The Skywalk to dangle over canyon

Advertisement

Grand Canyon West soon will be a worldwide draw for a man-made reason: The Skywalk at Grand Canyon West.

The Skywalk, which should be visible near the end of July and open to the public late this year, will be a U-shaped transparent-glass walkway extending 70 feet from the edge of the canyon wall and 4,000 feet above the Colorado River. There is no weight limit -- it can hold more than 71 million pounds. The maximum number of people the glass walkway will hold, based on the area of The Skywalk, will be about 140 at any given time.

The Skywalk was initially scheduled to be completed early this year, but new additions such as a rooftop dining area, an underground restaurant and an edifice housing gift shops, restaurants and bars have delayed the project.

"The floor will be made of 41 pieces of glass," said Allison Raskansky, president and chief executive officer of Destination Grand Canyon, the marketing company for Grand Canyon West and The Skywalk. "And the top layer will be replaceable in case of scratches, but everyone will be issued hospital-type booties to prevent that."

The glass for The Skywalk is being brought in from Germany and the steel is coming in from Utah.

Grand Canyon West, on the Hualapai Indian Reservation, is about 120 miles east of Las Vegas, and is located at the Western Rim of the Grand Canyon.

"The tribe asked me what type of a marketing person they should be looking for," Raskansky said. "And I think I had a soft spot for the tribe because I have worked with them so long. I knew about their inside and outside concerns and troubles. So I said I could do it."

Raskansky formed Destination Grand Canyon in June 2005 to help market the Hualapai's area of the Grand Canyon.

Raskansky was initially introduced to the Hualapai involved in Grand Canyon West in 1987 while she was employee of the now obsolete Adventure Airlines, a company that made flights from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West. Raskansky noted that the Hualapai at that time were not certain if they were ready for their land to become a tourism destination.

The Hualapai, now celebrating the 18th anniversary of opening their portion of the Grand Canyon to public tours, continue to face a difficult situation in trying to maintain a healthy balance between the serene nature of the pristine area as well as the economic benefits of opening their land to tourism.

Sheri YellowHawk, chief executive officer of Grand Canyon Resort Corporation, said the balance between nature and development has been an issue since the beginning.

"Do we open our doors to development in order to sustain the tribe or do we let our tribal members slowly be swallowed by the social ills that we currently do not have funding to address?" YellowHawk asked. "In addition, if we do nothing to prepare for the future, how will our children and their children prosper? The Hualapai, unfortunately, have been forced to assimilate and live the American life. And although we live in modern society, we will never forget our heritage, culture and roots."

Currently there are more than 30 transportation and tour companies that service Grand Canyon West. Among them are sport utility vehicle, helicopter, airplane and coach tours.

"There were 4.1 million visitors last year at the national park and about 90 percent of them flew in," Raskansky said. "Now compare that to 245,000 tourists last year at the Grand Canyon West and about 90 percent come with a package tour."

One of Raskansky's largest missions is to even out these numbers by making Las Vegans aware that the Western Rim is only a two and a half hour drive from the valley.

"It's in our backyard," she said. "You don't have to take vacation, you only need one day."

Raskansky said Destination Grand Canyon will be offering a 25 percent discount to Nevada residents who purchase the Spirit package. The package includes lunch, cowboy demonstrations, a Western show, exploration of the Indian Village and Hualapai market as well as narrated tours of other points of interest.

"The Grand Canyon West is more of a cultural experience," Raskansky said. "You actually interact with the tribe."

Once on the reservation, visitors can chose from a plethora of activities including tours of the area via helicopter, horseback, pontoon and off-road sport utility vehicles.

The admission for walking The Skywalk will be $25 per person, and entrance packages to the reservation begin at about $29 per person.

Further information on Destination Grand Canyon can be found by visiting www.destinationgrandcanyon.com.