Claim: Illustrations show a proposed Grand Canyon skywalk.
Example: [Collected via e-mail, 2005]
 Grand Canyon Skywalk * Juts out about 70 feet into the canyon, *Will accommodate 120 people comfortably (How comfortable would YOU be?) * Built with more than a million pounds of steel beams and includes dampeners that minimize the structure's vibration * Designed to hold 72 million pounds, withstand an * Has a glass bottom and sides...four inches thick  |
Origins: Strange as it may seem, the
above-displayed illustrations are indeed renderings of a proposed skywalk extending over the south rim of the Grand Canyon, to be built on the
Hualapai Indian Reservation
adjacent to Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park.
The $30 million all-glass Skywalk will hover 3,800 feet above the Colorado River over a rim of the Grand Canyon, allowing tourists to stroll on an
As the Arizona Republic noted, the Skywalk is part of an effort by the Hualapai tribe to create a multi-faceted tourist resort and revenue stream not dependent upon casino gaming:
"They've been able to exploit their natural beauty and become a tourist destination," Esquerra said. "What we've normally seen in the past between the tribes and national Park Service is like the Blackfeet in Montana appealing to get free access to Glacier National Park. But the Hualapais have a new and aggressive attitude to develop markets on their own land." The Hualapai's Grand Canyon Resort Corp. already has completed the first phase of an adjoining Indian village, where Navajo, Hopi, Hualapai and Havasupai craftsmen constructed traditional dwellings surrounding an amphitheater that hosts daily Native American dances. The first phase of a nearby Old West village also has been completed, and plans are on the drawing board to construct a tram from the canyon rim to the floor. Ditto for an anticipated high-end resort and a campground, which will house about
Levi Esquerra, program director for Northern Arizona University's Center for American Indian Economic Development, said the Hualapais are one of the few tribes to have a bustling economy without casino gaming as a linchpin.
The parts for the Skywalk project were fabricated in other locations and brought to the Grand Canyon site as it was readied for their installation, a process depicted in the photographs shown below:
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The transparent pathway was installed in place in
Grand Canyon West has announced
Access to The Skywalk will run from dawn to dusk and will cost $25 per person in addition to the cost of a Grand Canyon West entrance package. One hundred and twenty people will be allowed on the bridge at a time. Admittance is first come, first serve for walk up visitors; however, reservations can be made. Guests will enter and exit the walkway via temporary buildings while the adjacent visitor’s center is being completed. Grand Canyon West plans to issue numbered shoe covers Prior to the public opening in March, Grand Canyon West will host a "First Walk" event for media and VIPs. The name of the first public figure to step on The Skywalk will be announced closer to the opening. The historical rollout of The Skywalk structure, with the glass in place, is scheduled for
Grand Canyon West, a destination owned and operated by the Hualapai Tribe at the Grand Canyon's western rim, announces
Additional information:
 | Destination Grand Canyon West |
Last updated: 20 March 2007
Sources: