Helicopter tours from Tusayan

7 min read Updated November 2026 Compare all tours

All helicopter tours at the South Rim start from Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan, the small town about 7 miles (11 km) south of the park. The Arizona Department of Transportation has run the airport since 1974, and in 2017 it counted three private helicopter terminals there. Papillon Helicopters and Maverick fly from here. The flights on this page include no hotel transfer, so you make your own way to the terminal.

The National Park Service states that all scenic air tours are based outside the park, so no helicopter takes off from the rim or lands in the canyon. You fly north over the Kaibab National Forest, cross the rim and turn back over the canyon to the same terminal.

Why the routes look the way they do

The airspace above the park is regulated by federal law. Congress passed the National Parks Overflights Act in 1987, and a year later the rule known as SFAR 50-2 set up flight-free zones and fixed routes for sightseeing flights. Since 2000 the number of commercial air tours has been capped. The current rules sit in 14 CFR Part 93, Subpart U, and cover the Grand Canyon Special Flight Rules Area from the ground up to 18,000 feet; the flight-free zones include those named Desert View and Bright Angel. A 2012 law set the goal that half of the park should be free of air tour noise for at least three quarters of each day.

In practice this means every operator flies along set corridors. The tour descriptions name the Dragon Corridor, which the operators describe as the widest and deepest part of the canyon, and the route out to the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers in the east.

Short flights of 25 to 30 minutes

Papillon’s Canyon Classic is the flight most visitors book. It lasts 25 to 30 minutes, crosses the forest and heads across the widest part of the canyon towards the North Rim, past the Tower of Ra and through the Dragon Corridor. The helicopter carries up to six passengers. The listing names nine languages, among them German, French and Spanish, and an upgrade to an EcoStar helicopter is offered as an option.

Maverick’s Canyon Dancer is the same length: an EcoStar flight into the Dragon Corridor with views of the Tower of Ra and the Vishnu Schist. Its listing includes all fees and taxes and marks the flight as unsuitable for under-18s and for passengers over 300 lb (136 kg).

Reviewers of the short flight agree on one point: it is expensive for half an hour, and most still found it worth doing once. Book the right departure point. One reviewer meant to fly from Las Vegas, booked the flight from the Grand Canyon by mistake and got no refund after cancelling within 24 hours.

Longer flights to the east

Papillon’s 40 to 50-minute flight continues further east, over the confluence with the Little Colorado River and past Imperial Point on the North Rim, then comes back through the Dragon Corridor. It leaves from the airport terminal at 3568 Airport Road.

Maverick’s Grand Canyon Spirit lasts 45 minutes. The EcoStar follows the Colorado River east with the Painted Desert and the Desert View Watchtower in the distance, passes the Confluence, Point Imperial and Marble Canyon, and returns south through the Dragon Corridor. Reviewers mention the safety briefing and the pilot’s commentary, and one called the flight a three-dimensional overview of the canyon.

The rules at Maverick are stricter than at Papillon. Flights must be reconfirmed 72 hours before departure, changes and cancellations are only possible up to that point, and no-shows pay in full. Each flight needs at least four passengers. Everyone aged 18 and over must show a REAL ID-compliant driving licence or a valid passport; photocopies and phone pictures are refused. Passengers from 275 lb must buy a second seat, children from two need their own seat, and luggage, large bags, selfie sticks, food and drinks stay on the ground.

Helicopter and Hummer together

Papillon sells both of its flights with a guided Hummer tour of about two hours. After the flight, a Hummer drives you into the park to viewpoints such as Mather Point and Duck on a Rock; the daytime version takes about three hours in all, the sunset version about three and a half. Children aged five and under get a car seat or booster on the Hummer. Our page on Jeep and Hummer tours explains what the ground tours cover.

The nonresident fee

Each non-US resident aged 16 and older who visits Grand Canyon National Park pays a $100 nonresident fee on top of the entrance fee, according to the National Park Service, and that includes visitors on commercial tours. Children aged 15 and under pay neither. On the combinations, Papillon lists the fee as not included in the price: $100 per person, or the $250 non-resident annual pass, which the listing says is good for up to four people. For the flight alone, Papillon lists no park fee. Details and the pass rules are on our page about entrance fees and passes.

Weight, ID and seats

All passengers are weighed, and seats are assigned by weight and balance. A German reviewer travelling as two families of three was split up for that reason. Papillon asks passengers from 300 lb to buy an additional seat, payable to the operator on the day; infants under two fly free on a parent’s lap with proof of age, such as a passport, and children aged 16 and under must fly with an adult. Bring a passport or photo ID, weather-appropriate clothes and closed shoes.

Weather and cancellations

Helicopters do not fly in strong wind, thunderstorms or snow. The National Park Service describes spring at the canyon as breezy to windy, with gusts occasionally over 40 mph, and the South Rim averages 58 inches of snow a year. Reviewers report a flight cancelled for weather in October, another cancelled for snow in March, and a 50-minute flight shortened because of wind, with only part of the difference refunded. Book the flight for your first day at the canyon, so there is a second chance if it is called off. Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time all year: in winter the South Rim is an hour ahead of Las Vegas, and in summer an hour behind the Navajo Nation.

From Las Vegas

No helicopter tour flies from Las Vegas to the South Rim. If you are based on the Strip, the coach day trip to the South Rim can be booked with a 30-minute helicopter flight added; the flight takes about 30 minutes out of your time in the park. Flying the whole way is possible by plane from Boulder City, covered on our page about airplane tours.

Helicopter tours that start in Las Vegas fly to Grand Canyon West on the Hualapai Reservation, which is not part of the national park. Landings on the canyon floor, sunset flights and the Skywalk are covered on our sister site visitgrandcanyonwest.com.

For all bookable Grand Canyon helicopter flights side by side, from Las Vegas, at the South Rim and from Grand Canyon West, with operator and current price, see our sister site grandcanyon-helicopters.com.