Tower Butte Helicopter Landing
Discussion
Anyone done this?
http://youtu.be/vobzuLRlWeE
http://grandcanyon.com/tower-butte-landing.html
We're travelling around South West USA for several weeks in August, we've done all the big towns/cities before, so this is more for the parks and canyons (with stop-overs in Grand Canyon, Page, Gouldings Lodge, Bryce, Zion etc). As it's our honeymoon we've been given a load of dollars so wanted to do something special, this certainly appears to tick that box! We've done the Grand Canyon helicopter tour before (same company I think) so don't need to do that again.
Any other recommendations in the general area gladly received.
http://youtu.be/vobzuLRlWeE
http://grandcanyon.com/tower-butte-landing.html
We're travelling around South West USA for several weeks in August, we've done all the big towns/cities before, so this is more for the parks and canyons (with stop-overs in Grand Canyon, Page, Gouldings Lodge, Bryce, Zion etc). As it's our honeymoon we've been given a load of dollars so wanted to do something special, this certainly appears to tick that box! We've done the Grand Canyon helicopter tour before (same company I think) so don't need to do that again.
Any other recommendations in the general area gladly received.
Hi Chris.
I'm sure others will add their suggestions, but this is a copy/paste of a previous post I did a while ago for a similar itinerary for someone.
Hope you can get some ideas from it.
Cheers,
Jon
post was -
Have a look at this suggested Google map itinerary -
http://goo.gl/maps/5qQSW
We go 2 or 3 times a year to US National Parks, and love Arizona.
This suggested route will take in -
The great drive from Phoenix /Mesa to Payson (BTW, this next bit is copied and pasted from my post a couple of years back and covers the 1st part of the drive -
[- we've been loads of times - I love Arizona. If you are into the outdoors - hiking and general scenery, then you simply MUST go to Sedona. It's not too far from Phoenix and you could easily spend a few days walking there. Then you could go (via Winslow, Az if you are an old git like me who loves "The Eagles" and "stand on the corner" - re the song "Take it Easy") to Petrified National Park (East Az) and Canyon de Chelly ( N.E. Az). Obvious place to go is Grand Canyon in the North and one of my favourite places I have ever been to is the Antelope Canyon and other slot Canyons near Page (on Az/Utah border - we went a few years ago before it became a big tourist attraction - but it's still worth seeing). There are other slot canyons off the main Hwy 89 south of Page that are kind of free to visit (you need a Navajo pass to park on the road for a few $) - check at Tourist Info centre in Page - these other slot canyons are great as they are a little known secret - you would never know they were there.
Anyway, if this is too far north, then just do Sedona then on the way back south to Phoenix area, go back via Tonto Natural Bridge S.P. nr Payson (on Hwy 87) then after this go via Hwy 260 onto Hwy 188 to Roosevelt Lake and then drive the most amazing road in Arizona - the Hwy 88 (called the Apache Trail) from Roosevelt to Apache Junction via the Superstion Mountains (East of Phoenix). Honestly, if you only do one good driving road in Az., then this is it - it's a slow going road full of hairpins and sheer drops and great scenery, about 45 miles long.
If you go south to Tucson, the the aircraft graveyard is amazing, as is the scenery around the Mount Lemmon area (just North of Tucson).]
Then onto Sedona as mentioned above. Then along the old Hwy route 66 to Winslow and Petrified National Park. Then onto Canyon de Chelly then onto Moab for the Arches National Park then Capitol Reef Park then onto Bryce Canyon National Park (Fantastic place!!) then onto Zion National Park, then onto Page and Lake Powell area then to the Grand Canyon and back down to Flagstaff and Phoenix and if time permits go onto Tucson where there's some great walking in the Mt Lemmon area - North of Tucson and onto the aircraft graveyard at Davis Monthan air force base.
As I said, just a few ideas, but this would make a great road trip with a few stops to do some walking / see the National Parks. It'd need a bit of motel organising, but very do-able in a couple of weeks. You may get a bit National Park-ed out in the end, though!!
Hope you get a few more ideas from others and hope you didn't mind the copy/paste section above - easier than typing everything out again, even if it did repeat a lot of the other stuff I added...
Cheers,
Jon
I'm sure others will add their suggestions, but this is a copy/paste of a previous post I did a while ago for a similar itinerary for someone.
