Are you planning to celebrate Valentine's Day in style by heading to Vegas? You can make your trip even more memorable with a Grand Canyon helicopter or plane tour. You'll see many beautiful sights, which is very romantic when you tour with someone you love, but Valentine's Day is a busy time at the Canyon, so you need to book your tour as soon as you can.
Flights from Vegas go to the West Rim and the South Rim, which is farther away in Arizona. Tours depart hourly on Valentine's Day, just like they do every day of the year. You can choose from air-only tours, or landing tours that take you right down to the Canyon.
If you choose to visit the West Rim, you can even land inside the Canyon in a helicopter, right next to the Colorado River. To ensure that you don't miss out, you will need to book in advance, and book your tickets online. I suggest booking as soon as you have confirmed your hotel room. Leaving it too late, can mean increased prices, or even missing out on seats for the day that you want to fly.
Helicopter Tours
The tour helicopters that fly out of Vegas pass over Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam along the way, so you get an impressive aerial view of these famous landmarks too. The air-only tours then fly around the West Rim so you can see all the main highlights, and then the helicopter heads back to the city. If you opt for a landing tour instead of an air tour, you'll have more time to spend at the Canyon. Taking a landing tour is the way to go because it is filled with a lot of fun things to do. The tour that flies down to the Canyon floor is very popular, and it even comes with a Champagne picnic that is a perfect touch for Valentine's Day. The Skywalk is on the West Rim too, so you'll get the chance to experience standing on the glass bridge that's suspended 4000 feet above the floor of the Canyon if you're brave enough to try it.
If you want to tour the South Rim by helicopter, you'll have to fly there by plane first, and then you'll transfer to a chopper for a thirty or fifty minute flight. The shorter flight tours the North and South Rims. The longer tour includes the eastern area of the park, and will have you gazing at over 75% of the entire National Park. The longer tour costs a little more, but it is definitely worth it because you get to see so much of the park.
Touring By Airplane
Although the airplanes follow the same flight path as the helicopters that fly out of Vegas, there are a couple of differences, such as the airplanes fly higher and they can't fly into the Canyon and land on the bottom. Another difference is the airplanes carry 19 people at a time while helicopters carry six. So, if you're traveling with a group, then you'll probably want to book an airplane tour so you can all fly together.
You can still land at the top of the West Rim, and with an upgrade you could still take the helicopter ride down to the bottom of the Canyon. At the South Rim, the air-only flight follows the longer helicopter route. You could also land in the town of Tusayan, Arizona, where you could take a 2.5 hour bus tour around the South Rim.
Airplane tours are more affordable, but they do sacrifice some of the visibility that you get while in a helicopter. Deluxe helicopters offer 180degree views from the front, whereas airplanes are limited to the oversized windows next to your seat.
To Conclude
Valentine's Day is the perfect occasion for a trip to Vegas and a tour of the Canyon. The tours are available at different price ranges, so to have the best experience, you'll want to spend as much as your budget allows. When it comes to adding on tour options, you get what you pay for, so the more, the better. The Champagne picnic landing tour is my favorite at the West Rim, while the 50 minute helicopter tour is my recommendation for the South Rim.
Choose one that suits you, and make this Valentine's Day the best one yet.
Flights from Vegas go to the West Rim and the South Rim, which is farther away in Arizona. Tours depart hourly on Valentine's Day, just like they do every day of the year. You can choose from air-only tours, or landing tours that take you right down to the Canyon.
If you choose to visit the West Rim, you can even land inside the Canyon in a helicopter, right next to the Colorado River. To ensure that you don't miss out, you will need to book in advance, and book your tickets online. I suggest booking as soon as you have confirmed your hotel room. Leaving it too late, can mean increased prices, or even missing out on seats for the day that you want to fly.
Helicopter Tours
The tour helicopters that fly out of Vegas pass over Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam along the way, so you get an impressive aerial view of these famous landmarks too. The air-only tours then fly around the West Rim so you can see all the main highlights, and then the helicopter heads back to the city. If you opt for a landing tour instead of an air tour, you'll have more time to spend at the Canyon. Taking a landing tour is the way to go because it is filled with a lot of fun things to do. The tour that flies down to the Canyon floor is very popular, and it even comes with a Champagne picnic that is a perfect touch for Valentine's Day. The Skywalk is on the West Rim too, so you'll get the chance to experience standing on the glass bridge that's suspended 4000 feet above the floor of the Canyon if you're brave enough to try it.
If you want to tour the South Rim by helicopter, you'll have to fly there by plane first, and then you'll transfer to a chopper for a thirty or fifty minute flight. The shorter flight tours the North and South Rims. The longer tour includes the eastern area of the park, and will have you gazing at over 75% of the entire National Park. The longer tour costs a little more, but it is definitely worth it because you get to see so much of the park.
Touring By Airplane
Although the airplanes follow the same flight path as the helicopters that fly out of Vegas, there are a couple of differences, such as the airplanes fly higher and they can't fly into the Canyon and land on the bottom. Another difference is the airplanes carry 19 people at a time while helicopters carry six. So, if you're traveling with a group, then you'll probably want to book an airplane tour so you can all fly together.
You can still land at the top of the West Rim, and with an upgrade you could still take the helicopter ride down to the bottom of the Canyon. At the South Rim, the air-only flight follows the longer helicopter route. You could also land in the town of Tusayan, Arizona, where you could take a 2.5 hour bus tour around the South Rim.
Airplane tours are more affordable, but they do sacrifice some of the visibility that you get while in a helicopter. Deluxe helicopters offer 180degree views from the front, whereas airplanes are limited to the oversized windows next to your seat.
To Conclude
Valentine's Day is the perfect occasion for a trip to Vegas and a tour of the Canyon. The tours are available at different price ranges, so to have the best experience, you'll want to spend as much as your budget allows. When it comes to adding on tour options, you get what you pay for, so the more, the better. The Champagne picnic landing tour is my favorite at the West Rim, while the 50 minute helicopter tour is my recommendation for the South Rim.
Choose one that suits you, and make this Valentine's Day the best one yet.
About the Author:
Grand Canyon specialist Beth Adams is a huge fan of these Canyon tours and suggests readers visit here for a list of the top heli and plane rides for Valentine's: http://www.grandcanyondaytrips.com/grand-canyon-flights-helicopter-airplane-tours/
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