Celebrate Mother's Day With A Grand Canyon Helicopter Ride

By Author: Tracy Delvecchio
Total Articles: 17
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Do you want to come up with something amazing for this year's Mother's Day? Here is a great idea, take her on a chopper tour of the Grand Canyon. The choppers are flying on their normal schedules and you can visit either rim. That being said, wouldn't the West Rim flight that lands on the bottom and includes champagne brunch be nice for this special day?

Mother's Day is Sunday, May 12. Although the date is kind of far away, you should not waste time booking your seats. Grand Canyon helicopters fill up quickly, especially on holidays. They'll sell out fast, so book as soon as you can.

You should plan on getting your seats one to two weeks in advance of your trip. There are several benefits of booking in advance:

1. You get to choose from more flight times and tour options.

2. You will pay less money.

3. If there are several people in your group, booking early ensures everyone gets a seat.

Grand Canyon helicopters hold six people so you want to book ahead so your entire group can fly together with your Mom. Also, give your flight time some thought. I suggest morning departures because ...
... that's when the visibility is best and the air is less turbulent.

Grand Canyon helicopter tours take off from two locations, the Grand Canyon National Park Airport (GCA) at Tusayan, Arizona (flights to the South Rim), and Las Vegas, Nevada (flights to the West Rim or the South). Choose the rim you think your Mom would like best. The South Rim is ideal if she admires nature's beauty and wants to see if from afar. On the other hand, if your Mom is adventurous, then take her to the West Rim.

Touring The South Rim

Travelers coming from Phoenix, Sedona, Scottsdale and other AZ locations should drive to GCA (it's a scenic route). At the airport, you can choose a half hour flight from the South Rim to the North Rim and back again or you can opt for a longer tour that lasts about 50 minutes. The longer flight includes everything in the shorter tour but also goes all the way to the eastern boundary of the National Park.

You can also tour the South Rim if you will be departing from Vegas. Because the South Rim is outside the range of choppers from Vegas, you'd need to take a plane to GCA and then board your copter there.

Tours Of The West Rim

Remember the landing flight I mentioned earlier, the tour that includes champagne brunch at the bottom of the canyon? You can only take that tour if you leave from Vegas since the West Rim is the only location where helicopters can descend below the rim of the canyon. You will see interesting sights along the way too such as the impressive Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. After arriving at the canyon, you'll fly 4,000 feet down to the bottom, where you'll enjoy brunch and explore on foot.

Your Mom would also love the experience of walking on the glass Grand Canyon Skywalk. Think of the thrill she would get standing on a glass sidewalk 4000 ft above the canyon floor and 70 ft from the edge of the rim!

In Conclusion

Grand Canyon helicopter tours are fantastic ways to spend Mom's special day. But whatever you do, don't scrimp. If you are lucky enough to be in Vegas, then picking the tour to the West Rim that includes a champagne brunch is a good deal. If you go to the South Rim, look for a tour that uses the EcoStar 130 chopper. That is a comfortable aircraft and was made specifically for sightseeing. Either way, your Mom will remember the day for a long time to come!

Tips from the Author

Travel pro Tracy D. goes here for voucher codes for Grand Canyon choppers and then here for the very best specials on flights: http://www.grandcanyonhelicopters.org/hot-deals