Best Moab Helicopter Tours — Quick Picks
Which Moab Helicopter Tour Is Right for You?
| Role | Route | Reaches | Best for | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most booked | Colorado River corridor | Corona Arch | The canyon at the lowest fare | 4.7★ | $289 | Check → |
| Backcountry | Arch country | Roadless formations | Rock nobody drives to | 4.6★ | $428 | Check → |
| Longest | Canyonlands | River gorges and mesas | The whole landscape in one flight | 5.0★ | $788 | Check → |
Compare Helicopter Tours in Moab
Prices, ratings and availability last checked: September 2026.
Top Pickfrom $289 Corona Arch Canyon Run Helicopter Tour
- Flight areaColorado River corridor and Corona Arch
- MachineShared cabin
- Best forThe most-booked flight here
- Headsets with pilot commentary provided
- Cancellation terms are shown on the operator's booking page
from $788 Grand Helicopter Tour
- Flight areaCanyonlands and the river confluence
- MachineShared cabin
- Best forThe longest route sold here
- Headsets with pilot commentary provided
- Cancellation terms are shown on the operator's booking page
from $428 Backcountry Arches Helicopter Tour
- Flight areaBackcountry arches and fins
- MachineShared cabin
- Best forFormations with no road access
- Headsets with pilot commentary provided
- Cancellation terms are shown on the operator's booking page
How Much Does a Moab Helicopter Tour Cost?
Three flights, three lengths, and the fare roughly triples between the shortest and the longest. All are per seat and all fly the canyon country around the Colorado River.
Around twenty minutes up the Colorado River corridor past Corona Arch and the sandstone walls above the highway.
- Corona Arch Canyon Run · $289
Longer flights reaching arches and fins away from the roads, in country that takes a full day to approach on the ground.
- Backcountry Arches Tour · $428
The long route across Canyonlands and the confluence country, with the river gorges below.
- Grand Helicopter Tour · $788
What affects the price?
The short flight parallels country you can drive; the longer two reach formations that need a day of four-wheel driving or hiking to approach.
Desert summer reduces aircraft performance. Morning departures are the smoothest and the most likely to go as booked.
Operators concentrate on March to October, matching Moab's own season. Winter flying is limited.
Red rock needs low sun. Early morning and the last hour of the day are when the canyons show colour rather than glare.
Canyon Run, Backcountry or Grand Tour: Which Moab Flight?
Three flights over the same red-rock country, differing mainly in how far from the roads they go. Fares are from the listings on this page.
| Canyon run | Backcountry arches | Grand tour | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical fare | $289 | $428 | $788 | |
| Roughly how long | About 20 minutes | 30 – 40 minutes | About an hour | |
| Reaches roadless country | Barely | Yes | Yes, extensively | |
| What it shows | River corridor and Corona Arch | Arches and fins away from tracks | Canyonlands and the river confluence | |
| Best for | A first flight | Ground nobody drives to | Flying once, seeing the whole landscape |
Month-by-Month Guide
Cold and quiet; limited flying outside the main season.
Still winter, with occasional snow on the red rock.
Season opens with mild days and excellent light.
Ideal: warm, clear and stable.
Warm and dry with long light — the best month here.
Heat building; morning flights are the smoothest.
Very hot with monsoon storms in the afternoon.
Peak monsoon; morning departures only in practice.
Storms fading and the air steadying — excellent flying.
Cool, clear and colourful; the season's last strong month.
Cold nights and shortening days as the season winds down.
Limited flying; cold and quiet.
What to Expect on the Day
Check in at the airport
Flights leave from Canyonlands Field north of town, about twenty minutes from Moab's main street.
Allow the drive — it is further out than most visitors expect.Weigh-in and briefing
Passengers weighed for the load sheet, then a briefing before boarding.
Summer heat tightens the load calculation; morning flights carry more.The flight
Up the Colorado River corridor, over the fins and arches, and on longer routes across Canyonlands toward the confluence.
The scale of the canyon systems only reads when the river appears as a thread below.The country
Formations, slot canyons and mesa tops, most of them without any road access at all.
Ask the pilot to point out the four-wheel-drive tracks — they show how little of this country is reachable.Back on the ground
Twenty minutes to an hour depending on the route.
Pair the flight with a ground day in Arches or Canyonlands for the contrast.What to Bring (and What to Leave at Home)
✓ Bring
- Dark clothing to keep reflections out of the window
- Photo ID and your booking voucher
- A camera with a strap
- Sunglasses for the flight
- A layer for the apron while you wait
- Water — the airport apron is exposed and hot in summer
✗ Leave behind
- Loose hats and scarves near the aircraft
- White or pale tops that mirror in the glass
- Large bags — cabin storage is minimal
- Drones, restricted in the area
- Selfie sticks, banned in the cabin
Where Flights Depart From
| Heliport / Base | Details | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Canyonlands Field | All flights on this page | Everyone; about twenty minutes north of Moab |
How to Choose a Helicopter Operator
What good operators do
- Say which formations the route reaches rather than selling 'canyon country'.
- Publish the flight length or route distance.
- Fly early when the light and the air are both better.
- Publish the second-seat weight threshold — desert heat tightens it.
- Refund weather cancellations in full.
Red flags to avoid
- Canyonlands imagery on a twenty-minute river-corridor fare.
- No stated duration in a market where fares triple.
- Midday-only slots in a landscape that depends on low sun.
- Photo packages presented as compulsory.
What You Fly Over in Moab
The landmarks and flight corridors these tours actually cross, and what each one looks like from the air.
The Colorado River corridor
Every flightThe gorge running past Moab with sandstone walls rising several hundred metres above the water.
Corona Arch
Short flightA free-standing arch above the river corridor, reachable by a short hike and best understood from the air.
Backcountry arches and fins
Longer routesFormations away from the roads, in country that takes a full day to approach on the ground.
Canyonlands
Grand tourThe confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers, with mesas and canyon systems running to the horizon.
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