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America's favorite holiday, the Fourth of July, is almost here. It is a fantastic time to take a vacation to the Grand Canyon National Park, but you better book your tour as soon as possible. Independence Day is one of the most popular times for family vacations and the popular Grand Canyon helicopter tours usually sell out fast.
You have your choice of departure sites for the helicopter tours, you can leave from Vegas, or you can fly out of Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan, Arizona. The flights from Tusayan go to the South Rim and the flights from Vegas go to the West Rim.
Touring The South Rim Of The Grand Canyon
You can choose from a 50 minute or 30 minute helicopter tour of the South Rim, they fly you to the North Rim and back passing over dramatic landmarks such as the Dragoon Corridor.
The 50 minute flight covers the same ground as the 30 minute flight but just adds more time in the air so you see more. It's become my personal favorite at this Rim. You'll see the South Rim, the North Rim, and everything up to the Park's eastern boundary. All told, it covers about ? of the entire National Park!
The helicopter tours at the South Rim cannot fly below the rim or land on the canyon floor. That unique experience is only possible at the West Rim.
Tours Of The West Rim
You can catch a helicopter tour out of Vegas every hour of the day from early morning until sunset. Here you can opt to take a fun-filled landing tour or just choose an aerial-only tour.
The most affordable tours are the air-only versions. If you have a tight budget or don't have a lot of time to spend, these are the ideal tours, and they offer a fantastic overview of the Grand Canyon region. You will get to see other impressive sights besides the West Rim, for example, you fly right over Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam.
The landing flights are my favorites, though. As I mentioned before, the West Rim is the only place where your chopper can land on the bottom, almost 4,000 feet below the edge of the rim! The ride is thrilling enough, but going to the floor of the canyon allows you to have other fun experiences too.
For example, you can enjoy a champagne picnic once you land on the canyon floor. In addition, you can book a rafting tour along the smooth waters of the Colorado River. You could also choose to land on top of the rim and get VIP passes to the Grand Canyon Skywalk. The Skywalk is an engineering marvel, it is a cantilevered bridge made of glass that allows you to walk out 70 feet past the edge and peer down into the canyon below!
Booking and Discounts
These fun helicopter tours of the Grand Canyon always sell out fast around the Fourth of July holiday. That's why I strongly urge you to book your flight at least a week or two ahead of time. You'll be able to get a seat and have a better shot at snagging one of the preferred flight times (morning flights are best).
The best prices are always on the ?Net. But don't buy your seats from one of the big-box travel sites like Viator, Orbitz or Priceline. Go directly to the tour operator's website instead. Then you can take the Internet discount when you complete your purchase on the site.
Summing Up
The Grand Canyon is always hopping in the summer during vacation season, but the July holiday is one of the busiest periods. That makes it important to book your helicopter tour at least a week in advance. And remember, buy your tour on the tour operator's website so you get the lowest rate available.
