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Which Grand Canyon helicopter tour is best?

Our verdict for Las Vegas, the South Rim and Grand Canyon West, and a short finder for your own trip.

The short answer

For most visitors the best Grand Canyon helicopter tour is Maverick’s Wind Dancer from Las Vegas: about 45 minutes each way, a landing on a bluff 3,500 feet below the rim with champagne, and back on the Strip after about 2 to 2.5 hours. If you are staying at the South Rim, take Maverick’s 45-minute Canyon Spirit from Tusayan instead. The finder below works out the flight for your own plans.

See which flights still have places on your dates

Our pick for each kind of Grand Canyon flight

Landing in the canyon from Las Vegas

Wind Dancer: landing with champagne

Maverick’s Wind Dancer lands on a bluff 3,500 feet below the rim for champagne and is back on the Strip after about 2 hours.

  • Departs from: Maverick terminal, Las Vegas Strip
  • Landing: Canyon floor
from $499 ★ 4.9 (1,225)
Book now
Flying from the South Rim

Canyon Spirit · 45 min

Maverick’s Canyon Spirit from Tusayan: 45 minutes to the confluence with the Little Colorado, above the North Rim and back through the Dragon Corridor.

  • Flight time: 45 min
  • Departs from: Grand Canyon Airport, Tusayan
  • Landing: No landing
from $339 ★ 4.9 (1,984)
Book now
Back to Las Vegas at sunset

Wind Dancer Sunset: landing at golden hour

Maverick’s sunset Wind Dancer: champagne on the canyon floor, then back through the canyon at sundown and over the lights of Las Vegas.

  • Departs from: Maverick terminal, Las Vegas Strip
  • Landing: Canyon floor
from $679 ★ 4.9 (1,225)
Book now
Helicopter and Skywalk in one trip

Skywalk Odyssey: helicopter and Skywalk

Maverick’s Skywalk Odyssey: Skywalk ticket with expedited entry included, about 45 minutes at Grand Canyon West, about 2.5 hours in all.

  • Departs from: Maverick terminal, Las Vegas Strip
  • Landing: On the West Rim
from $629 ★ 4.8 (579)
Book now

Find the flight for your trip

Where you are staying, if you want to land, and the time of day. The answer comes from the routes, landings and departure points in the listings.

Question 1 of 3

Where are you staying on the day of the flight?

Question 2 of 3

Do you want to land in the canyon?

Question 3 of 3

Daytime or sunset?
Your match

Why a landing from Las Vegas

From Las Vegas you see Lake Mead, the Hoover Dam and the western canyon on the same flight, and the landing tours let you step out next to the Colorado River. The Wind Dancer is the shortest of these trips on this site and starts at Maverick’s terminal on the Strip. If you prefer to be collected from your hotel, Papillon’s Grand Celebration includes pickup and flies from Boulder City, but takes about 4.5 hours in all.

When another flight fits better

Choose a sunset landing tour if you want to fly back in the evening light; Maverick’s version ends over the lit-up city. For the glass-bottom Skywalk at Eagle Point, Maverick’s Skywalk Odyssey includes the ticket and keeps the trip to about 2.5 hours. If you do not need to land, an air tour with hotel pickup flies below the rim at the West Rim.

At the South Rim nothing lands, so the choice is the length. The 45-minute flights reach the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers and the North Rim; the 25-minute ones turn back earlier through the Dragon Corridor. At Grand Canyon West itself, Maverick’s 40-minute flight includes 20 minutes on the canyon floor.

FAQ

Is a landing tour worth it compared with an air tour?

If you want to stand in the canyon, yes: the landing tours give you around 30 minutes on the floor near the Colorado River. The air tours stay airborne the whole time and include hotel pickup.

Which tour is best from the South Rim?

A 45-minute flight such as Maverick’s Canyon Spirit or Papillon’s Grand Kingdom (40 to 50 minutes). They fly further east to the confluence with the Little Colorado and up to the North Rim than the 25-minute flights.

Related on this site

West Rim or South Rim

The two parts of the canyon and what each offers by helicopter.

The operators

Maverick, Papillon and 5 Star with their terminals and rules.

Start with a landing tour from Las Vegas

The Wind Dancer and the other landing tours with their current prices.

See landing tours