Canyon by Heli: Best time of day to visit?

Hey guys,

Following adivce on the forum, we%26#39;ve decided to book a helicopter tour to the west rim on either ';Grand Celebration tour'; ($265) or ';All American Tour'; ($290).

The next decision is what time of day to go. Options run from 9am to 5pm departure. Any advice on what the best time is? I%26#39;m thinking the colours of the canyon will vary according to the light...

Cheers all,

Tim

(London, England)

Canyon by Heli: Best time of day to visit?

For the Canyon go early in the am or later in the day - sunset - avoids the fierce midday heat

Canyon by Heli: Best time of day to visit?

Why go to the ';West Rim';? It%26#39;s not the Grand Canyon proper. If you%26#39;re coming all the way from the UK at least see the best that%26#39;s there to see.

Blagger - I know what you%26#39;re saying, but I like the idea of descending and landing in the canyon - don%26#39;t think you can do that or North or South

If you go later in the evening it will be cooler.

We went about midday. It was hot.

There are plenty of tours that will take you onto the floor of the canyon at the south rim.

Dearer but as with all things you get what you pay for.

Blagger has convinced me to do an overnight trip and it is no dearer than many of the day trips,and we will get to see the canyon at sunset and sunrise.

Do some research and ask questions on the Grand Canyon forum.

It is one of the natural wonders of the world and is worth just as much time as all of the man -made ';wonders';of Vegas.

Yes, the Grand Canyon should if at all be possible be savored, not something to be checked off a list as somewhere you%26#39;ve briefly seen. Staying the night is the only way to appreciate its full glory. If you can%26#39;t find the time then save it for a future vacation and don%26#39;t waste valuble Vegas time going there for the day.

Just my opinion. No doubt hundreds will reply saying that they%26#39;ve done day trips and how great they were.

If you%26#39;re not used to canyon scenery then you%26#39;ll be impressed by ';West Rim';, but compared to the Grand Canyon proper, it%26#39;s quite ordinary.

There are *NO* tours that take you to the bottom of the canyon at GCNP South Rim except mule rides, hikes and raft trips. No aircraft are allowed to fly below 10,000 above the South Rim in the vicinity of GCNP. There are landing sites at Havasupai, Hualapai and one on private land, but none of these are in GNCP. The ';west rim'; is not inside GCNP. It is on the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, however it is a commercial enterprise of the Hualapai Indian Tribe. The location is 3000%26#39; lower than GCNP South Rim, has few view points, and is much less scenic than GCNP South Rim.

I suggest looking at the Grand Canyon National Park forum in the Arizona forums for better information on GCNP.