Fortification Hill Tours and Tickets

There are plenty of ways to experience Fortification Hill. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Grand Canyon West Rim Luxury Helicopter Tour from Las Vegas

• Grand Canyon Helicopter and Western Ranch Adventure Landing Tour

• Grand Canyon Helicopter Flight with Sunset Valley of Fire Landing

• Grand Canyon Helicopter Tour and River Raft or Emerald Cave Kayak

Fortification Hill is entirely free to visit as it's on public land. If you want to hike it, your main expense will be transportation. If you want to see it from the sky, helicopter tours that fly over the hill will cost around US$400–600 per person.

To get to the trailhead from Las Vegas, head to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on the Arizona side of the Nevada-Arizona border (near Hoover Dam). The drive takes about an hour. Having a 4WD vehicle with good clearance is recommended to navigate the rough road to the trailhead.

The best time to visit Fortification Hill is in late fall or early spring, when the weather is generally pleasant and warm. Winters can be cool, but temperatures don't generally get too cold for hiking. It's best to avoid summer, when temperatures soar, and weekends, when crowds swell.

The 3.5-mile (5.6-kilometer) Fortification Hill hike is challenging. While most of the trail is relatively easy, some sections require scrambling, and winds can be strong. High temperatures throughout much of the year, coupled with fairly rapid elevation gain (1,400 feet or 430 meters), add to the challenge.

There are all sorts of wild animals in the Fortification Hill area, but what you see is really a matter of luck. Wildlife found in the area includes desert bighorn sheep, mountain lions, bats, lizards, and hundreds of migratory birds, such as bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and burrowing owls.