We are visiting GC for our anniversary in mid Aug. I am looking for something special -- a helicopter trip or the Grand Canyon Flight and 4x4 Tour. Has anyone out there done these? I'd appreciate your recommendations and whether these are worth the bucks. Thanks!

Mule train ride down to Indian Gardens and back would be memorable

Chopper flight is popular but brief.

Would skip the 4x4 tour.

Bill

I did the helicopter ride with champagne lunch with a group of friends. The pilot talked about what we were seeing on the way and let a passenger sit up front with him. What a view! We landed at the edge of the beginning of the canyon in a group of about 4 helicopters and the pilots pulled out baskets and set up lunch in a little covered area. They were there to pour champagne for us (but not themselves we noted LOL!) and we really enjoyed the trip. You might want to check how far up the canyon they go - we didn't see the part I always picture when I think of the Grand Canyon as there wasn't enough time to go that far from Las Vegas, but we didn't regret going at all. If you are starting from the GC area, I think it would be spectacular.

I do not think the helicopters can go that far over the South Rim (I think), so I suggest a small plane. We went with Scenic Air Tours on their first flight of the morning (8am?) Much smoother in the morning. The scenery was spectacular (went almost to the North Rim) and the flight was long. Fantastic!

Just to clear this up a bit ... the trip kwren describes probably started near Vegas and these choppers are limited to the far west end of the canyon, in many cases flying over the Grand Wash cliffs and Lake Mead National Rec area etc but not to the actual National Park, maybe just to the borders. You can *see* parts of the GC but at the far west end the walls are lower. AFAIK you can't land and drink champagne inside the park.

The choppers that take off from Tusayan (about a mile south of the main entrance to the south rim) have two flight corridors over the canyon, one taking them near Point Sublime (west of the main visitor areas) and the other more to the east. They (and the fixed wing flights) have fairly narrow flight corridors and altitude requirements to cut down on noise pollution (this was a big political fight for years, conservationists vs tourism business owners). As a hiker and river runner I appreciate the lack of sight-seeing choppers and planes over most of the canyon.

For sure you'll get better views from Tusayan than from trips originating in Vegas.

Bill