Grand Canyon Helicopters: Meet The 4,000-Foot Bottom-Landing Tour!
It's the dream of many Las Vegas travelers: Descending nearly a mile into the craw of the Grand Canyon and triumphantly standing on the banks of the mighty Colorado River. Then reality takes hold. You do an epic overnight hike or take a Grand Canyon helicopter. Considering most people are looking for a great day trip, a chopper ride is your only true option (and the best one!).
The South and West Rims are the focal points for Grand Canyon visitors. But it's only at the West Rim that permit you to land on the bottom (South Rim flight plans only let you fly from one side of the gorge to the other and back).
Flights leave daily from the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The West Rim is roughly 120 miles away. Travel time is approximately 45 minutes. On the way, you'll fly over some incredible landmarks like Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the U.S., Hoover Dam, the newly completed Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge, a 700-year-old Joshua Tree forest, and sections of the Mojave Desert that look untouched by time.
Before you know it, you're nearing the Grand Canyon. The West Rim is drier than the South, which is located in the Kaibab Plateau, home of the largest Ponderosa Pine forest in the nation. The other thing that defines these rims is color. The West Rim's are subdued and pale while the South Rim's are more vibrant.
The excitement reaches a crescendo as your helicopter leaves the West Rim and drops into the canyon and begins it's 4,000-foot descent. This is canyon carving at its best. From hereon, it's imposing cliffs, outrageous rock formations, and dusty buttes until your helicopter lands on a dirt helipad alongside the Colorado River.
The three main Grand Canyon helicopter tour operators (Papillon, Maverick, and Sundance) let you hop off the chopper to enjoy a Champagne Picnic before turning you loose to explore the canyon's ancient floor. Time at the bottom is a minimum 30 minutes.
There's also non-landing West Rim helicopter tours and a host side-adventures that include Hummer tours, horseback rides, Western wagon rides, and smooth-water rafting trips. The other attraction that gets a lot of attention at this rim is the Grand Canyon Skywalk. As it should, too. There's nothing ordinary about the glass bridge. Check out these highlights:
1. Lets you walk 70 feet beyond the edge.
2. Suspends you 4,000 feet above the Colorado River.
3. Can withstand magnitude 8 earthquakes and 100 mph winds.
4. Can support 800 people. Only 120 people are allowed on it simultaneously.
5. Over 200,000 people visit it each year.
6. Each of its 46 glass panels cost $250,000!
Noted earlier, you can find helicopter flights departing from the South Rim, but they do not land. The compromise is that you get to fly across the Dragoon Corridor, the deepest part of the Canyon, before you reach the beautifully isolated North Rim. Some the cleanest, clearest air exists here, letting you easily attain visibility of 150 miles or more. There are no helicopter flights between the West Rim and the South Rim.
The return flight to Vegas can also be adventurous. I highly recommend you include a flight over the Las Vegas Strip, which is a great way to top off having just experienced one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
The South and West Rims are the focal points for Grand Canyon visitors. But it's only at the West Rim that permit you to land on the bottom (South Rim flight plans only let you fly from one side of the gorge to the other and back).
Flights leave daily from the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The West Rim is roughly 120 miles away. Travel time is approximately 45 minutes. On the way, you'll fly over some incredible landmarks like Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the U.S., Hoover Dam, the newly completed Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge, a 700-year-old Joshua Tree forest, and sections of the Mojave Desert that look untouched by time.
Before you know it, you're nearing the Grand Canyon. The West Rim is drier than the South, which is located in the Kaibab Plateau, home of the largest Ponderosa Pine forest in the nation. The other thing that defines these rims is color. The West Rim's are subdued and pale while the South Rim's are more vibrant.
The excitement reaches a crescendo as your helicopter leaves the West Rim and drops into the canyon and begins it's 4,000-foot descent. This is canyon carving at its best. From hereon, it's imposing cliffs, outrageous rock formations, and dusty buttes until your helicopter lands on a dirt helipad alongside the Colorado River.
The three main Grand Canyon helicopter tour operators (Papillon, Maverick, and Sundance) let you hop off the chopper to enjoy a Champagne Picnic before turning you loose to explore the canyon's ancient floor. Time at the bottom is a minimum 30 minutes.
There's also non-landing West Rim helicopter tours and a host side-adventures that include Hummer tours, horseback rides, Western wagon rides, and smooth-water rafting trips. The other attraction that gets a lot of attention at this rim is the Grand Canyon Skywalk. As it should, too. There's nothing ordinary about the glass bridge. Check out these highlights:
1. Lets you walk 70 feet beyond the edge.
2. Suspends you 4,000 feet above the Colorado River.
3. Can withstand magnitude 8 earthquakes and 100 mph winds.
4. Can support 800 people. Only 120 people are allowed on it simultaneously.
5. Over 200,000 people visit it each year.
6. Each of its 46 glass panels cost $250,000!
Noted earlier, you can find helicopter flights departing from the South Rim, but they do not land. The compromise is that you get to fly across the Dragoon Corridor, the deepest part of the Canyon, before you reach the beautifully isolated North Rim. Some the cleanest, clearest air exists here, letting you easily attain visibility of 150 miles or more. There are no helicopter flights between the West Rim and the South Rim.
The return flight to Vegas can also be adventurous. I highly recommend you include a flight over the Las Vegas Strip, which is a great way to top off having just experienced one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
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