| rev:text
| - All I can say is that I had an absolutely perfect day visiting the Grand Canyon thanks to Maverick Airlines .... well, I can say more than that, but that is where I will start.
I booked my Grand Canyon Air Explorer tour directly through Maverick on their website. Some consolidators were a couple dollars less, but when I saw Maverick planes on their website, I decided to go straight to the source.
I got picked up at my hotel by a friendly driver. In the only glitch of the day, the driver was 20 mins late because there was a no show another hotel. She did apologize, but I would have preferred that the dispatcher call me and let me know what was going on.
The Henderson Exec Airport is about 15-20 minutes South of the Strip. Once there, we were welcomed into a lounge with comfy seating, a gift shop, a cafe, and bathrooms. After a couple minutes we were called up to the desk to be weighed and checked in - so don't lie about your weight on your reservation. Use the bathroom before you board the plane because there is no bathroom on the plane. The info says that you are subject to normal TSA regs for liquids, but I had a water bottle in my bag and didn't get searched - water is $5 at Grand Canyon airport.
Our pilots called us over for their safety briefing and then on to the airplane - a Beechcraft 1900 - with a pro picture before we boarded. You can take your own shots of the plane at Grand Canyon airport.
Once in the air, our pilots did a great job of letting us know when photo opps were coming up. There is a map with the highlights of the flight in the seat back pocket. Once we got to our cruising altitude, we were able to walk up to the cockpit and take pictures and ask questions. Overall, Toni and Charlie were amazing - professional, friendly, and knowledgeable. After about 45-50 minutes we landed at Grand Canyon airport. After securing the plane, we took a 2-3 minute shuttle ride to the terminal.
The Grand Canyon airport is a very small facility, but they do have comfy seating, a cafe, and bathrooms. You can also buy drinks here - they do not sell bottled beverages in the gift shops in the national park.
Our shuttle driver - Bruce from Trenton - was the highlight of the trip ... well, except for that hole in the ground as he called the Grand Canyon. Despite having been up since 4am due to another charter he did, he was informative, friendly, and hilarious. He was also serious about his job and put the safety and enjoyment of his passengers ahead of everything else.
After a few minutes to use the bathroom, we got back on the shuttle for the 20 minute ride into the park. The only thing in the way of you getting to the Grand Canyon is how quickly you get back on the shuttle so don't dawdle.
We were dropped at Bright Angel Lodge with our lunch and instructions to be back in an hour. Our lunch was a turkey croissant, chips, a cookie, and a bottle of water. Mustard and Mayo are also provided. It was a passable box lunch, but you won't come back just for the lunch.
Bright Angel is a nice spot and there is a little gift shop right on the edge of the rim. To the left is the entrance to the Bright Angel trail. If you would like to get a view below the rim, I suggest forgoing the canyon selfies and lunch and immediately hit the trail. Even if you are not going on the helicopter ride, there is no trail below the rim at Mather Point, but plenty of time to take selfies and eat. Just remember that it will take you twice as long to get up as it did to get down. You are at 6000 feet so, if you live at sea level like me, you will tire a little more easily than normal.
After an hour, we took the 5 minute drive to Mather Point. Bruce dropped off the people that were too cheap to buy the helicopter upgrade (me included) before taking the heli people to the airport. The heli people told me the upgrade is well worth it and gives you an amazing perspective on the canyon. Due to air restrictions the helicopter takes a route to the West all the way over to the North rim.
Mather Point features a wide paved trail and amazing views. There are lots of idiots that are going far out onto the rocks - don't do it! Seeing dozens of people doing it will be small comfort as you fall several thousand feet to the canyon floor. There is also a visitor center at Mather Point. Getting back to the parking lot at Mather is confusing so be aware
After an hour, we stopped back at the terminal to pick up the heli people and use the bathroom. Then back on the plane to Henderson where shuttle drivers were waiting to take us back to the hotel. All in all, an 8 hour day door to door.
My advice to you is - DO THIS TOUR. Maverick is a first class operation. The extra $ over the bus is a small price to pay to save 8 hours of your vacay. It was a comfortable day with plenty of time for the casual tourist to see the canyon firsthand and still have plenty of time to lose money at the tables.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)