Six million years ago the marvel that is known as the Grand Canyon was created. This wonder of the world measures in at 18 miles wide, 1 mile deep across a plain of 277 miles. While tourists and locals are more than welcomed to drive out to the site, there is nothing better than witnessing the geological wonder from your own Grand Canyon helicopter tour.
These helicopter tours last just over an hour and allow you to experience the Grand Canyon in a whole new light. Instead of waiting in lines or battling people for that perfect photo location, these private air crafts allow you to always get that perfect shot from the comfort of your own helicopter.
Regardless if you are planning on flying or driving out to the Grand Canyon there are a couple of tips that you should be familiar with so that you don’t miss one of the best photo ops of your life. Below we are going to go into more detail of where you should be going to get to the Grand Canyon.
Helicopter Tours
Many people prefer to see the wonder from a helicopter and from such there are many different brands and providers that can offer this service in Las Vegas. A simple Google search or walking down the Las Vegas strip will greet you with hundreds of results allowing you to visit the wonder without the crowds.
Most of these tours include hotel pick up and drop offs to where the helicopter will take off. Others may not be as generous and require you to go to a pick-up point or even go out to the airport yourself. There are three main airports in the Las Vegas area that are commonly used for the helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon.
McCarran Airport
This airport is a 10 min drive from downtown Las Vegas. It’s very easy to get to and relatively cheap if you decide to use a limo shuttle service. A lot of hotels also offer shuttle services to this airport otherwise a taxi costs approximately $15. You will find that a lot of the major and common helicopter tours will depart from this airport.
Henderson Executive Airport
This airport is a 25 to 30 minute drive south of Las Vegas. Some airplane tours depart from here due to how out of the way it is to get there.
Boulder City
The final airport called Boulder City is 30 minutes from Las Vegas where both helicopter and airplane tours depart from. It is important to note that this airport can add an extra one and a half hours to your trip. From so it is important to plan for this extra addition of time due to the extra distance you have to go for the shuttle.
Driving to the Grand Canyon
If you are scared of heights or would simply enjoy the road trip element of seeing the Grand Canyon you can always drive. Be sure to have a fuel tank of gas as the minimum amount of time to get there while driving is about 3 hours.
Las Vegas to the West Rim
The West Rim is the closest to Las Vegas which is why many people opt to drive to this one. The trip takes two and a half hours to get there where you should take the following directions;
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Take the US 95 south towards Kingman, AZ
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Turn onto Pierce Ferry Road
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Take Diamond Bar Road and stay on it
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Continue to Doe and Buck Road
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Turn onto the Airport Service Road to the Grand Canyon West airport
Las Vegas to South Rim
The South Rim is the most popular areas of the Grand Canyon to visit so be sure to give yourself some extra time to avoid traffic and crowds. The approximate time for the following route is 5 hours.
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Take US 95 south towards Kingman, AZ
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At Kingman take the I 40 east to Williams, AZ
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At Williams take the Highway 65 north to the South Rim
Las Vegas to North Rim
If the bustling crowds and crammed car parks don’t entice you, you can always go to the North Rim. The North rim is a little bit cooler than its southern counterpart due to it being elevated higher. This area is great for families as it features many different kinds of fauna and even animals.
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Go north on I 15, past St. George, UT
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Go east along Rt 9 until you reach Rt 59
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Continue going east on Rt 59, it will change to Rt 389 past the Utah/Arizona state line
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Continue going east on Rt 389 to the intersection with US 89a
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Go east along US 89a to the intersection with Rt 67
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Go south along Rt 67 until you reach the North Rim