Visiting Grand Canyon During Veteran's Day Weekend Just Got Cheaper

Online, November 5, 2013 (Newswire.com) - The Grand Canyon is open for business this coming Veteran's Day Weekend. If you've ever considered taking a tour, now's the time, especially since the National Park Service is waiving entrance fees.

"Talk about a great deal," said Keith Kravitz, owner of Grand Canyon 123, a leading provider of National Park tour information. "Not only is entrance to the South Rim free, but tours, too, have been marked down."

The free entrance promotion is only good at the South Rim. Travelers will still need to pay an entrance fee to Grand Canyon West, which is owned and operated by the Hualapai Indian Tribe.

"The West Rim is on private land and not part of the Federal Government," Kravitz noted. "It's the primary reason that this section of the canyon was unaffected by federal shutdown 2013."

Travelers based in Las Vegas can go to either the West Rim or the South Rim. "Avoid self-driving to the West Rim as it can get expensive," said Kravitz. "Best to book a tour wherein all fees are fixed."

West Rim tours from Las Vegas include helicopter rides, airplane flights and bus trips. "Helicopters are the most exciting," Kravitz said. "This is because the West Rim is the only place where helicopters are permitted to fly below the rim and land at the bottom."

Regarding air tours, there are two kinds: Aerial and landing. Air tours go over Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. Landing tours go to top or the bottom. "Helicopters go to the bottom," Kravitz noted, "and there are airplane and helicopter rides that land on top and come with passes to the Grand Canyon Skywalk."

At the South Rim, travelers can take an airplane ride or a helicopter flight. "The airplane tour is 50 minutes long and covers at least 3/4 of the National Park," said Kravitz. "As for helicopters, there are 30-minute and 50-minute flights."

There's also a South Rim package that bundles a 30-minute helicopter ride with a sunset Jeep tour. "This is a crowd favorite," said Kravitz. "You go from the South Rim to the North Rim and back, then transfer to a Jeep and catch a sunset at the edge. It's an unbeatable experience."

Veteran's Day is Monday, November 11, and it's one of the last three-day weekends in the U.S. "As such, the rule of thumb is to book in advance," Kravitz advised. "All trips - helicopter, bus and airplane - are incredibly popular during this time and do have a tendency to sell out during this holiday."

Many trips come with a 24-hour cancellation policy and a full refund. "The best tour companies offer trips with these guarantees," said Kravitz. "This is extremely helpful because it lets travelers plan their trip ahead of time and avoid having to purchase their tour upon arrival."

The same terms apply to weather cancels. "The options in this situation are just as good," said Kravitz. "In most cases, the passenger will get rescheduled to the next available flight. Or, if desired, another day. Either way, all bases are covered."

For the latest deals on Grand Canyon tours, please visit:

http://www.grandcanyon123.com/about-grand-canyon-tours.html