Grand Canyon West Rim vs South Rim: Which Helicopter Tour Should You Book?

Side by side

Use this table to match your base and your flight time to the right rim.

For Las Vegas travellers the whole day is shorter at the West Rim: a full day trip by road takes about 10 hours including drive time versus about 18 hours to the South Rim.

The flight and the landing

The flight from Las Vegas to the West Rim takes about 45 minutes each way. On a landing tour the helicopter descends 3,500 feet to the canyon bottom for 20 to 30 minutes on the landing bluff, and some packages add a narrated Colorado River pontoon boat ride.

On the Grand Canyon helicopter tours list, the Maverick Wind Dancer Landing Tour from Las Vegas and the Papillon Grand Canyon Landing Tour from Las Vegas both fly you to the West Rim with a landing included.

Rules worth knowing

Grand Canyon West is not inside Grand Canyon National Park, so national park passes are not accepted there. Operators flying over Hualapai land need a written contract with the Hualapai Indian Nation that grants a trespass permit. Strip hotels do not permit helicopters to land on their roofs, so tours depart from air terminals in Las Vegas, Boulder City and Grand Canyon West.

What it is and what it costs

The Skywalk is a 10-foot wide horseshoe-shaped glass bridge extending 70 feet over the rim at Eagle Point. The Grand Canyon West All-Access Pass costs $99 and includes the Skywalk, General Admission costs $67 without it, and the Sunset Pass costs $59 for entry after 3:00 PM with Skywalk admission.

Skywalk peak hours are 11 am to 3 pm. Cameras, purses, backpacks and similar belongings are not allowed on the glass bridge, cell phones are permitted at your own risk, shoes are required and booties protect the glass. Strollers are not permitted, and children who can walk on their own may cross while younger children may be carried by an adult. Complimentary lockers store your personal items during the visit.

If you want the Skywalk built into a helicopter day, the Maverick Skywalk Express Helicopter Tour pairs the flight with West Rim access.

The flight and where it leaves from

South Rim helicopter tours fly from Grand Canyon Airport in Tusayan, and the South Entrance of the park is 6 miles north of the town. The rides are air only, so there is no canyon floor landing inside the national park.

On the Grand Canyon helicopter tours list, the Papillon 30-Minute South Rim Helicopter Flight costs $269 per person and the Maverick 45-Minute South Rim Tour costs $339 per person. On the ground you can add mule rides, which range from two hours to overnight trips, and riders all the way to the canyon floor must stay overnight at Phantom Ranch.

Note the fees if you extend your visit. Grand Canyon National Park charges $35 for a private vehicle and accepts only credit or debit cards for entrance fees.

The flying rules over the park

The Grand Canyon National Park Special Flight Rules Area covers the airspace from the surface up to but not including 18,000 feet MSL. Federal rules set four flight-free zones at Desert View, Bright Angel, Toroweap/Shinumo and Sanup, and commercial air tours must meet minimum altitudes by sector, for example at or above 7,500 feet MSL in the Supai sector. The 1987 Overflights Act directs the NPS to substantially restore natural quiet at the park.

Scenery versus structure

Many travellers name the South Rim as the place with the classic deep canyon views. The rule of thumb many guides give is simple: choose the South Rim if the canyon is the main event, and choose Grand Canyon West if Las Vegas is the main trip and the canyon is a side trip.

The West Rim trades those panoramas for things the park cannot offer, namely the Skywalk and the only helicopter landings at the canyon bottom. On foot, the West Rim Trail is 12.8 miles and suitable for all skill levels.

Fewer people, a living culture

About 1 million visitors a year go to the West Rim versus upwards of 6 million at the South Rim. Grand Canyon West is owned and operated by the Hualapai Tribe, whose reservation was established in 1883 on one million acres, and the destination sits on the sovereign lands of the Hualapai Nation.

Arizona does not observe daylight saving time, so check which clock your West Rim ticket uses. The South Rim is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

West Rim averages

West Rim average temperatures run from a February high of 70 and low of 43, to a March high of 77 and low of 49, to an April high of 86 and low of 56. Precipitation is about 5.6 inches per year, so flights are rarely washed out.

The South Rim sits at a different climate. The park side averages 7,000 feet above sea level, which brings cooler temperatures than the lower West Rim. If you want maximum flying days in the cooler months, the West Rim numbers argue for it.

Match your base

Las Vegas visitors. Choose the West Rim. It is 129 miles from Las Vegas, about a 2.5 hour drive, or a 45 minute helicopter ride one way. Book the Maverick Wind Dancer Landing Tour from Las Vegas at $499 per person or the Papillon Grand Canyon Landing Tour from Las Vegas at $529 per person for the canyon floor landing. For a sunset flight, the Maverick Sunset Helicopter Tour from Las Vegas costs $676.01 per person. If you want a longer day on the ground, the 5 Star Helicopter and Western Ranch Landing Tour costs $599 per person over 5.5 hours and the 5 Star West Rim Luxury Helicopter Tour from Las Vegas costs $499 per person over 3 hours.

Arizona visitors and canyon-first travellers. Choose the South Rim. It is about 1.5 hours from Flagstaff and 3.5 hours from Phoenix, with 232 miles from Phoenix, a little under a four hour drive. Fly the Maverick 45-Minute South Rim Tour at $339 per person or the Papillon 30-Minute South Rim Helicopter Flight at $269 per person from Grand Canyon Airport in Tusayan.

Mixed groups. If the canyon is a side trip to a Las Vegas holiday, the West Rim wins on time. If the canyon is the trip itself, the South Rim wins on scenery. Worth knowing before a combined trip: the drive between the rims is long, with Papillon putting the South Rim 239 miles from the West Rim, about a four hour drive, and Grand Canyon West answering the Las Vegas distance as about 2 hours on its FAQ and 130 miles, about a 2.5 hour drive, on its Rim page.

Weight and cancellation

Maverick's weight limit is 300 pounds per person on Las Vegas and Grand Canyon West flights and 275 pounds on Grand Canyon National Park flights. On 5 Star tours, passengers over 250 lbs must buy an extra seat payable on the day, and a passenger with a lap child under 2 must buy all six seats in the helicopter. Grand Canyon Airlines weighs all passengers at check-in and passengers weighing 300 lbs or more pay for an additional comfort seat, and it may add a per-person fuel surcharge collected at check-in.

Cancellation windows vary too. Booked through the cards on this site, the card's terms apply: 24 hours on the Papillon and 5 Star cards, 3 days on the Maverick cards. Papillon has no age restriction for airplane or helicopter tours.