is the one that lands at the bottom and includes a champagne picnic, and one of the best South Rim tours is the long, 50-minute flight. Whatever you choose, you'll be treated with spectacular views and adventurous thrills.
About the Author
This is the chopper site that Grand Canyon specialist Lea Fallon uses when arranging an air tour http://www.grandcanyonhelicopter.org/ She also recommends visiting this site to get hot promotions on these awesome flights: http://www.grandcanyonhelicopter.org/grand-canyon-helicopter-tour-coupons.html
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