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Zion National Park: 35-Mile Helicopter Flight & Kolob Views

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/10

Duration20m

GroupUp to 6

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

See Zion's Red Rock Fingers From 3,000 Feet Up

You board a helicopter minutes from Springdale, fly 35 miles north along Zion's perimeter seeing Kolob Canyons and Red Butte Mountain from the air, listen to your pilot explain the geology and history, and land back at the private heliport. The whole experience includes landing fees and runs with small groups of at least five passengers.

20m

Step-by-step itinerary

Check in at private heliport
Board helicopter with pilot
Fly north over Smith Mesa
View Zion National Park scenery
See Kolob Canyons and Red Butte Mountain

The Experience

So yeah, you can't actually fly over Zion itself — the park doesn't allow low-altitude helicopter passes directly overhead. But that's kind of the whole point of this tour, because what you get instead is the perimeter view, which means you're looking *into* the park from angles you'd never see from the ground. The 35-mile helicopter flight departs from a private heliport just minutes from Springdale and the main park entrance, so there's no long drive to the airfield. After a quick check-in, your pilot walks you out to the helicopter and you're up and heading north between Smith Mesa and the park itself.

The flight follows the geology that made Zion famous — those dark red rock fingers of the Kolob Canyons rising up, the Red Butte Mountain range stretching out, the colors shifting as the light hits different layers of stone. Your pilot isn't just flying; they're narrating the history and the geology as you go, pointing out formations and explaining how the landscape actually got shaped. It's not a silent tour where you're just staring out the window. The whole thing runs 35 miles, which gives you enough time to see the major features without feeling rushed, and the vantage point from the air is genuinely the only way to take in the scale of those rock formations all at once.

The tour requires a minimum of five passengers to run, so if you're booking solo or with a small group, confirm your date a few days ahead — if the flight doesn't hit that minimum, they'll offer you an alternate time or a full refund. Infants under two can ride on an adult's lap, and kids two and up need their own seat. The heliport handles the landing and facility fees, so that's already built into the price.

What’s included

35-mile helicopter flight departing from the private heliport near Springdale.
experienced pilot commentary on Zion's geology and history.
views of Kolob Canyons, Smith Mesa, and Red Butte Mountain from the air.
landing and facility fees.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyNot for heart conditionsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Zion Helicopters

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see Zion's scale and geology from an angle impossible from the ground, and you're comfortable with small-group helicopter travel — the perimeter flight is what lets you take in the whole landscape at once without the park's flight restrictions getting in the way.