Hope you can get some ideas from it.
Cheers,
Jon
post was -
Have a look at this suggested Google map itinerary -
http://goo.gl/maps/5qQSW
We go 2 or 3 times a year to US National Parks, and love Arizona.
This suggested route will take in -
The great drive from Phoenix /Mesa to Payson (BTW, this next bit is copied and pasted from my post a couple of years back and covers the 1st part of the drive -
[- we've been loads of times - I love Arizona. If you are into the outdoors - hiking and general scenery, then you simply MUST go to Sedona. It's not too far from Phoenix and you could easily spend a few days walking there. Then you could go (via Winslow, Az if you are an old git like me who loves "The Eagles" and "stand on the corner" - re the song "Take it Easy") to Petrified National Park (East Az) and Canyon de Chelly ( N.E. Az). Obvious place to go is Grand Canyon in the North and one of my favourite places I have ever been to is the Antelope Canyon and other slot Canyons near Page (on Az/Utah border - we went a few years ago before it became a big tourist attraction - but it's still worth seeing). There are other slot canyons off the main Hwy 89 south of Page that are kind of free to visit (you need a Navajo pass to park on the road for a few $) - check at Tourist Info centre in Page - these other slot canyons are great as they are a little known secret - you would never know they were there.
Anyway, if this is too far north, then just do Sedona then on the way back south to Phoenix area, go back via Tonto Natural Bridge S.P. nr Payson (on Hwy 87) then after this go via Hwy 260 onto Hwy 188 to Roosevelt Lake and then drive the most amazing road in Arizona - the Hwy 88 (called the Apache Trail) from Roosevelt to Apache Junction via the Superstion Mountains (East of Phoenix). Honestly, if you only do one good driving road in Az., then this is it - it's a slow going road full of hairpins and sheer drops and great scenery, about 45 miles long.
If you go south to Tucson, the the aircraft graveyard is amazing, as is the scenery around the Mount Lemmon area (just North of Tucson).]
Then onto Sedona as mentioned above. Then along the old Hwy route 66 to Winslow and Petrified National Park. Then onto Canyon de Chelly then onto Moab for the Arches National Park then Capitol Reef Park then onto Bryce Canyon National Park (Fantastic place!!) then onto Zion National Park, then onto Page and Lake Powell area then to the Grand Canyon and back down to Flagstaff and Phoenix and if time permits go onto Tucson where there's some great walking in the Mt Lemmon area - North of Tucson and onto the aircraft graveyard at Davis Monthan air force base.
As I said, just a few ideas, but this would make a great road trip with a few stops to do some walking / see the National Parks. It'd need a bit of motel organising, but very do-able in a couple of weeks. You may get a bit National Park-ed out in the end, though!!
Hope you get a few more ideas from others and hope you didn't mind the copy/paste section above - easier than typing everything out again, even if it did repeat a lot of the other stuff I added...
Cheers,
Jon
We did this a week ago. The single most impressive thing I've done on holiday.
Arrived at Page Airport, safety briefing with a crazy German guy, just us two and another couple boarded the helicopter, pilot dropped us off on the Butte. He went back to base and we had roughly 30 minutes up there to do as we pleased, a guide stays up there for a few trips (they did 3 during the morning we were there) but just stays in the middle at a bench. When the helicopter comes back he blows a whistle so we know to return to the safe point in the middle. On the way back you get a nice little tour of the Glen Canyon Dam and Horseshoe Bend.
Very cool experience, I was quite surprised there were just the 5 of us up there the whole time, I thought it would be a fair bit busier, very nicely run tour.
Arrived at Page Airport, safety briefing with a crazy German guy, just us two and another couple boarded the helicopter, pilot dropped us off on the Butte. He went back to base and we had roughly 30 minutes up there to do as we pleased, a guide stays up there for a few trips (they did 3 during the morning we were there) but just stays in the middle at a bench. When the helicopter comes back he blows a whistle so we know to return to the safe point in the middle. On the way back you get a nice little tour of the Glen Canyon Dam and Horseshoe Bend.
Very cool experience, I was quite surprised there were just the 5 of us up there the whole time, I thought it would be a fair bit busier, very nicely run tour.
Edited by ukaskew on Monday 2nd September 21:43
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