Father's Day will be here before you know it, the holiday is on June 15. Have you always wanted to do something special for Dad on his special day? If so, consider one of the terrific Grand Canyon airplane tours-they're always a big hit with Dads. These tours are very popular, so be sure to book your seats right away.

Your dad will see some amazing sights from the air, but even better, some tours land at the canyon so you can enjoy touring on foot as well. The planes depart from Vegas in Nevada and from the Grand Canyon National Park Airport, which is near the South Rim in Tusayan, Arizona. They're running on their regular schedules throughout the day.

South Rim Flights

The plane tours that originate at the airport near the South Rim only tour the South Rim, and they do not land. The South Rim is noted for its beauty though, so an air tour of this rim is an amazing experience. You get to fly over the North Rim and East Rim too. You actually get to see about 75 percent of the entire park! You'll see the Colorado River Confluence as well as Imperial Point, and Zuni Corridor.

Flights from Vegas

Planes taking off from Las Vegas do either the South or the West Rim. Plus, you can take a landing tour out of Vegas. The plane flight to the South Rim takes about an hour since it covers 270 miles. The West Rim sits 120 miles from Vegas, so the flight there only takes around 30 minutes.

If you're watching your budget or if you don't have a lot of time, choose an air-only tour. These usually fly out to the West Rim and circle back, and you get to fly over the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead too.

Landing tours, on the other hand, give you a more in-depth canyon experience. After landing at the airstrip at Grand Canyon West, you'll have as much as three hours to explore the West Rim. You can visit the Skywalk, Guano Point, Eagle Point, and Hualapai Ranch.

Since you're treating dad, consider taking a landing trip and adding a few upgrades. For instance, you can take him on a helicopter ride that flies to the canyon floor. Another fun thing to do is take a rafting tour of the Colorado River along the smooth water section. Adding a rafting tour increases the length of your overall tour to about seven hours. My other favorite add-on is VIP access to the Glass Bridge. This fantastic place lets you walk 70 feet past the rim's edge and stand 4,000 feet above the bottom!

Another good choice is the flight that goes out to the South Rim. The flight takes about an hour and comes with a bus tour of the South Rim that lasts over two hours. A fantastic upgrade is the chopper flight over the canyon that includes a pass over the deepest and widest part of the canyon called Dragoon Corridor.

To Wrap Up

Surprise your dad with a wonderful gift on his day. Nothing could be better than flying over the Grand Canyon, and either rim would be good. The tours offer spectacular views and you get value for the price. The plane cabins have plenty of space and leg room. Air tours are very popular so book your seats at least one week ahead of time and buy them online from the tour operator. If (but only if) you complete your purchase on the 'Net, you'll get a super Internet rate which can be as much as 30 percent off retail price.