It's the dream of many Las Vegas travelers: Descending nearly a mile into the craw of the Grand Canyon and triumphantly standing on the banks of the mighty Colorado River. Then reality takes hold. You do an epic overnight hike or take a Grand Canyon helicopter. Considering most people are looking for a great day trip, a chopper ride is your only true option (and the best one!).

There's two main places where helicopters fly the canyon: The West Rim and the South Rim. Helicopter flights are offered at both locations, but it's only at the West Rim that you can land on the Canyon's floor.

Flights typically depart from Vegas, or Boulder City, NV. The West Rim is roughly 120 miles away. Travel time is approximately 45 minutes. On the way, you'll fly over some incredible landmarks like Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the U.S., Hoover Dam, the newly completed Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge, a 700-year-old Joshua Tree forest, and sections of the Mojave Desert that look untouched by time.

Before you realize it, you're nearing the Grand Canyon. The West Rim is much more arid than it's South Rim counterpart, which is in the Kaibab National Forest, home to the largest stand of Ponderosa Pine in the country. The other thing that defines these rims is color. The West Rim's are subdued and pale while the South Rim's are more vibrant.

The excitement reaches a crescendo as your helicopter leaves the West Rim and drops into the canyon and begins it’s 4,000-foot descent. Brace yourself for some excellent canyon carving. Sheer cliffs, surreal rock formations, and sandstone buttes pass by until your helicopter softly alights on a makeshift helipad next to the Colorado River.

The three main Grand Canyon helicopter tour operators (Papillon, Maverick, and Sundance) let you hop off the chopper to enjoy a Champagne Picnic before turning you loose to explore the canyon's ancient floor. Time at the bottom is a minimum 30 minutes.

In addition to bottom-landing flights, there are also side-trips like Hummer off-road adventures, horseback rides, and smooth-water rafting trips. There's also a basic air-only West Rim helicopter tour (great if you have limited time.). Another major West Rim attraction is the Skywalk. Rightfully, so, too. There's nothing ordinary about the glass bridge. Check out these highlights:

1. Takes you 70 feet past the edge of the rim.

2. Lifts you 4,000 feet above the Colorado River.

3. Can withstand magnitude 8 earthquakes and 100 mph winds.

4. Can hold 800 people. Only 120 people are allowed on it simultaneously.

5. More than 200,000 people visit it each year.

6. Each of its 46 glass panels cost $250,000!

Mentioned earlier, South Rim helicopter flights do not land. The compromise is that you get to fly through the Dragoon Corridor, the deepest part of the Canyon, until you reach the beautifully isolated North Rim. Some the cleanest, clearest air exists here, allowing you to easily attain visibility of 150 miles or more. There are no helicopter flights between the West Rim and the South Rim.

The return flight to Vegas can also be adventurous. This depends on the pilot and the helicopter tour you purchased. I highly recommend including an option to fly the Las Vegas Strip, a perfect compliment to just having experienced one of the Seven Wonders of the World.