South Rim Helicopter Tours Master the Grand Canyon!
The Grand Canyon National Park is a sight to behold. Covering more than 1 million acres of pristine wilderness, the park is divided into the North Rim and South Rim by the Colorado River, which runs through it for 277 miles. It’s a huge and majestic landscape, and the best way to experience it is by taking a helicopter tour of the South Rim.
south edge
The South Rim is located in northern Arizona, near the Utah border. Its closest major cities include Flagstaff and Williams, which is also the terminus of the Grand Canyon Railroad. Outside the main gates is Tusayan, which is home to the Grand Canyon Airport, where all air tours depart from, and the IMAX Theater.
The Grand Canyon receives about 5 million visitors a year, with many coming from Phoenix, Sedona, and Las Vegas. Most travelers to central Arizona will choose to arrive by car, while visitors to Las Vegas will come by bus or plane, the latter of which I highly recommend.
Unlike the west rim of the canyon, which is located just east of Las Vegas, the south rim prohibits helicopters from flying below the rim and landing on the bottom. This restriction is federal, and in fact, there are no signs of it being lifted any time soon. Related to this, there are no flights from the South Rim to the West Rim, so if you want to visit that destination, you’ll have to drive.
Departures
South Rim flights depart daily from GCA. There are a number of air tour operators located here, and prices for flights range from value to luxury. Since all flights follow the same flight path, the next big differentiator is time. There are 30-minute trips and others that remain in the air for almost 1 hour.
The half hour flights basically go from the South Rim to the North Rim and vice versa. In between, you’ll fly over the Kaibab National Forest and through the Dragoon Corridor, which is the deepest and widest part of the Canyon. This particular tour is a great option for people planning to spend a day in the canyon and want to see as much as possible.
The 50-minute tours include everything the half-hour flight does, except start east, passing through the Desert Watchtower, the Zuni Corridor, the confluence of the Colorado River, and the more beautifully desolate stretches of the North Rim. My recommendation is to go with this tour because the more airtime the better.
limited seats
The helicopters have capacity for six people plus the pilot. You will rarely fly alone or in a nearly empty plane. Seat assignment is determined on the track at the discretion of the pilot. The reason for this is that the total weight of all passengers must be evenly distributed in the aircraft and this is only possible at the time of the flight.
I recommend that you book your South Rim helicopter tour as soon as possible. Try to do it a week in advance. Purchasing a same-day flight is risky as there will typically be no availability, and if there is, it’s probably just one seat. Also, if you buy your tour at the heliport, you’ll probably pay more than you would if you bought a ticket from a commercial airline like Delta, AA, and United.
Purchase your canyon helicopter tour online. That’s where you’ll find the best deals. More specifically, buy it directly from the tour operator, who will post special offers and discounts that other online brokers like Expedia, Priceline, and Viator can’t touch. Finally, remember to complete your transaction online to get that internet offer. If you skip this step, you’ll probably end up paying retail.