Zion Helicopters
A scenic flight operation working the country around Zion rather than over it, because the park does not permit low altitude tour aircraft above it. Five flights, a clean price ladder, and one question worth asking before you pay.
- Shortest flight
- $109, 15 minutes
- Longest flight
- $449, 100 minutes
- Over the park itself
- Not permitted
- Heliport
- Virgin, on Route 9
Who this outfit actually suits
Every scenic flight sold around Zion works the perimeter, and that is a park rule rather than an operator choice. Low altitude passenger tour aircraft are not permitted directly over Zion National Park. If a flight is described to you as being over the canyon, the description is wrong.
What you get instead is genuinely worth having, and it is the part nobody sells properly: Smith Mesa, Red Butte, the Kolob Canyons country and the Canaan Mountain Wilderness with its two thousand foot cliffs. That is landscape almost no visitor sees from any angle, because there is no road into most of it and the trails are long.
Their price ladder is unusually clean. The minutes, the miles and the price all rise together, so you can pick a length rather than decode a package. The honest question is whether fifteen minutes in the air is long enough to be worth $109, and for most people the answer is that the 35 minute flight is where it starts to feel like a trip rather than a taster.
Trips, gear and prices
From the operator’s own published material at the time of writing. Rates change with season and group size, so confirm when you book.
| Flight | From | Time | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zion Panoramic | $109 | 15 min | 15 miles |
| Zion Panoramic, longer | $179 | 35 min | 35 miles |
| Zion Canaan Cliffs | $269 | 55 min | 55 miles |
| Canaan Cliffs plus Zion Butte landing | $349 | — | 55 miles |
| Zion 360 Canaan Cliffs | $449 | 100 min | 100 miles |
| Bryce Canyon tour | $650 | — | — |
All of those are published starting prices per person. The aircraft is an Airbus AS350B2 with forward facing panoramic seating, which matters more than it sounds: in a helicopter with side facing seats, half the passengers spend the flight looking at rock they cannot photograph.
The Zion Butte landing option is the interesting one on the list. It costs $80 more than the same 55 mile flight without it and puts you on the ground somewhere you could not otherwise stand.
What they are permitted to do
The operation is based at the Rivers Edge Facility, 3050 East Utah 9 in Virgin, which is outside the park on the road in from Interstate 15. You drive there rather than catching a shuttle to it, and it is worth ten minutes on a map before the day.
The park rule is the whole shape of this category. Because no scenic aircraft may fly low over Zion, an operator’s flight paths run over surrounding public land instead. That is the same logic that puts guided canyoneering, climbing instruction and off road trips outside the boundary as well. Zion is unusually protective of what happens inside it, and the sites selling you trips rarely mention it.
Worth asking about
Whether your flight will actually go
Scenic operations commonly need a minimum number of passengers before an aircraft launches, and the site does not publish one. Ask directly what the minimum is, and what happens if it is not met: a refund, a rebooking, or a wait. Two people booking in shoulder season should ask before paying.
Weight, age and weather
None of these are published either. Helicopter operators usually work to per passenger weight limits and may charge for an extra seat above a threshold, and wind can cancel a flight at short notice. Get the policies in writing rather than assuming.
Why this section is a list of questions
Because the answers are not on their website, and we publish what we have checked rather than what we assume. If you get the figures, they are worth having, and we would rather point you at the right questions than print a plausible number.
If this is not the right fit
You wanted to see the canyon from above
Then walk up to it. Canyon Overlook is a mile round trip for 163 feet of climb and looks straight down the main canyon, and Scout Lookout needs no permit. The hiking page.
You want the photographs
A guided photography morning runs $289 to shoot and $99 for a guest who is not shooting, built around first or last light. Photography tours.
You want the country outside the park
The same landscape from the ground: a four hour jeep trip on BLM land, from age eight, twelve people maximum. Jeep tours.
Common questions about Zion Helicopters
How much is a helicopter tour at Zion?
Zion Helicopters publishes five flights: from $109 for 15 minutes, $179 for 35 minutes, $269 for 55 minutes, $349 for the 55 mile flight with a Zion Butte landing, and $449 for a 100 minute flight. A Bryce Canyon tour starts at $650.
Do helicopter tours fly over Zion National Park?
No. The park does not permit low altitude passenger tour aircraft directly over it, so every scenic flight works the surrounding country instead: Smith Mesa, Red Butte, the Kolob area and the Canaan Mountain Wilderness.
Where do Zion helicopter tours depart from?
The Rivers Edge Facility at 3050 East Utah 9 in Virgin, outside the park on the road in. You drive there; no shuttle serves it.
Is there a minimum number of passengers for a Zion helicopter flight?
The operator does not publish one, and scenic operations commonly require a minimum before an aircraft launches. Ask what the minimum is and what happens if it is not met before you pay.
Which Zion helicopter flight is worth it?
The 15 minute flight is a taster. The 35 minute flight at $179 is where it starts to feel like a trip. The Zion Butte landing option costs $80 more than the same 55 mile flight and puts you on ground you could not otherwise reach.
What aircraft do they fly?
An Airbus AS350B2 with forward facing panoramic seating, which means every passenger is looking the same way rather than half the cabin facing away from the view.
Book direct with Zion Helicopters
We do not sell trips and we take no commission. This link goes straight to the operator.
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No aircraft may fly low over the park. Every flight works the perimeter.
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