Helicopter tours in Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon, is a holiday-friendly destination that attracts almost 10 million tourists annually. 

It is Oregon’s largest city and rests on the Columbia and Willamette rivers in the shadow of snow-capped Mount Hood. 

As a result, aerial tours are quite popular in Portland. 

Tourists take off on a helicopter to get a different perspective of Portland city or book airplane tours to explore Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah Falls, and Mount Hood. 

This article covers everything you need to know before booking a helicopter tour in Portland, Oregon.

Insider Tip: It’s a good idea to book your Portland Helicopter tour tickets early, as they sell out fast. Booking in advance guarantees you won’t miss this amazing experience.

What’s ahead

Portland helicopter tour options

Portland is the seat of Multnomah County and is at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in Northwestern Oregon.

Besides taking an aerial tour of Portland city, visitors can also explore the natural attractions nearby, such as the Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah Falls, and Mount Hood.

The Columbia River Gorge starts just 48 km (30 miles) east of Portland and offers fantastic natural scenery from the air.

Multnomah Falls is a massive waterfall located on Multnomah Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, east of Troutdale. 

Mount Hood is at an air distance of 86 kms (54 miles) from Portland and yet another attraction best seen from the air. 

Here are the various helicopter tours you can select from:

Must Read: Is it your first helicopter tour? Check out the dos and donts

Downtown Portland air tour by airplane

This aerial experience takes you on an airplane over downtown Portland. It’s a private experience for just you and your party.

On this tour, you can see iconic sights like the Portland, Oregon sign, the Moda Center, the Rose Quarter, and Providence Park. You’ll also fly over the Willamette River and the city’s many bridges. Travelers have described the views as breathtaking and recommend flying at sunset for the best views.

Traveller Reviews: Travelers have praised the pilots (like KJ, JP, Jon, Jade, and Daniel) as being experienced, knowledgeable, professional, friendly, and making the flight smooth and enjoyable. Pilots have offered to take pictures before takeoff and are patient.

Air time: 20 minutes
Tour operator: Envi Adventures
Cost (2+ years): $109 per person (and a minimum of two)

Columbia River Gorge Air Tour

This is a highly-rated, 20-minute airplane flight over the stunning Columbia River Gorge, offering close-up views of waterfalls and scenic points such as the Vista House, Sandy River Delta Park, etc. You might even see Mt Hood and Mt St Helens on clear days.

The plane intentionally flies low over the ground so you can see the gorge up close.

Traveller Reviews: Travelers have consistently praised the pilots (mentioning Clay, PJ, JP, Cory, John, Davis, Daniel) for being knowledgeable, polite, cool, great tour guides, friendly, reliable, professional, and making the flight smooth.

Air time: 20 minutes
Tour operator: Envi Adventures
Cost (2+ years): $109 per person (and a minimum of two)

Must Read: Find out what to wear for your helicopter tour

Mount Hood & Columbia River Gorge Air Tour

This is a dramatic aerial tour of Oregon’s most beautiful natural scenery – the Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Hood National Forest. This isn’t just a ride, it’s an opportunity to take awesome aerial photographs and create countless photographic memories. It’s a private flight experience designed for you and your companions, accommodating a maximum of three travelers. Forget helicopters; this is a smooth experience when operated by airplanes.

Traveller Reviews: Travelers rave about the pilots! Reviews describe them as extremely knowledgeable, kind, patient, a great pilot and guide, super friendly, full of information, safe, and comfortable. They are dedicated to making your flight worthwhile, pointing out sights and sharing information about the areas you fly over.

Air time: 50 to 55 minutes
Tour operator: Envi Adventures
Cost (18+ years): $259 per person (and a minimum of two)

Multnomah Falls & Columbia Gorge Air Tour

Multnomah Falls is Oregon’s most popular tourist destination, but it is not a comfortable day tour to make from Portland. 

The beautiful waterfall gets two million visitors each year, which is 5500 every day of the year. During the peak tourist season, this can even go up to ten thousand visitors a day. 

If you want to avoid a lot of hassle we suggest you opt for this stunning, private 30-minute scenic flight to Columbia River Gorge and Oregon’s tallest waterfall—Multnomah Falls.

Air time: 50 to 55 minutes
Tour operator: Envi Adventures
Tour timings: 10 am, 2 pm, 4 pm
Cost of the tour (18+ years): From US$189

Insider Tip: If you are on a budget, you can only visit Multnomah Falls. Or if you also want to go over the city, check out this premium air tour, which offers views of both Multnomah Falls & Portland.

Where do these tours take off from

Envi Adventures service all the tours to Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah Falls, and Mount Hood.

Their airplanes fly out of Troutdale Airport, 29 kms (18 miles) east of Portland. 

If you book a helicopter tour, it is most likely to be serviced by the Oregon Helicopters, a renowned tour operator in the city. 

Their helicopters take off from a downtown Portland rooftop and usually offer tours of the city, flying right over the Willamette River.

Know before booking air tour

Here are a few things you must know before selecting your helicopter tour or airplane flight over Portland. 

Passengers per flight

If you opt for a helicopter tour, you need a minimum of two passengers and a maximum of three for the booking. Depending on the aircraft, it may have a limit of three or four passengers. 

If you book an airplane tour, the limit is a minimum of two and a maximum of five passengers. If you book the whole flight, you get more value for money with more passengers.

For safety reasons, a passenger’s weight must not be over 113 Kgs (250 pounds). This rule gets enforced strictly.

Special medical conditions

These helicopter and airplane tours are not recommended for travelers with back problems, heart problems, and severe medical conditions. It is not recommended for pregnant women as well. 

Most travelers can be part of these tours. 

Bringing kids along

Everybody can join the helicopter and airline tours in Portland.

A child may only sit on the lap of an adult at no additional cost if they are under two years old. 

We suggest you bring along ear protection for younger children as the tour operator’s headsets may not fit them well.

All passengers above two years of age must purchase the regular tour tickets. 

An adult must accompany all passengers below 18 years of age. 

Accessibility to the tours

Most Portland helicopter flights are completely accessible to guests with disabilities (except Private Mount Hood & Columbia River Gorge Air Tour)

The aircraft, transportation, and surfaces are completely wheelchair accessible, preventing any inconvenience for the guests.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start date. 

If the helicopter tour gets canceled due to poor weather, a different date or a full refund is offered.