the grand canyon arizona
It features on virtually every traveller’s list titled “Places to see before I die”, and it was certainly up there on ours.
At 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and over 6000ft deep (about 20 times deeper than the Eiffel Tower is tall), it certainly is a spectacle to behold.
What better way to experience this vast mountainous landscape than approaching it from above.
Arriving at the airfield early, batteries charged, SD cards formatted, we're ready to get airborne!
Pre-flight checks done (by the pilot, I hope…), passengers strapped in and playlist chosen for the journey.
Ready for take off!
Now this is an office with a view!
Looking down is great, but remember to look up too.
Flying over Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States.
Created by the Hoover Dam and servicing Arizona, Nevada, California and even parts of Mexico, the majority of its water is sourced from the melting snow of the Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah Rocky Mountains.
It’s also an ideal spot for fishing and water sports for the thousands of people that live and work in Las Vegas and the surrounding towns that are hundreds of miles from the nearest coastline.
The Hoover Dam. The keeper of Lake Mead. The scale of this structure is truly mind-boggling up close!
Descending into The Canyon was absolutely spectacular.
From flying a few thousand feet above the edge of the South Rim, to dropping a few thousand feet below in a matter of seconds. This was an experience which is hard to explain using words and images.
There are few places I would recommend stopping for a glass of sparkling champagne and a spot of lunch served by a helicopter pilot, but the floor of the grand canyon has to be one of them!
After having a bit of free time to wander around in the 40°C heat, grab some photos and take in sheer magnitude of the canyon around us, it was time to jump back into the helicopter and head back to base.
The landscape here is like another planet altogether.
