Las Vegas Forum: Helicopter tour to Grand Canyon - is it worth it

It depends what you are trying to accomplish. If you want to experience a helicopter ride, then go for it. If your intention is to visit the Grand Canyon then you need to rethink your strategy. Copter trips from Vegas go to the West Rim. The West Rim is a scenic place and you will likely have a great day. But the beauty and grandeur of the Grand Canyon is best experienced at the National Park, which is found at the South Rim. You cannot take a helicopter from Vegas all the way to the South Rim. You can take a small plane and then switch to a helicopter. But at the South Rim, the copters cannot fly below the rim or land on the canyon floor.

In my mind, the copter trips are very expensive. For the cost of most half day trips, you could rent a car, drive to the South Rim, stay overnight (which is the best way to see the Canyon) and still have money leftover.

The Grand Canyon is a destination by itself, it cannot be viewed as just another thing on your Vegas checklist.

Hello...The First Lady is moving to Denmark now? whoa...k, as for your q, the heli tour is worth it only if you find it worth spending time away frm LV to see a tiny part of Grand Canyon...

Send my love to the Little Mermaid! Is she still there or has she been vandalised again?

I also loved the helicopter trip - you fly over Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and parts of the Grand Canyon (as you would in a place which is cheaper) and also do a tour of the Strip on the way back. Seeing the Grand Canyon is definitely worth it.

If your time is limited, you might want to consider a night tour of the Strip in a helicopter.

My partner and I took the Wind Dancer Sunset Tour last year with Maverick Tours. We both loved it. Yes, it is expensive, but worth every minute. How often would you go to LV and a helicopter tour to Grand Canyon in your life? I think it is an awesome birthday present.

Some of my family did the airplane to the South Rim and transferred to the helicopter for a tour from the South Rim. As noted above, the helicopter does not go to the floor of the Canyon. It was great, but expensive.

The plane/helicopter combo cut down significantly the amount of time for this trip. If you are short for time, it is a decent (but expensive) way to visit the GC. However, if you have the time, drive and spend one night. Arrive at the GC before sunset. Wake up early and view sunrise. Then, whenever you are done with the Grand Canyon, back to Vegas. Much less expensive, and more satisfying.

To visit the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas, here's how most people on this board - present company included - would probably rate the various options in order of quality of experience:

1. Rent a car and drive yourself to Grand Canyon National Park South Rim (5 hours each way from Las Vegas). Stay for 1 night, 2 if you can manage it.

2. Rent a car and drive yourself to Grand Canyon South Rim for a day visit. Long day, but doable.

3. Take an airplane/ground tour from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon South Rim with Scenic, Grand Canyon Airlines, Maverick Airlines or Vision Holidays. Durations range from 7-9 hours hotel to hotel, include lunch, prices vary widely also.

4. Take an airplane/ground tour from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West on the Hualapai Indian Reservation. See #3 for list of companies that offer them. Add-on options include the Grand Canyon Skywalk and/or helicpter flight to the canyon floor for pontoon boat rides.

5. Take a helicopter from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West and land at the bottom of the canyon. Companies offering tours are: Papillon/Grand Canyon Helicopters, Maverick Helicotpers, Sundance Helicopters, HeliUSA. Duration ~4 hours hotel to hotel, prices again can range widely.

6. Take a bus tour from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West. Add-on options also include the Grand Canyon Skywalk and/or helicpter flight to the canyon floor for pontoon boat rides. Lunch included, plus hotel shuttle. Approximate duration 12 hours hotel to hotel.

7. Take a bus tour from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon South Rim. Add-on option to take a 30-minute helicopter overflight. Hotel pickup/dropoff and lunch included. Duration ~15 hours hotel to hotel.

Now here's a question for you: do you foresee yourselves ever getting back to either Las Vegas or the Grand Canyon in the future, or is this likely to be a once in a lifetime/blue moon type trip? If "option b" sounds more accurate, then I'd say go for that helicopter trip! Being able to get to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back in half a day is an absolute hoot - not long ago, you couldn't even think about doing something like that.

But as other posters have mentioned, these flights are all going to go to Grand Canyon West on the Hualapai Indian Reservation and NOT Grand Canyon National Park. Therein lies the big "trade-off" between the two areas of the Grand Canyon: at GC West you can get to the bottom with relative ease and comfort; at the South Rim, you still have to do it the hard way.

As for prices, there's also a wide range of them out there, but keep in mind that most sites you'll find are those of booking agencies who work with a small "core" group of companies: Papillon/Grand Canyon Helicopters, Maverick Helicopters, Sundance Helicopters and HeliUSA.

Excellent reply K-Bot.... click, copy, paste, save. Well done.

thank you so much for all your replies.

As we have a car while in Vegas. I think we will use a couple of days and drive down to the south rim - sounds like it is the best way to see the Canyon.

I think my husband would love a helicopter trip - as one of you mentioned I could give him one flying over the strip.

As for the little mermaid - They have send her to China for a year for some exhibit. People went crazy. Imagine if someone took the statue of Liberty and lent her to some other country ;)

And as for the first lady: I just saw her or at least the car she was sitting in half an hour ago. Maybe we will keep her until we get the mermaid back ;-)

My wife and I did a plane tour of the Canyon.

Too much waiting around.

Enjoyed driving to Red Rock Canyon and climbing around the rocks alot more.

Have you been on a heli before? Can make some people queezy.