Your dad's holiday is on Sunday, June 16, and it will be here soon. A fantastic way to celebrate is to treat dad to a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon that departs from Tusayan, Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park Airport, or from an airfield in Vegas. These are very popular on dad's holiday so be sure to book your flight as soon as you can. All flights are running on their regular schedules, including early morning and sunset tours.

Grand Canyon Helicopter Tours Of The South Rim

There are two chopper tours of the South Rim, one is a 30 minute flight and the second is a longer one that takes 50 minutes. I strongly urge you to consider the longer flight. You should also consider treating dad to a deluxe tour. The deluxe tours use top of the line EcoStar 130 helicopters that offer the ultimate in comfort. These choppers offer these great benefits:

• They are designed for sightseeing with 180 degree wraparound windshields

• The large cabins provide ample personal space

• Stadium-style seating with all seats facing forward

• The EcoStar flight of the South Rim covers about three-fourths of the entire National Park

You can also add on an exciting ground tour to your trip. The most popular option always seems to be the 4x4 Jeep Safari, which tours hard-to-reach rim highlights before pulling up to the edge of the rim at sunset. It's only offered at 3 p.m. and later.

Grand Canyon Helicopter Tours From Las Vegas

If you depart from Las Vegas, you can catch your chopper at a heliport in Boulder City, Henderson, or the Vegas Strip. Strip departures are more expensive than the suburban options. The Vegas helicopter tours are available as air-only trips and landing tours.

My favorite air-only trip is the upgraded, deluxe version. How come? Well, it uses the EcoStar 130 'copter I mentioned earlier. Also, you might get some extra air time, depending upon your tour operator.

On the way to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon, you will fly over the scenic Lake Mead and the immense Hoover Dam. Other notable sights you will see include the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon Skywalk before your chopper turns around and heads back to Vegas.

You should consider taking a landing tour. One of them flies you down to the bottom of the canyon where you can enjoy a scenic champagne brunch or lunch. You can also add on a fun raft trip along the Colorado River.

Other landing tours set down at the top of the rim and give you 2 hours for exploration. By all means, check out Eagle Point and Guano Point, but make sure you leave enough time to do the Glass Bridge. The bridge is an experience not to be missed since it lets you stand on a glass floor 4000 feet above the bottom of the canyon, and 70 feet beyond the edge of the rim!

Booking Seats For Your Trip

Avoid using sites like Viator, Expedia, or Priceline to book your seats. You will pay more if you do. Instead, go to the tour operator's official website to get your tickets. Buying direct from the tour operator's website saves about 30% off the price of your seats!

Summing Up

Dad's Day is almost here, and it's the perfect occasion for a Grand Canyon helicopter tour. These tours make memories that last forever.

I recommend upgrading any air-only or landing tour to the deluxe version if you can swing it. Buy your tickets soon, because these tours are very popular on special occasions and they sell out quickly. Buy direct from the tour operator's website so you get the low Internet rate. Keep in mind, you have to complete your transaction online to get the steepest discount.