Skywalk at the Grand Canyon

Hualapai Indian Reservation

by Felice Prager

Before the Grand Canyon Skywalk – a $40 million glass and steel structure surrounded by simmering controversy – even opened to the public, it received a huge amount of national and international attention.  It prompted more than 2500 articles in countries around the world, including Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, France, Australia and the United States.  Popular Mechanics called it the “best of what’s new” in engineering.  Famed astronaut and Apollo lunar explorer Buzz Aldrin lead the first walkers onto the Grand Canyon Glass Skywalk in a private ceremony on March 20, 2007. 

With all the hype, the opening of Grand Canyon Skywalk – in a remote part of Arizona – has been promising.  Since March 28, 2007, the official opening day, the lines to get onto the glass bridge have been long and interest has been strong despite high summer temperatures and high cost.

The Grand Canyon Skywalk is located, not in Grand Canyon National Park, but at Grand Canyon West, on the Hualapai Indian Reservation, approximately halfway between Las Vegas and Grand Canyon’s South Rim.  It is a three-hour drive from Las Vegas by way of Hoover Dam, a six-hour drive from Phoenix through Wickenburg and Kingman, or a five-hour drive from the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. 

Up to 2014 no matter what route you take to the Skywalk, you will have to negotiate Dolan Springs Diamond Bar Road, a 9-mile-long unpaved and rutted drive, to complete the last leg of your journey. The paved road was open in August of 2014.

 

 

The Skywalk is a U-shaped glass and steel structure that extends out 70 feet beyond the rim, over the canyon.  Its elevation is about 4000 feet above the floor of the canyon.  The other side of the canyon can be seen three miles away.  The Skywalk is not directly above the main canyon, or Granite Gorge, which contains the Colorado River.  Rather, it instead extends out over a side canyon. 

The Skywalk walls and floor are built of four-inch-thick glass.  According to press reports, this remarkable structure can support 70 tons of weight—the equivalent of 800 people, each weighing 175 pounds.  The Skywalk, according to the Grand Canyon Skywalk official Internet site, is strong enough to withstand 8.0 magnitude earthquakes within 50 miles and 100 mile-per-hour winds from any of eight different directions.  However, reflecting an abundance of caution, no more than 120 persons are permitted on the structure at one time. 

To avoid incidents that might chip or scratch the glass floor, visitors must cover their shoes with booties and check items such as cameras, cell phones, keys and other personal belongings before stepping onto the structure.  Tourists can make pictures when not on the structure, and souvenir photographs are available for sale.

The costs of a visit can mount in a hurry.  Many who have been to Skywalk have taken a Park and Ride Shuttle Service offered from the Grand Canyon West Welcome Center located near Meadview, Arizona. The total cost can range from $45.00 to $300.00 per person, depending on which package you choose.  Some of the packages includes the costs of actually walking onto the Grand Canyon Skywalk. The Hualapai Tribe collects fees to enter any part of the reservation as certain parts of the reservation are restricted to the general public. All fees are subject to change at any time.

Many visitors have been disappointed in the difference between advertisements and artist renderings of the Skywalk and the reality of the Skywalk.  Although the canyon overlook is undeniably awe-inspiring, it is not the equal of Grand Canyon National Park.  To the dismay of many, the site itself is also not yet fully developed.  It is a work in progress. 

Tourists must go to Kingman, which is one and a half hours away, or to Laughlin or Las Vegas, which is still farther, just to find a hotel.  Some have opted to travel from Las Vegas or the South Rim in airplane tours just to avoid the difficulties of finding lodging anywhere near the site.

It is hoped by the Hualapais that Grand Canyon West’s Skywalk Project will give an economic boost to the tribe, which has battled widespread unemployment and poverty for decades.  The project was the dream of Las Vegas entrepreneur, David Jin, who, with the help of Las Vegas design firm, Lochsa Engineering, came up with the conceptual vision.

The Skywalk is the cornerstone of a larger plan by the Hualapai tribe, which is the catalyst for a 9,000-acre development called Grand Canyon West.  Future plans call for a museum, movie theater, VIP lounge, gift shop, restaurants and a golf course.  There are plans for a high-end restaurant called The Skywalk Café, where visitors will be able to dine outdoors at the canyon rim.  There would be cable cars to ferry visitors from the canyon rim to the Colorado River, which has been previously inaccessible. 

As one might expect, there has been considerable controversy about the potential impact of such a large project in the Grand Canyon area:

1. The project is unpopular with environmentalists.
2. It a long drive from anywhere.
3. The last 9 miles are now pavied.
4. The views are not as spectacular as those in Grand Canyon National Park.
5. It is expensive.
6. Cameras are not permitted on the Skywalk.

 

If you are willing to make the long drive, deal with the elements, and pony up the dollars, you may feel that the Grand Canyon Skywalk is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

More...

Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon Caverns
Hiking The Grand Canyon

 

 

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