Grand Canyon Tours Offer Fun And Excitement For Father's Day

Travel & Leisure

  • Author Susan Bissonnette
  • Published June 13, 2014
  • Word count 638

Father's Day is June 15th, and it's almost here. Want to do something really special for dad? What could be better than a fun tour of the Grand Canyon? With so many tour options to choose from, you are certain to find something he enjoys.

If you are in a city such as Williams, Phoenix, Flagstaff, or Sedona, you can go to Tusayan near the South Rim to begin your tour, and if you are in Vegas, you can choose from one of the many tours available there. They're all running on their regular schedules for Father's Day. Don't wait to book until the last minute, though-Dad's day is a popular time at the canyon. Instead, book a week ahead if you can.

Here's a summary of the canyon tours being offered:

Helicopter Flights

When you take a chopper tour of the South Rim, you can choose a thirty or fifty minute tour. The shorter tour is exciting and flies from the South Rim to the North Rim and back. The longer flight is the best one though because it covers the same ground as the shorter flight and adds much more. The longer flight is so comprehensive, it covers nearly 75 percent of the whole park.

West Rim helicopters take off from Las Vegas. These are some popular options for these tours:

  1. Take a landing tour that comes with VIP access to the famous glass Skywalk

  2. A chopper landing on the canyon floor (only possible at Grand Canyon West). You can also include a raft ride along the smooth-water section of the Colorado River as well.

Tours By Airplane

Vegas offers plane tours to both the West Rim and South Rim. South Rim flights are popular with Vegas travelers because you'll arrive in less than 60 minutes (compare that to a bus tour, which takes 5 hours to get there!). Landing tours and air-only tours are offered at the West Rim, and the same optional add-on's are available as for helicopter tours.

The plane tours to the South Rim last 50 minutes. They cost less than chopper tours but follow the same basic flight path as the helicopters. Keep in mind that planes stay at higher altitudes and your views aren't as unrestricted as they would be in a chopper. Sightseeing helicopters also have huge wraparound windshields so you have an amazing unobstructed view of the ground below you.

Touring By Motor Coach

Tour buses depart from Vegas 365 days a year and head to the South Rim, which is 270 miles away, or go to the West Rim, which is 120 miles away. If you're taking a South Rim bus trip, consider adding the exciting rim-to-rim chopper flight. West Rim trips can be enhanced with rafting tours, Skywalk tickets and chopper flights.

Both rims are fantastic to visit, but they are different, consider your dad's preferences when you choose. If he loves nature and wilderness beauty, go to the South Rim. If he loves excitement and adventure, pick the West.

Canyon Raft Tours

Basic South Rim rafting tours bus you to the launching point, but an upgraded version that includes a 4x4 off-road tour of Antelope Canyon and flies you by plane to the launching point would be perfect for Father's Day.

A terrific helicopter-rafting combo tour is available from Vegas. It begins with a chopper landing on the canyon bottom, and includes an 11-mile float down the Colorado River (the rafting segment starts at the base of Hoover Dam).

Wrapping Up

These tours are very popular and Father's Day is just around the corner, so you need to book your seats soon. By all means, buy your tickets online, but you'll need to complete your purchase on the tour company's website to qualify for the special Internet rate.

I hope you and your dad have a great day at the Grand Canyon!

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