Helicopter Hoodoos
Almost every major city and landmark offers an expensive ariel tour via helicopter. But rather than flying over the concrete jungle, I’d recommend a real jungle of sorts; explore a national park.
On my road trip this past summer, we went through 5 states and 10 national parks. Being on my bucket list, I knew I had to schedule a flight while in such breathtaking locations. Needless to say, helicopter tours were plentiful. Finding the right one, however, not so plentiful.
If you want to fly over the Grand Canyon, it’ll cost you an arm and a leg. Finding the perfect balance between landscape, flight time, and price – as well as booking last minute – narrowed down our options dramatically. However, if you’re looking for that happy medium, we found it.
Location
After researching tours at every park, we landed on the jackpot, Bryce Canyon National Park. Not only is the park filled with beautiful orange spires, but it’s also less popular than the nearby North Rim of the Grand Canyon; making it a cheaper option. Nearby is relative. Yes, it’s a 3.5-hour drive. But it’s much closer as the crow flies. Surprisingly, we could see the edge of the North Rim from our flight over Bryce Canyon.
While the park may be less popular than the Grand Canyon, don’t let that turn you away. I’d argue that the landscape was multitudes better. Canyons are plentiful in this area, making the Grand Canyon seem familiar even if you’ve never been. Yes, it is more “Grand” than the average canyon. However, that just means any hiking to the canyon floor requires much more planning, time and effort.
The Hoodoos, on the other hand, are unique and Bryce Canyon offers the largest concentration of them in the world.* I’d say that makes them special. Not only are the structural features better, but in my opinion, Bryce’s spires are a brilliant orange color compared to the subdued colors of the Grand Canyon. The unique landscape and rather unique price as well makes Bryce Canyon the perfect candidate for a flyover.
Flight
We booked with Bryce Canyon Airlines & Helicopters at Ruby’s Inn. You can find their website here.
We met pilot Paul at 8 am at the Bryce Canyon Airport for a 35-minute flight over Rainbow Point, Natural Bridge, dramatic cliffs, formations, a series of waterfalls and vistas not seen from any other viewpoint. He flew low, slow and up close for a breathtaking view of the hoodoos and surrounding Dixie National Forest.
He narrated the flight, which turned out to be a few facts thrown into some hilarious jokes and stories about the scenery. The flight was everything we hoped for, making us more eager to hike through the park for the rest of the day.
For the personal 35 minute excursion, it cost $380 for the two of us; $190 each (minimum 2 seats per flight). That was a fantastic price for the experience especially considering the duration of the flight. I couldn’t recommend it more.
Check out this video for clips from our tour as well as scenes from hiking within the hoodoos.
For Posts like This:
*https://www.nps.gov/brca/index.htm