jeffmilner.com | Living it up in Lethbridge, AB
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Oct
25
Coming to a Grand Canyon near you—January 2006. Yes it’s true.
Grand Canyon Skywalk
Scheduled to open January 1, 2006
Hualapai Indian Reservation
- Juts out about 70 feet into the canyon, 4000 ft above the Colorado River
- 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 8.0 magnitude earthquake 50 miles away, and withstand winds in excess of 100 mph
- Has a glass bottom and sides…four inches thick
- Will accommodate 120 people comfortably (How comfortable would YOU be?)
(via Snopes)
Update: Here is another image of the Grand Canyon walkway, apparently from M.R.J Architics.
October 26th, 2005 at 10:05 am
You say it’s designed to hold 72 million pounds. I don’t think so. I also will have to see the thing to believe that’s it’s for real.If anything ever looked like a hoax, this does.
October 26th, 2005 at 9:11 pm
I think the Brooklin bridge will only hold 35 million pounds.
October 28th, 2005 at 6:34 pm
From USA Today:
Glass-bottomed walkway planned at Grand Canyon’s South Rim
PHOENIX (AP) — Beginning in January, tourists should be able to glimpse the Grand Canyon’s floor through a glass-bottomed walkway jutting 70 feet from the South Rim.
The horseshoe-shaped skywalk is part of the Hualapai Tribe’s $40 million efforts to turn 1,000 acres of reservation land into tourist operations that someday could include a high-end resort, golf course and campgrounds.
The destination, known as Grand Canyon West, also will feature an Indian village and Western-themed town, which are scheduled to open Sept. 1.
Visitors to the skywalk will pay $25 for a bird’s-eye view of the canyon.
The skywalk could help double the number of visitors to Grand Canyon West to 500,000 a year, said Sheri Yellowhawk, chief executive officer of the Grand Canyon Resort Corp., a tribal-owned company that oversees the project.
“You’re basically looking 4,000 feet down. It’s a whole new way to experience the Grand Canyon,” Yellowhawk said. “We think that that’s what’s really going to make the destination bloom.”
Yellowhawk said the skywalk will accommodate 120 people comfortably although it is designed to hold 72 million pounds.
The walkway has a glass bottom and sides and is supported by steel beams.
Las Vegas-based architect David Jin came up with the idea for the skywalk in 1996 during a trip to the Canyon.
He teamed up with Lochsa Engineering, also from Las Vegas, whose portfolio includes Mandalay Bay Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel.
Jin calls the skywalk “very safe” but said an insurance company has yet to sign on.
The Indian village will feature a self-guided tour through dwellings and tepees.
The Hualapai Tribe is also positioning itself to be able to handle more visitors by improving its airport.
It will use a $2 million grant from the federal government to build a solar energy project to reduce costs at the airport, which now runs on diesel generators.
But to make Grand Canyon West a major tourism site, Yellowhawk said the tribe will need to improve the roads and water and electricity infrastructure.
March 18th, 2006 at 8:37 am
Just curious … at the moment, are horses/mules the only way to get there for now?
March 18th, 2006 at 7:01 pm
I wouldn’t walk on it even if you paid me….LOL…..
April 1st, 2006 at 4:32 pm
We will be at the Canyon in August-September…let you know how much fun the walkway was….should be interesting…My 13 year old can’t wait!!!
April 5th, 2006 at 4:35 pm
My one question-Is it wheelchair compatible?
April 6th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
Shelby, I have no idea.
April 6th, 2006 at 1:16 pm
Marissa, please email me a photo, I’d love to see what it actually looks like.
May 18th, 2006 at 10:39 am
Everyone should know that the walkway is no where near Grand Canyon Village or the South Rim. It is to the far West of the Canyon near Lake Mead.
June 2nd, 2006 at 6:05 am
I am due to visit Las Vegas in September together with my Mum who is 74.
We have visited the Canyon previously and are looking forward to “doing” the walkway. Will let you know how it goes.
August 15th, 2006 at 6:02 am
Just returned from Vegas and the Canyon. The ‘horseshoe’ walkway is there but not in place — they are way behind schedule with construction. I had doubts about it at 1st but seeing it lying there on the ground near the edge of the Canyon made me a believer. I also chatted with some of the folks that work out there and they all are patiently waiting for it to be completed so they can be first to venture out on it. Given the chance, I’d love to be in that initial group as the view will be exqusite.
September 13th, 2006 at 3:14 pm
Do you have any actual construction Pictures of your visit at the construction site?
October 21st, 2006 at 5:16 pm
Came from New Zealand to see this marval of a constuction feat. Looks very good from the pictures drawn up.
I was there 28th July 2006 and was told that it will most probbly never be finished. I await with great interest to see the progress .
I didnt take any pictures which was a pity. I hope someone can post a update
November 22nd, 2006 at 7:24 am
Please provide a map showing how to get to this walkway.
March 22nd, 2007 at 1:38 pm
[...] previously talked about, the Grand Canyon Walkway is not an urban legend, and recently it celebrated its unofficial [...]
March 22nd, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Good Luck with the Walk Way. It must be really thrilling to walk on it. I could not walk on it, since I am really scared of hight. NOT even if you paid me $25.
$25 seems kind of high for a family on vacation.
Once the vistor center is built, It will blend in with the landscape of the canyon. The people who are against it has no life and looks for things to complain about.
Good Luck - BUILD A TRAM TO GO ACROSS THE CANYON NEXT.
That would be the ride of a lifetime.
October 28th, 2007 at 7:59 am
Very expensive in my view. You MUST take Spirit Tour in order to walk on Skywalk. Total package approx. $80 per person. If you want your photo taken on the Skywalk (you cannot take cameras or any personal items on Skywalk) there is an additional charge ($24 I believe) We were there late Sept. 2007. Unfortunately they would not accept our voucher (paid in advance) through AAA and we did not get to do any of it. It may have been a good omen. Again, you cannot get on the Skywalk without paying for the Spirit Tour.