Grand Canyon Skywalk
 

Does anyone really plan on doing this, let alone being the first ones? I'm sure it's safe, but I get nervous looking over balconies. And what about earthquakes or high winds? Maybe I'm just being paranoid.

HUALAPAI INDIAN RESERVATION. The Skywalk, which will be unveiled Tuesday, is being touted as an engineering marvel. The glass-and-steel horseshoe extends 70 feet beyond the canyon's edge with no visible supports above or below.

For $25 plus other fees, people will be able to see 4,000 feet straight down to the canyon floor, a vantage point more than twice as high as the world's tallest buildings.

I get a kick out of your "for $25 plus other fees". The other fees amount to $50 per person, so it is a total of $75 for each person visiting the skywalk.

It looks like a financial disaster waiting to happen, to be abandoned in a few years but sitting there ruining the surroundings for centuries.

I might spend $10 on it, but at $75 a pop me and mine won't be going near the skywalk.

Just wait til the Indians start fencing off large portions of the rim in their territory, so visitors can't get the same basic view for free.

If they're intent on defacing landmarks they would have made a lot more money by building a gambling casino on the rim.

they did build a casino. Most of the visitors come from Las Vegas and aren't interested in gambling. The casino closed after about a year

We are going to the Canyon for the first time in June, staying on the South Rim. If the Skywalk were convenient to where we are staying, which it's not, I would pay $25 to walk out on it...but $75 is hard to justify, imo.

I am not thrilled with the overhang either but at least it will be quiet. I would rather they ban all helicopter flights over the Canyon first.

I think if it will help a group of people pull themselves out of poverty then it is an excellent idea in my book.

If they're able to build and run casinos, they should be able to handle two years at DeVry.

Agreed, GoTravel.

It for sure won't be quiet. The Hualapai's main attraction up until they open the skywalk is that they're the only place where you can ride a helicopter to the bottom of the canyon. And a good portion of their visitation arrives from vegas by helicopter.

You would have to pay ME to go out on it. I'm terrified of heights!!!

I see multiple problems with the skywalk. It's sufficiently scary that a lot of people won't go on it (lost revenue). It's ten times more expensive than it needs to be to generate maximal revenue ($7.50 would be fine; $75 is not). It's in the middle of nowhere, and isn't spectacular enough in itself to justify a special visit. And the engineering strength of the structure has been overstated, although I'm sure it's more than sufficient to hold 120 people.

I'm not worried about it spoiling the scenery. The Grand Canyon is a big place, and one little walkway isn't going to make any difference. (Of course, if this were the beginning of a trend, that would be different.) But I don't think it will prove very profitable, either. And my guess is that the outside investor from Las Vegas (the one who put up the $30 million to build it) wrote the agreement such that he is guaranteed a return on his investment <i>first</i>, before anything goes to the tribe.

I heard a member of the tribe say that there's no local gas station. That may be true, but there are plenty of equally isolated spots in the U.S.; those who don't like such places can move to the cities. And if a tribe wants to live the way its ancestors did, it doesn't need gasoline, does it?

You can get used to anything, in time. The Hualapai are no doubt quite used to the giant canyon in their backyard, so sending endless helicopters down into it or building skywalks over it doesn't bother them, as long as it makes money. Religion and tradition are fine when they work in your favor, but easy to ignore when they stand in the way of profits.

I wonder what the plan is for inspection of the steel and glass for corrosion, rust, cracks, and the like as the structure ages. It certainly isn't likely to be there for hundreds of years, unless it is very well and regularly maintained indeed. The canyon will still be there, however.

Just a little FYI - Did some more research on the Skywalk as was thinking of doing it during a trip in Sept-the actual price is $80 per person. The $75 does not include tax. In my books that's highway robbery of a different sort, and I won't be doing any peering over the edge there. I'll do it for free somewhere else in the canyon. I'm all for the Hualapai Indians making some money for their tribe, but this is just total GOUGING!

The Skywalk is on Hualapai reservation land and is actually in a side canyon. Since it is Hualapai land, the tribe is free to use it to help themselves have a better life. I hope this is not going to turn into another debate as to whether this should exist or not. It is, in fact, helping the Hualapais. We can all choose to go and see this (and pay for it) or not.

Did the Skywalk a few weeks ago and the price was in and around $27, I can't remember the exact price but it wasn't much more than this.

Joanie, but how much did you pay per person to get onto the reservation?

And did you enjoy it? And why can't I find it on Mapquest?