Heading down to Phoenix April 2-8 with my wife and daughters (ages 12 & 9). We were thinking of touring the Grand Canyon and I thought a helicopter tour would be cool. Did a little online checking and they're not cheap, about $100 per person for a 30 minute flight. Has anyone done one of these and are they worth the money? How about the combo helicopter/Jeep tours? Is there anything else that is a must see? And yes, I'm going to try to stop by TA Performance!! :laugh:
I've been to the "big ditch" a couple of times since my parents moved to Dewey, AZ in 1999. Both times I went with http://www.marvelousmarv.com/ for a full day tour. My parents have toured with Marv at least 3 times. I highly recommend him for a tour if possible. As for the helicopter tours, I've never been on one of those. Another neat area is Sedona, which is about 2 hours north of Phoenix. Unfortunately, it looks like there won't be any Spring Training baseball going on in April.
I didn't do the Helicopter but I chartered a small Cessna for the day out of Scottsdale - We flew up the Rio Grande to the Canyon passing Sedona, then around the canyon itself for a couple of hours, then landed and went on a private tour for 4 hours or so....then back to the plane and around the canyon a few more laps and then headed home. For 2 of us it was around $400 but that was back in the early 90's Ever since then I have been wanting to get back and spend a couple of days (or weeks) in and around the area. The View from the air is like nothing else
I spent my honeymoon spending 2 days on the south rim and then 2 days on the north rim. I have never seen a more awe-inspiring sight in my life. I don't recommend just a helicopter tour. You have to sit on the rim and just stare at it for a couple of hours. You will never feel so insignificant yet so elated in your whole life.
One of the first things I thought when I got to the south rim was what it felt like for someone to come across it, not knowing it existed! I can't imagine the kind of awe they felt! It's almost like looking at a painting where 1" = 1"...
Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon is well worth visiting. The temps there are going to be much different then in Pheonix. The highs are usually around 60 and the lows around 32. The North Rim will probably still be closed. It can also be very windy at that time of year and there are still chances of snow. It is a great place but you should be prepared for anything. It has the most amazing sunsets. If you decide to go into the park the food at Bright Angel Lodge is really good. The Maswik cafeteria is not worth going to. Have a great time. We have never done the helocoptor rides. We hike the canyon when we go. The airspace is restricted over the canyon so you would be flying over the ends not the middle.
Yeah, I was gonna mention that part about the helicopter tours not flying into the Canyon any more, they just fly above it. I do recommend Sedona like was mentioned earlier. We took a helicopter tour in Sedona that took us right down into their canyons and it was COOL! Amazing how the landscape changes driving from Phoenix past the Sedona area and up past Flagstaff and through the mountains and up to the Grand Canyon. Desert with cactus, followed by scrub brush, followed by grasslands, followed by heavily forested mountains. Bring a camera! Too bad for us we were there over New Years and the Canyon was socked in with snow and low clouds. We could hardly see a thing. The locals said that's typical for that time of year. Oh Well.
I talked with my sister who lives in the Prescott area, and she said that it's incredibly green in the high desert right now. Through February, they had more rain than the Seattle area! She's actually seeing grass growing in her rock-landscaped yard. I'm going to be in Sedona at the end of April for a wedding. I haven't been there for a few years.
I have seen the Imax version of that tour. And even with mt feet planted firmly on the ground. Your stomach drops to your feet with you fly off a cliff and the ground drops away 900ft. You feel OK being just a few 100ft off the ground but when it drops away. Its puke or pass out time.
Doug - your not kidding !! I left Phoenix one morning ehaded north in a tank top and shorts in a rented Mustang 5.0 Convert. I got about 60 miles away before I had to turn around as there was a snow storm in the Mountains !! My friend took a picture of me standing in the snow, next to the mustang on the highway right next to a sign that said "Phoenix - 59 miles" with a white-out all around me
I just got back from AZ.We hit the Grand Canyon and Sedona.Both are amazing places.I filled up the memory stick on my camera.Your not kidding about the temp changes,we had our winter coats on at the Canton[VERY windy there]hit snow in Flagstaff,and were back in Mesa at night,with just t-shirts on. I`m missing it allready,and we just landed 4 hours ago
