If you'll be celebrating Memorial Day in Vegas this year, then you don't want to miss the chance to tour the Grand Canyon since you'll be so close. Touring by airplane is an excellent adventure, and you can choose to go to the West or the South Rim. With the nice weather and holiday weekend, it will be busy at the Canyon, so buy your tour tickets soon or they might sell out.
West or South Rim? Two Fantastic Options
Las Vegas is closest to the West Rim, but you can also tour the South Rim from the town of Tusayan in Arizona. From Tusayan you can take the flight directly, or if you're in Las Vegas, you can choose to fly to the West or South.
During the quick flight from Vegas to the Canyon, you'll see a lot of interesting sights. For instance, you'll get a bird's eye view of Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam. Tours that go to the West Rim are available as air-only tours and landing tours. The air-only tours offer many wonderful views from the plane as you fly over the Canyon and circle back to Vegas. If you decide to book a landing tour, then you can add on different fun adventures.
Landing at the West Rim
The West Rim is ideal for exploring on foot along the many scenic trails, and it is also where the Skywalk is located. The Skywalk is an amazing structure made of glass and steel that is suspended over the Canyon. It is an exhilarating experience to stand on the transparent floor 70 feet past the rim of the Canyon and peer down to the ground 4000 feet below you.
And if you want even more adventure, then take a helicopter flight down to the Canyon floor. This is an exciting and popular tour option that adds fun to your trip. Besides the exciting descent into the Canyon, going down to the floor is fun because you can take a scenic boat ride along the Colorado River or enjoy a champagne picnic. It's a very impressive sight to be on the Canyon floor and gaze up at the massive rock walls above you, so don't miss the chance to fly down to the bottom of the Canyon if you can.
South Rim Airplane Tours
Whether you take the one hour flight from Las Vegas, or start your journey in Arizona, the South Rim has plenty of impressive sights to see. The plane tour from Tusayan is almost an hour long, and covers around 70% of the entire National Park. There's no other tour that will show you quite as much in one package. On this tour you will get to see the remote North Rim, as well as some of the deepest and widest areas of the Canyon. The South Rim is more remote than the West, and it receives less visitors. If you want to see true untouched natural beauty, then the South Rim tours might be the best option for you.
Dress For Hot Weather
It can get extremely hot at the Canyon at this time of year, so if you're going for a landing tour at the West Rim, make sure you are prepared. Wear some thin and light clothing that covers as much skin as possible, and bring plenty of sunblock with you. You'll also need some snacks like trail mix or energy bars, and don't forget your bottled water.
Summary
Hopefully, this convinces you to take an airplane tour of the Canyon over the Memorial Day holiday. Remember to book your tour as soon as you can, and the easy way to do that is to use your credit card to buy it online. This not only reserves your seats, but it also lets you use the Internet rate, which is the best deal you can get. Plus, when you buy your tour two weeks in advance, you'll probably get a price break compared to buying the tour closer to the travel date. There are many tours to choose from with a variety of adventures you can add on, so you'll have plenty of chances for fun and excitement. Memorial Day is the ideal time to visit the Canyon and enjoy viewing one of the most popular scenic attractions in the United States.
West or South Rim? Two Fantastic Options
Las Vegas is closest to the West Rim, but you can also tour the South Rim from the town of Tusayan in Arizona. From Tusayan you can take the flight directly, or if you're in Las Vegas, you can choose to fly to the West or South.
During the quick flight from Vegas to the Canyon, you'll see a lot of interesting sights. For instance, you'll get a bird's eye view of Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam. Tours that go to the West Rim are available as air-only tours and landing tours. The air-only tours offer many wonderful views from the plane as you fly over the Canyon and circle back to Vegas. If you decide to book a landing tour, then you can add on different fun adventures.
Landing at the West Rim
The West Rim is ideal for exploring on foot along the many scenic trails, and it is also where the Skywalk is located. The Skywalk is an amazing structure made of glass and steel that is suspended over the Canyon. It is an exhilarating experience to stand on the transparent floor 70 feet past the rim of the Canyon and peer down to the ground 4000 feet below you.
And if you want even more adventure, then take a helicopter flight down to the Canyon floor. This is an exciting and popular tour option that adds fun to your trip. Besides the exciting descent into the Canyon, going down to the floor is fun because you can take a scenic boat ride along the Colorado River or enjoy a champagne picnic. It's a very impressive sight to be on the Canyon floor and gaze up at the massive rock walls above you, so don't miss the chance to fly down to the bottom of the Canyon if you can.
South Rim Airplane Tours
Whether you take the one hour flight from Las Vegas, or start your journey in Arizona, the South Rim has plenty of impressive sights to see. The plane tour from Tusayan is almost an hour long, and covers around 70% of the entire National Park. There's no other tour that will show you quite as much in one package. On this tour you will get to see the remote North Rim, as well as some of the deepest and widest areas of the Canyon. The South Rim is more remote than the West, and it receives less visitors. If you want to see true untouched natural beauty, then the South Rim tours might be the best option for you.
Dress For Hot Weather
It can get extremely hot at the Canyon at this time of year, so if you're going for a landing tour at the West Rim, make sure you are prepared. Wear some thin and light clothing that covers as much skin as possible, and bring plenty of sunblock with you. You'll also need some snacks like trail mix or energy bars, and don't forget your bottled water.
Summary
Hopefully, this convinces you to take an airplane tour of the Canyon over the Memorial Day holiday. Remember to book your tour as soon as you can, and the easy way to do that is to use your credit card to buy it online. This not only reserves your seats, but it also lets you use the Internet rate, which is the best deal you can get. Plus, when you buy your tour two weeks in advance, you'll probably get a price break compared to buying the tour closer to the travel date. There are many tours to choose from with a variety of adventures you can add on, so you'll have plenty of chances for fun and excitement. Memorial Day is the ideal time to visit the Canyon and enjoy viewing one of the most popular scenic attractions in the United States.
About the Author:
Grand Canyon specialist Ione Mahler endorses these excellent National Park tours and these plane trips from Vegas and South Rim that are especially marked down for Memorial Day weekend: http://www.grandcanyondaytrips.com/best-airplane-tours/