Grand Canyon Skywalk Tours and Activities

Activities on the West Rim and Skywalk are located on the Western Grand Canyon Hualapai Indian Reservation. The trip from Las Vegas, Nevada takes a few hours. This area is referred to as Grand Canyon West.

South Rim is more dramatic and better known than Grand Canyon West, but it is a fantastic destination convenient for guests from Las Vegas. It has an airport, a Canyon view restaurant, and a small lodge of its own.

The West Rim receives flights daily from destinations that include Las Vegas. Besides the Grand Canyon Skywalk, there are hummer tours, pontoon boat rides, whitewater rafting, and replicas of native and cowboy villages. This is an excellent destination to add to a trip for those with limited time or who have seen the North and South Rim.

Skywalk Glass Bridge
 

The Skywalk

There is a Glass Bridge suspended 70 feet over the Grand Canyon rim. It is the Skywalk, which is 4,000 feet above the Grand Canyon, over the Colorado River. It opened in March 2007. The Skywalk allows guests to walk beyond the Rim through a glass walkway. It has views of the Canyon below their feet.

This Skywalk is operated by the Hualapai tribe and is located in tribal land. It consists of an iron horseshoe-shaped frame with a shaped glass floor with sides that extends about 70 feet (21m) from the Canyon rim. The tours also provide different locations of interest and unique canyon views. Tourists may also visit the Skywalk in Grand Canyon West.

Location of the Grand Canyon Skywalk

The Grand Canyon Skywalk location is Grand Canyon West. You can visit by driving or taking a tour departing from Las Vegas. A tour that starts at Grand Canyon West or a package tour from Las Vegas consists of more than visiting the Canyon's well-known Glass Bridge.

There are packages available for those who drive. They include a hummer ride, pontoon boat ride, helicopter flight, and horse rides in addition to walking the Skywalk. Several viewpoints have a hop-on and hop-off shuttle, the Hualapai Ranch having cabins to rent, and a Native American village replica.

Grand Canyon Skywalk is a cantilever made of horseshoe-shaped glass with a glass pathway at Eagle Point in Arizona. Owned and commissioned by the Hualapai Indian tribe, the building was unveiled on March 20, 2007, and was opened to the guests on March 28, 2007.

It is accessed via the Grand Canyon West airport terminal or from Las Vegas by car. In 2015, the site attracted about two million tourists. The elevation in Skywalk is 4770 feet (1.450 m), and the elevation of the river in the base of the Canyon is 1160 feet (350 m). The Skywalk bridge stretches 70 feet from the Rim of Eagle Point. Nothing sends your adrenaline pumping faster than reaching the Canyon floor in two to three inches of glass.

The Skywalks are set on the west side of the Grand Canyon - situated at the bottom of the several scenic views viewed from the Canyon. The Grand Canyon Skywalk offers a unique way to view the Canyon from the top to the bottom of the chasm.

The Grand Canyon Skywalk juts 20 m above one of the most scenic attractions of the United States. The breathtaking view from the West Rim and The Colorado River, however, is undisputedly amazing. Operating hours are not for the weak-hearted. Tours last from seven to 12 hours, but views of the west side of the Grand Canyon are stunning.

Skywalk Design

The Skywalk was initially envisioned by the Las Vegas businessman David Jin when he visited the Grand Canyon in 1996. The cantilever bridge rests on an eight-pillared foundation that supports eight boxes six feet high in diameter and is surrounded by a 32-inch wide wall. These box beams serve as anti-weights for design and are held by 45 feet-wide foundations that can support 14,000 pounds of mass per square inch.

These dampers help distribute the bridge's weight. The Skywalk itself is supported by tuned mass dampers that reduce typical winds and human movement variations. Lochsa Engineering and MRJ Architects designed the suspended bridge.

Skywalk Tourism

The Grand Canyon West region does not belong to the National Park Service like the North and South Rims. The West Rim is maintained and managed by the Indian Hualapai people. To access West Rim views and attractions, you must buy an admission package.

Professional photographers are here waiting if you want a photo of yourself and your family on the Skywalk. A souvenir photo can also be purchased in the gift store back on the Rim. Some packages include meals and add-ons. For more information about the Grand Canyon, check our West Rim Visitor Guide to Skywalks.

The city of Peach Springs is the Hualapai Nation's capital. It is the Grand Canyon Skywalk gateway. A guided tour of Peach Springs Grand Canyon Caverns is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Spend the night in the Cave Room. You sleep 220 feet below ground.

Cave Room - Grand Canyon Skywalk Tours and Activities
 

Skywalk History & Engineering

The Grand Canyon Skywalk was conceived by businessman David Jin in '96 while visiting the Grand Canyon. The structure weighs as much as 12 fully loaded 747s in its system and withstands wind up to 100m/h. It is hoped the Skywalker initiative will help the Hualapai tribal to develop new business plans.

Grand Canyon West offers helicopter tours to the Colorado Valley River, a full-day Grand Canyon whitewater rafting trip, horseback rides o the Canyon Rim, and cowboy cookouts. The new Skywalk officially opened to the public on March 28, 2007, after a private event on March 20, 2007.

How Do I Get to the Grand Canyon Skywalk?

By private plane or rental vehicle, go to Kingman in northwestern Arizona, accessed on Interstate 40 or Highway 93. Visitors will need a trolley transfer or cab from the welcome center. You can make reservations by calling 877-726-WEST or email reservations@grandcanyonresort.com. Packets include Park and Ride Reservations and Skywalk Costs.

Other more advanced packages include horseback rides, river cruises, or sightseeing helicopter tours, among other tours to the Grand Canyon West Resort's famed Skywalk in Dolan Springs, 14 miles from the property.

