Since You Asked — Hot-Air Balloons

Several different schools of thought come to mind on how to spend your precious time in Las Vegas.

One camp says, “I’m on vacation. There’s no way in hell I’d ever set an alarm to get up early in Vegas.”

Another camp thinks, “I’m on vacation. I want to do something new and different and exciting!”

If you want to do something you’ve never done before, Las Vegas is a great place to take a hot-air balloon ride. Seeing the early-morning sun over the mountains, while most of the Valley is still asleep, is breathtaking. And very few major cities have so many different types of landscape, as well as the flat wide-open area necessary for takeoff and landing so close to the city center.

A number of Las Vegas companies do hot-air balloon tours and they vary in price and features, so I’ll just give you a basic overview and things to think about when choosing one for a ride.

You will have to wake up very early in the morning. Most tours take off in or near Summerlin on the western edge of the city, about a 20-minute ride from the Strip in early-morning non-traffic. Some tours pick you up from your hotel, while with others, you meet at the takeoff spot, requiring a rental car or an Uber/Lyft ride.

Watching the employees unfold the balloon and set it up is a treat in itself.

Some tours provide a small breakfast during this time. Most have an option for a romantic champagne toast once you’re airborne. You’ll also have the option for a private flight, but in my opinion, unless it’s a special occasion like an anniversary, it’s not worth the extra cost. When I flew, there were only a couple of other people on the tour with me and it didn’t feel cramped or crowded at all.

I was surprised to learn that the flight path is largely unplanned. Firing the gas and adjusting the flame control the height, but your destination is largely determined by conditions, primarily the wind.

Most flights last around an hour and a team on the ground remains in contact by walkie-talkie; they meet you at whatever other flat area the pilot decides to touch down in.

They pack up the balloon and drive you back to the starting point (if you drove your own car) or your hotel (if they picked you up).

Door to door from your hotel, the entire experience takes about 4 hours. And if you don’t want to get up early, just stay up all night. It’s Vegas, after all! I didn’t quite make it through the night before. I’m sure it would have flummoxed a front-desk clerk in any other city when I went to bed at 5:15 a.m. and requested a wakeup call for 6. I was back in the room by about 10:30 with a full day in Vegas waiting for me.

Obviously, flying is weather-dependent and can be canceled at the last minute in the event of rain or high winds (neither of which are uncommon in Vegas). I’d recommend planning your flight for early in your Vegas trip, so that you have days available for re-scheduling if that becomes necessary.