The Grand Canyon Skywalk
The Grand Canyon Skywalk(wikipedia) is a tourist attraction, commissioned by Hualapai Indian tribe. It is only two and half hour drive from Las Vegas. The Grand Canyon Skywalk is the glass bridge suspended 1,200 meters above the canyon, a height that eclipses the world’s largest skyscrapers. The horseshoe shaped bridge protrudes 65 feet (20 meters) feet from the edge of the canyon.
Walter Oakey said,
May 26, 2007 @ 4:10 am
After reading an email from somebody that visited the Skywalk and finding out the charges ($75 per person) and the road going out there (57miles of dirt), I won’t be going there. Plus the fact that you can’t take a camera out there either doesn’t do much to entice me either. I was really looking forward to coming out there and seeing the Skywalk but after reading what I did, we’ll be headed somewhere else for vacation.
Robert DeVore said,
December 9, 2007 @ 9:15 am
OK, so it is $75, total, per person to walk on the SkyWalk. We paid $65 per person to see ‘Spamalot’ and fell asleep. And it is “14″ miles of unpaved road. We planned our day trip from Vegas and, bottom line, had a GREAT TIME. Crossing the Hoover dam on the way is always amazing. We got out and took some pictures. The new freeway bridge being built over the Colorado River is immense. The view of Lake Mead is awesome. The Nevada Welcome station was not really helpful, not even AZ maps, but the SkyWalk “is in” Arizona. Taking AZ 93 south is, at first, like a roller coaster and then it is flat. If we had better directions we would not have missed the turn onto Pierce Ferry road. But the side trip to the “Arizona Welcome” station, in Chloride, AZ, was interesting. The store proprietor was very kind and helpful. He warned us about the condition of Diamond Bar road and also about the free range cattle wandering the road. We encountered both and were both challenged and thrilled. Once at the Hualapai Indian facility we were welcomed, completely and professionally informed of all of our options to view the site and were directed to the tour bus waiting for us. The driver, Ken, provided an entertaining and informational description of the sites we would visit. He reviewed our options for all site locations and meals. By the way, did I mention that the entrance fee of $49.99 includes a bus tour to both the SkyWalk and to Guano Point with an all you can eat meal or a choice of several meals to choose from at the Hualapai Ranch, including prime rib? Entrance fee also includes a free wagon ride to the rim at the ranch and a discount ticket at the gift shop worth 10% off any purchase. At Guano Point there is an abandoned mine elevator worth visiting and an interesting story from the security guard/tour guide about the guano miners who would ride the elevator down the canyon and then traverse to the opposite side to mine the guano. The optional climb to the top of the Guano Point rock outcropping is breath taking. With my own camera in hand my vantage point above the canyon is almost spiritual. Back to the SkyWalk, it is true that you must leave all electronic devices at a locker before approaching the outdoor entrance. This was explained that anything dropped from the SkyWalk is virtually irretrieveable. Visitors have lost purses, passports, and airline tickets in addition to cameras and cell phones. You can purchase a picture of yourself or your party for $24.99 each but the cameras weren’t working when we went. The security guards/tour guides on the SkyWalk were extremely friendly and very helpful. Any and all questions about the SkyWalk or the environs were honestly answered. The Hualapai Indian tribe also provides a continuous performance of various tribal dances before entering the SkyWalk visitor center. The center will eventually be two stories above ground and another level below ground, under the SkyWalk, on the canyon wall. Currently it is a construction site with steel beams and corrugated steel visable as you walk out over the canyon. And the most impressive site is actually walking out onto the SkyWalk. My wife and I have been to the top of the Empire State building and the John Hancock building and my wife had been on the top of the World Trade Center and this beats them all. If you have read this far you must know that this was a trip I will always remember and I have nothing to gain from this posting except the satisfaction that others might enjoy this trip as much as we did.
Paul Lennon said,
April 9, 2008 @ 11:21 am
We just returned from the Skywalk and I was pleased with our experience.
We had a brochure from a motel in LasVagas and the fees charged were exactly what the brochure quoted.
Its an experience that I would recommend and I will always have a fond memory of our trip.
Its not cheap but it’s well organised and exactly as advertized
Eric C said,
June 20, 2008 @ 12:41 pm
$75 ????? and can’t take a camera ????? I’m sure it’s a breath taking view and I would probably pay the $75 fees. But because I couldn’t take my own pictures I’m not seeing it anytime soon (especially with rising gas prices).