Is it Safe to Travel?

The Skywalk is very safe. It may be up to 71 Million Sterling. It can withstand wind speeds up to 100 miles an hour and earthquake magnitudes 8.0 within a 50-mile radius. An approximately 6'8 glass fence covers the Skywalk".

The West Rim 

The Grand Canyon West Rim is an excellent option for tourists on a tight schedule. It is the only Grand Canyon region that permits helicopters to land at the bottom close to the Colorado Riverbank. The helicopter lands on a plateau of the Canyon's floor, and guests are free to explore. Convenient shuttle bus service provides free guest transportation to the best viewpoints. They include the Native American Cultural Center, Hualapai Ranch, and the Skywalk Bridge.

Replicas of Native and Cowboy Villages

There is an American Indian Village tour at Eagle Point. Tourists walk through replicas of dwellings from a variety of Indian tribes. Live Native American performances that represent many tribes are featured at the amphitheater throughout the day. The gift and art store features authentic, handmade American Indian crafts and jewelry.

Eagle Point West Rim
 

Guano Point is a rock pyramid point with beautiful views of the Colorado River and Grand Canyon West. The terrain of the Highpoint Hike is slightly rough, but the views make it worth the walk. Remnants of a historic tram stretch 8,800 feet across the Canyon to a mine. Cowboy entertainment is provided at the western-style Hualapai Ranch. The entertainment includes wagon rides, quick draw performances, and roping. There are cabins for overnight guests.

Pontoon Boat Tours and Helicopter Flights

There are helicopter flights from the Grand Canyon West Airport to the Canyon floor. It is an awesome experience to stand on the bottom of the Canyon with sheer cliffs that tower above you. Add a pontoon boat tour that cruises down the Colorado River inside the Canyon to get a perspective of the magnificence and magnitude of the natural wonder.

You can choose a helicopter tour featuring a light picnic and champagne. Thousands of passengers fly to a private landing spot and explore the surrounding nature. You enjoy a scenic, short walk to the bank of the river for a pontoon ride. It is a peaceful cruise that offers the sight on either side of Canyon walls rising. The helicopter takes you back to the surface of the Rim.

Hummer Tours

The signature Grand Canyon Hummer Tour includes stops along with the Grand Canyon National Park areas that are among the most popular. A professional guide provides the history of ancient people who lived in the area, the forces of nature that caused the shape of the Grand Canyon, and the region's history.

From the comfort of the hummer, discover dramatic gorges and rock formations that took over a million years to create. The Grand Canyon is a mile in depth and 12 miles across. Some of the most widely recognized and famous photos of the Grand Canyon are taken in the park. Guests use their cameras to capture a fantastic photo of the mystical Canyon.

It is one of the ideal tours for adventure seekers, groups of all ages, and families. You must have a photo ID issued by the government. Bring selfie sticks, phones, and cameras. Layered clothing is recommended from October to March. Hiking boots or sneakers are recommended for sturdy, flat shoes.

Whitewater Rafting

Whitewater rafting is a thrilling experience in the Grand Canyon. Advantage Grand Canyon connects you with one-day, three-five-days, six-nine days and twelve-eighteen days whitewater rafting tours. Besides the exciting rapids, a hike at Travertine Cavern Falls includes viewing local wildlife and lunch on the banks of the river. Participants learn about the connection of the Hualapai Tribe to the river and the Grand Canyon.

Whitewater Rafting
 

Horseback Rides

A horseback ride is an activity to add to Grand Canyon vacation memories. It is THE 'Old West' adventure offered on a vacation trip to the natural wonder. The location of the Old West Stables is 15 miles from Skywalk and the Grand Canyon West Rim, at the Grand Canyon Western Ranch.

Find the ranch south of Diamond Bar Road at mile marker 6. The horse trails wind along the Mojave Desert's eastern edge, under the Colorado Plateau. Pinyon Pines, Joshua Trees, and other deserts plants decorate the trail. Rides include a stop at a buffalo herd.

Tours and Price of Tickets

Visitors must purchase a Hualapai Legacy Day Pass to visit the Grand Canyon Skywalk or any tour or attraction at the Hualapai Reservation West Rim. Fees are similar to those charged at the Grand Canyon National Park.

The pass provides a Visitation Certificate and access to shuttles to viewpoints that include Eagle Point. The pass costs $49.92. It includes the Hualapai Visitor Certificate, photo ops with members of the Hualapai tribe, and a hop-on, hop-off shuttle bus.

Grand Canyon Skywalk Tickets cost $21.65. You step out on the Glass Bridge that is 4,000 feet above the floor of the Canyon and extends 70 feet from the Rim of the Grand Canyon. You must have a Hualapai Legacy Day Pass to purchase a Skywalk Ticket.

The Hualapai Legacy Gold Ticket costs $82.37. It includes everything that comes with the cheaper day pass and a Skywalk ticket, and a meal at the West Rim Viewpoint.

The Hualapai VIP Tour costs $333.14. It is only for groups of two or more. Along with the Visitor Certificate are a Hualapai Guide. a ten-passenger shuttle bus for a tour of West Rim viewpoints, photo ops with tribal members, American Indian gift options, and a meal. Order tickets online at grandcanyonwest.com or visit this ticket booking page for more information on how you can buy a day pass and how to see Grand Canyon.

In addition to admission, visitors may buy a professional photo of their trip to the Skywalk in the gift shop. You cannot take cell phones on the Skywalk. Other personal property needs to be kept in a locker before entry. You must lock mobile phones in storage before entering the Skywalk. The Skywalk is near the Grand Canyon.