All Las Vegas Tours
One of the least expensive and quickest of the many helicopter tours available, this two-hour trip from All Las Vegas Tours is offered daily from Boulder City Airport, about 20 minutes outside of Las Vegas. You'll fly down near the Hoover Dam, swooping through the Black Canyon and over the deep blue waters of Lake Mead before heading back to Boulder City. Price includes hotel pickup and drop off. The actual flight time is only about 15 minutes. Prices ran just over $100 per person in 2010.
All Las Vegas Tours
4285 N. Rancho Dr.
Las Vegas, NV 89130
800-566-5868
alllasvegastours.com
Vegas Tours
If you're looking for a more extensive tour, the Grand Canyon West Rim Tour is approximately three hours and costs almost $300 per person in 2010. You'll be picked up at your hotel in a limo and taken to the heliport in Las Vegas. The flight goes up over the Strip, glides by the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. The pilot will point out the sacred lands of the Hualapai Indians and will touch down on the floor of the Grand Canyon before finding a spot near the Colorado River where you'll stop to stretch your legs, take photos and have a champagne picnic lunch. Expect to pay a surcharge for fuel at the heliport.
Vegas Tours
115 Corporate Park Dr.
Henderson, Nevada 89074
866-218-6877
vegastours.com
Hoover Dam Tour Company
Offering a mix of ground and air travel, the five-hour trip starts by bus from Las Vegas' Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. At the dam, you'll have two hours to explore the site's power plant, observation deck and visitor's center, all of which offer opportunities to take photos of Lake Mead, the Colorado River and the Black Canyon. After the visit on the ground, you'll go up for a 20-minute helicopter flight to get a bird's-eye view of the massive concrete dam, flying over Lake Mead, before heading back to Vegas by bus. Tour time does not include pick-up and drop-off at Las Vegas hotels and is subject to traffic conditions. Approximate price in 2010 ran about $200, and a fuel surcharge may be applied.
Hoover Dam Tour Company
4343 N. Rancho Dr. Suite 230
Las Vegas, NV 89130
888-512-0075
hooverdamtourcompany.com
Article Written By Ann Oldenburg
Based in the Washington, D.C. area, Ann Oldenburg has been a reporter/editor/author since 1990. She has written for publications including "The Washington Post," "USA TODAY" and "TV Guide." She has a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Florida.
