Father's Day Is Almost Here So How About Treating Dad To A Grand Canyon Chopper Flight?

By Author: Tracy Delvecchio
Total Articles: 17
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Sunday, June 16th, is Father's Day and it's almost here. A fantastic way to celebrate is to treat dad to a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon that departs from Tusayan, Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park Airport, or from an airfield in Vegas. These are very popular on dad's holiday so be sure to book your flight as soon as you can. All flights are running on their regular schedules, including early morning and sunset tours.

Grand Canyon Helicopter Tours Of The South Rim

You can choose from two tours to the South Rim, one of the lasts 50 minutes and the other one lasts 30 minutes. I strongly urge you to consider the longer flight. I also recommend upgrading either tour to the deluxe version, especially since you'll be flying for Father's Day. The deluxe tours use top of the line EcoStar 130 helicopters that offer the ultimate in comfort. These choppers offer these great features:

> The over sized 180 degree wrap around windshields offer fantastic scenic views
> The large cabins provide ample personal space
> Stadium-style seating with all seats facing forward
> The EcoStar flight ...
... of the South Rim covers about three-fourths of the entire National Park

Besides air-only flights, there are some great air/ground experiences from which to choose. The most popular option always seems to be the 4x4 Jeep Safari, which tours hard-to-reach rim highlights before pulling up to the edge of the rim at sunset. You can only take this tour in late afternoon.

Vegas Flights

If your tour starts in Las Vegas, you can take off from the most convenient heliport in Henderson, Boulder City, or the Vegas Strip. Choosing a tour that takes off from a suburban heliport is less costly. Some terrific air-only and landing tours are available from Vegas.

The deluxe version is the best option when it comes to air-only tours. Why is that? Well, it uses the EcoStar 130 'copter I mentioned earlier. You might even get some extra airtime, depending on your tour operator.

Every flight soars over majestic Hoover Dam and scenic Lake Mead before entering Grand Canyon West's airspace. Other notable sights you will see include the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon Skywalk before your chopper turns around and heads back to Vegas.

The landing tours are my personal favorites. A popular one lands on the canyon floor, where passengers enjoy a champagne brunch or picnic, depending on the time of day. Another fun option is a smooth water float trip down the Colorado River.

Other landing tours set down at the top of the rim and give you 2 hours for exploration. You will want to visit Guano Point and Eagle Point, but be sure to visit the glass Skywalk. You can walk 70 feet past the rim of the canyon onto a glass walkway, and peer down to the canyon floor that is some 4000 feet below you!

Booking Seats For Your Trip

Don't bother looking for tours on third-party travel sites like Expedia, Viator or Priceline. Because of the fees these sites add, booking through one of them will cost you extra. The best option is to book your tour on the tour operator's official site. Buying direct from the tour operator's website saves about 30% off the price of your seats!

Summing Up

Celebrating dad's special day with a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon is a perfect idea. It's a terrific experience that Dad won't soon forget.

If you can, opt for the deluxe tours. Get your tickets as soon as you can because they are so popular, they fill up quickly. Book online, directly with the tour company, so you can take advantage of the super Internet rate. Just remember to complete the transaction on the site!

About the Author

Travel journalist Tracy Delvecchio is a specialist on helicopter excursions to Grand Canyon National Park. When it comes to getting low prices on these trips, she heads here: http://www.grandcanyoncheap.com/helicopter-deals.html