You might think it’s too hot, but summer is actually the ideal time for a Grand Canyon airplane tour. Air tours leave from Las Vegas for the South Rim and the West Rim every day. You can even get a discount on your tour if you know where to look and book ahead!
An airplane can get from Las Vegas to the West Rim in 30 minutes. And, the South Rim is only an hour’s flight away, which beats taking a bus or driving (5 ½ hours each way).
All Vegas-based Grand Canyon airplane tours, whether they’re headed for the South or the West Rim, fly over Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, the Colorado River, the West Rim and other sights along the way. South Rim flights also let you see a big chunk of northern AZ and its famous Kaibab National Forest.
Air tours come in two versions: air-only and landing. On an air-only tour you’ll circle the rim’s main highlights and then head back to Sin City. On a landing tour you’ll touch down at the rim and disembark for some ground-time.
My Favorite
All sorts of landing tours are available. My personal favorite is the West Rim package that includes a chopper flight to the canyon bottom. A lot of folks add an optional float trip down the Colorado River to this package. They end up having just about the most comprehensive canyon experience possible!
Rivaling that tour in popularity is the West Rim flight that comes with VIP access to the fabulous Grand Canyon Skywalk (the “Glass Bridge”). This is the amazing all-glass platform that lets you walk 4,000 feet above the bottom – while you’re 70 feet out past the edge!
If you’re headed for the South Rim instead of the West, the 60-minute direct flight from Vegas is, in my opinion, the only way to go. It includes a fascinating 2 ½-hour bus tour inside the Park. Hard to beat!
To the South Rim!
Well, I guess there is one way to beat it – by adding an optional half-hour helicopter flight at the Rim. You’d fly from the South Rim to the North Rim and then back, right through exciting Dragoon Corridor, which is the deepest, widest part of the entire National Park.
I’m always being asked about the size of the planes used for these air tours. Well, seeing as how they can hold as many as 19 adult passengers, they’re far from tiny. The cabins are roomy and comfortable, with lots of personal space and legroom. And here’s something a lot of people don’t know: Grand Canyon airplane tours offer pre-recorded trip narrations, but they’re not limited to English – they’re available in as many as ten languages.
These flights are incredibly popular, so I urge you to book yours at least a week in advance (summer is high season at the Canyon, so booking two weeks ahead would be even better). That way you’ll be sure to get seats on the date you want, and the price will be lower than if you wait ’til the last minute.
Wrapping Up
If you’ll be visiting Sin City, a canyon plane tour is something you won’t want to miss. Air-only and landing tours fly to the South and the West Rim every day. Choose according to your budget, but the landing tours are my personal favorites. If you book well in advance, you could find a great discount rate online, and the savings could help you pay for the extra cost of a landing tour.
