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Has anyone been on the Grand Canyon skywalk yet? |
Travel Info Has anyone been on the Grand Canyon skywalk yet? Travel Tips Yes, I was there this weekend and went out on the Sky Walk. First off, people should be warned that it is NOT the way it appears in the 'artist renditions' on the promotions and offical website. The drawings make it look like the bridge is mostly solid glass and is directly over the Colorado River 4000 feet below. It is not. The Sky Walk is located on the rim of a small side-canyon off the main gorge. The Colorado River is about a half-mile away and only a small portion of it can be seen in the distance through the mouth of the canyon. Even in this small side canyon, it is NOT a straight cliff drop to the bottom. Like most places in the canyon, there are various ledges and slopes below the Sky Walk. If you were to drop a penny of the far end of the Sky Walk it would probably only make it half of the way to the bottom of the side-canyon. An impressive drop of well over a thousand feet, but not as big or dramatic as they make it sound. As for being on the Sky Walk... it is supported by two large metal U-shaped beams with the walkway laid on top like planks across a boardwalk. The metal supports themselves block about half the view through the floor, so you don't get this wide sweeping 'walking on air' view - more like looking through a window or trap-door. And all you see even then, is just a pile of rocks and ledges. Yes, it IS a little weird to look down and see nothing beneath your feet but space, but it is not as dramatic as it sounds. The view looking outward over the railings of the Sky Walk is very pretty and scenic, but not much different than the same view while standing on the rim. Another thing that is misleading in the promotions is the locations. While the Sky Walk is technically in the Grand Canyon, it is a long long way from the section covered by the National Park to the east. The National Park covers the deepest and most dramatic parts of the canyon that you see in books and post cards. The Sky Walk is located on the Hualapai Indian Reservation where the canyon is just about to empty into Lake Mead. The part of the canyon - while still big and impressive - is not as big, complex or interesting as the part covered by the National Park (they put the park where they did for a reason). In fact, the Sky Bridge is so close to Lake Mead, that the river is already starting to run into the Lake and no longer has much of a current. Don't get me wrong... it is an interesting experience, but it is NOT what is portrayed or described on the websites and I do not like the way it is misrepresented. I completely sympathize with the Hualapai trying to leverage their land to improve their conditions - there is a lot of poverty there and being so close to Las Vegas, they can't compete with a casino. But the Sky Walk is misleading, over-priced ($75 per person) and touristy. I honestly hope the Hualapai find some way to develop the attractions on their land in way that benefits both them and visitors - but right now, I can not honestly recommend the Sky Walk to anybody. Source(s): Arizona resident and frequent Grand Canyon visitor. Was at the Sky Walk this weekend. Other Travel Tips I don't even like the way it LOOKS. It's the tackiest, tourist-related thing I've seen at the Grand Canyon yet. How long before someone BASE jumps from it? it's a bit too tacky for me...really takes away from the scenery..plus i would not pay up to $75 for any tourist attraction...from the pictures it does seem to have a very high safety rail along the top...how soon before someone falls off and the revenue this tribe was looking forward to reaping will be spent on lawsuits No, but in my humble opinion, it is a Huge rip off for $74.95! Sure the sight of looking over 4000 feet straight down is, no doubt, fantastic, but anyone who willingingly pays that ridiculous fee is both dumb and Naive!!! :+( Phoenix area resident for 20 years. |
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