If you are planning a trip to the Grand Canyon this summer you could be one of the first to step foot onto a multi-million dollar project that overlooks the natural wonder… and if you are lucky you may escape becoming part of the controversy that’s surrounding its opening.
The Grand Canyon Skywalk is set to open to the public next week, but a few days ago members of the media and a few celebrity guests (including former astronaut Buzz Aldrin) gingerly walked along the glass structure, which sits 4,000-feet above the Canyon’s floor. The new observation deck is shaped like a horseshoe and is made almost entirely of glass.
The Hualapai Indian Tribe (whose reservation is about 90 miles west of Grand Canyon National Park) allowed a Las Vegas developer to build the $30 million Skywalk in hopes of drawing tourists to their side of the canyon.
So much how much will a family of four have to shell out for the privilege of looking down to the canyon floor thousands of feet below? Roughly $100. (It’s $25 plus other fees per person). According to the tribe’s website, up to 120 people at a time will be able experience a vantage point more than twice as high as the world’s tallest buildings.
Get your wallets ready… and your 4-wheel drive vehicles. To get to the Grand Canyon Skywalk you will have to navigate twisty, unpaved roads through rugged terrain. And once you arrive you’ll find that the transparent skywalk is the centerpiece of a budding tourism mecca that includes helicopter tours, river rafting, a cowboy town and a museum of Indian replica homes.
Oh, and the Skywalk’s designers say you don’t have to question the integrity of the structure. Architects say the Skywalk can support the weight of at least 300 people and can withstand wind up to 100 mph. I’m deathly afraid of heights, but found it reassuring (should I ever muster enough courage to visit) that the observation deck has a 3-inch-thick glass bottom and has been equipped with shock absorbers to keep it from bouncing like a diving board as people walk on it. What’s more, crews reportedly drilled steel anchors 46 feet into the limestone rim to hold the deck in place.
As for the controversy surrounding the new addition, critics of the Skywalk raised concerns about disturbing nearby burial sites, and environmentalists have blamed the tribe for transforming the majestic canyon into a tourist trap.
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