Taking A Sunset Helicopter Tour To Pikes Peak, Colorado

It finally happened!

For my 40th birthday present, Shae booked us in for a sunset helicopter tour to Pikes Peak in Colorado. I was really excited about it, but on the day of the flight the helicopter tour company called to advise that they couldn’t take us because they were regarded as a recreational business and so weren’t allowed to operate due to COVID-19.

This was obviously disappointing, but understandable. They refunded our credit card and so we figured I could pick something else fun – and expensive – to do in the future as a belated birthday present.

A few days after that cancellation, we decided to extend our time in Pueblo until the end of May. As it happens, Colorado Vertical Helicopter Tours was able to resume its business a few days before we were due to leave and so we rebooked ourselves in for a sunset helicopter tour the night before we left Pueblo.

Neither Shae nor I had ever been in a helicopter before, so we were both excited but a little nervous before arriving. Our flight was due to take off at about 7pm, so we arrived at about 6:45pm to register, sign waivers, etc.

Our pilot Will greeted us when we arrived and, while we completed our waivers and watched a safety video, he got the helicopter out of the hangar.

The helicopter was a Robinson R66 – a million dollar helicopter that can seat five people including the pilot, but which only had to carry the three of us that night.

Shae and I aren’t wearing matching T-shirts below – those are inflatable life vests seeing as the flight goes over water.

We actually got to take two flights on the R66. The helicopter needed to be refueled, so they asked if we wanted to be aboard as it flew on to the helipad to be filled up, so we said yes to increase our time on board.

That initial flight only took a minute as the helipad was next to the building in an above photo. For safety, Shae and I had to disembark while it was being refueled. They added 37 gallons which was enough for about two hours of flight time; our tour was only due to take 50 minutes, so that was more than enough.

Once it had enough fuel, we were able to get back on board. They added a GoPro to the outside of the helicopter to record our flight and a minute or two later we were airborne.

We were nervous before the flight and that initially continued while we were in the air. It’s a completely different feeling to flying in a plane and it’s an especially weird feeling the first time the helicopter banks.

After a couple of minutes though, we were more focused on enjoying the views and looking around to be too worried about the flight.

One of the first things that our pilot Will pointed out was County Road 9. This was a precarious-looking dirt road that wound its way around a mountain. It didn’t only look precarious – apparently it was precarious. Will also works for the local search and rescue team and mentioned that someone recently had a fatal accident when their car came off the road and went down the cliff.

The flight took us alongside and over mountains, providing incredible views that you wouldn’t get by simply going hiking in the area.

Will told us to be on the lookout for animals and although we didn’t see many during the flight, we did get to see a couple of cinnamon bears (which he called blondie bears) and an elk.

Although I did get to see them, the bears and elk were on the other side of the helicopter to where I was sitting and so I wasn’t able to get any photos. Thankfully Shae had her camera with a good zoom lens and so she was able to get some photos of them.

Our flight then took us over Cripple Creek Gold Mine, with Will sharing a story of its origins. Back in the day, a guy with a propensity to drink a lot had a claim for the area and discovered gold. One morning he woke up with three things. The first was a hangover, although that wasn’t unusual. The second was a bottle of whiskey and the third was $200.

It turns out he’d been boasting in the bar the previous night about his gold find. Some prospectors got him even more drunk and persuaded him to sign over his claim to them.

He ended up with $200. They mined gold worth $1 million dollars in the first year.

A few years later, he died – penniless.

The mine uses a process called heap leaching. This uses an irrigation process using cyanide; this dissolves the gold and sends it to the bottom of the heap where it’s subsequently collected.

Cripple Creek Gold Mine now mines $1 billion worth of gold every year.

The flight continued over mountains, lakes and reservoirs, with the views remaining breathtaking.

Although Cripple Creek Gold Mine still mines $1 billion worth of gold each year, other gold mines weren’t so lucky. We flew over one area which had abandoned buildings that were once the site of a thriving gold mine.

The sex industry was another business that thrived in those days and from the air we were able to see the ruins of an old parlor house.

Someone who recently saw our car (with our website on the back) reached out to let us know that they’re temporarily letting people drive across the Royal Gorge Bridge as it’s normally only open for pedestrian access. The Royal Gorge Bridge was the world’s highest bridge for more than 70 years and is still the highest bridge in the US.

We didn’t end up having time to drive across, but we did get to see it from a completely different vantage point which helped make up for that.

We were sadly coming to the end of our helicopter flight, but we got to enjoy a lovely sunset on the way back.

A few minutes later we were back on solid ground.

I mentioned earlier that they added a GoPro to the front of the helicopter. They recorded the flight and you can purchase a copy for $12 which was very reasonable considering how much tourist attractions usually charge for a single photo.

Shae also wore a GoPro to record the entire flight, plus I recorded a couple of short videos on my phone. Shae edited these into the video below which gives an even better idea of what the flight was like.

Final Thoughts

Shae and I had an amazing time on the sunset helicopter tour over to Pikes Peak. The views were simply incredible, we felt safe the entire time (despite being nervous at the beginning) and our pilot Will was very friendly and informative.

If you’re interested in taking a helicopter tour in Colorado, we’d highly recommend Colorado Vertical Helicopter Tours. This isn’t a sponsored post (here’s why we don’t write those) – we paid for our flight and are recommending them because we had a great all-round experience.

Cost

Our helicopter tour cost $419 per person including tax, so a total of $838 for the two of us. That’s far more than we’d normally pay for any kind of activity on our 50 state road trip seeing as we’re doing it on a budget of $100 per day.

I’m so glad that Shae booked this special activity for my 40th birthday though because it was such an incredible experience. I now can’t wait for the next time we get to go on a helicopter tour – wherever that may be.

Address

Colorado Vertical Helicopter Tours, 45047 US-50, Cañon City, CO 81212