The Grand Canyon Skywalk is a glass bridge that will be cantilevered 20 meters out from the edge of the canyon, 4000 feet above the Colorado River! That's over 2000 feet higher than the current world's tallest building (Taipei 101 - 1671 feet).
I must tell you that it's going to be a thrilling experience. I visited this location in August (welding of floor beams just began) and I must say that it was pretty scary standing by the edge of the canyon because there are no barriers. It's a sheer drop down to the Colorado River. I can just imagine how scary it will be to stand on the Skywalk and looking 4000 feet below to the ground!
The one thing that you won't have to worry about is its strength and durability. The Skywalk will be supported by steel beams anchored 14 meters into the canyon walls. It is also designed to hold 120 people and withstand winds of up to 100 m.p.h! Visitors will have to wear shoe covers to protect the glass floor and prevent themselves from slipping.
The Grand Canyon Skywalk is located at Grand Canyon West on the Hualapai Indian Reservation and is partially owned and operated by the Hualapai tribe. They are predicting tourism to double to 500,000 visitors a year (currently 250,000 a year), upon opening. It is part of a $40 million project that will include a visitor center, restaurant & bar, gift shop, movie theater, museum and meeting facilities.
There are two downfalls to visiting the Skywalk. The first one is that you will have to purchase a ticket as an add on to the variety of tour packages that they have at Grand Canyon West. It will be cost $25 a person to visit the Skywalk plus the tour package that you decide to choose. The second one is if you decide to drive to Grand Canyon West, I highly recommend that you take a high clearance vehicle because there's a 14 mile stretch of unpaved road that's really bumpy. If you decide to take a car as I did, it will take you almost an hour to drive through this stretch because of the very poor grading.
Grand Canyon West is 120 miles southeast of Las Vegas, located on the West Rim of the Grand Canyon.
2 comments:
About five million people visit the Grand Canyon every year, and for good reason. Rafting in the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River gives you sights and thrills that you won't get anywhere else.
grand canyon dory
Check Out More About Grand Canyon Skywalk at the West Rim
Post a Comment