The Skywalk
4,000 FEET ABOVE THE GRAND CANYON
In the old days, the most thrilling view you could get of the Grand Canyon came standing at its edge. In 2007, that view got even better with the opening of the Skywalk at Eagle Point. This 10-foot-wide, horseshoe-shaped glass bridge extends 70 feet out over the rim of the Canyon. Look down and you can see right through the glass platform 4,000 feet to the floor of the Canyon below. Profiled by the National Geographic Channel, The Today Show, and CNN, this engineering marvel offers unparalleled views of the one of the world’s Seven Natural Wonders.
4,000 FEET ABOVE THE GRAND CANYON
In the old days, the most thrilling view you could get of the Grand Canyon came standing at its edge. In 2007, that view got even better with the opening of the Skywalk at Eagle Point. This 10-foot-wide, horseshoe-shaped glass bridge extends 70 feet out over the rim of the Canyon. Look down and you can see right through the glass platform 4,000 feet to the floor of the Canyon below. Profiled by the National Geographic Channel, The Today Show, and CNN, this engineering marvel offers unparalleled views of the one of the world’s Seven Natural Wonders.
More Skywalk
Walking over the Grand Canyon, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, on the
Skywalk
was breathtaking, frightening, spectacular, and wondrous.
It was a highlight of our entire trip.
What a way to end our getaway in Las Vegas.
On our way to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon, we stopped at the
Hoover Dam
to walk the
Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge.
Soaring 275 meters above the Colorado River,
the Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge or Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge
compliments one of the foremost engineering wonders of the world – the Hoover Dam.
The 580-meter-long Colorado River crossing is the centerpiece of the $240 million,
four-lane Hoover Dam Bypass Project, which included 5.6 kilometers of new approaches on both sides of the river and six other bridges.
The program manager for the project was the Central Federal Lands Division of the US Federal Highway Administration.
The project design team consisted of HDR, Jacobs and T.Y. Lin International (TYLI). HDR
led the design team of the overall bypass,
while TYLI led the design of the landmark Colorado River span.
https://csengineermag.com/article/the-mike-ocallaghan-pat-tillman-memorial-bridge-at-hoover-dam/
It is the world's highest concrete arch.
With a main span of 323 meters, the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge is the fourth-longest, single-span concrete arch bridge in the world. Each arch rib is made up of 52 cast-in-place sections with construction starting from the canyon walls and a closure pour that locks the two halves together. Approximately 6,880 cubic meters of high strength concrete is cast in the arches. The 440 3-meter-tall concrete segments were each precast off site and erected to form the pier columns. At 88 meters, the tallest of the precast columns are the world’s tallest of this type.
The Black Canyon below the dam is a 275-meter gorge with dramatic rock cliffs, steep canyon walls and a vast geological palette. Working in such a setting required rock cuts exceeding 30 meters in height, accounting for winds up to 113 kilometers per hour and setting concrete at night to avoid desert heat reaching more than 50°C.
https://csengineermag.com/article/the-mike-ocallaghan-pat-tillman-memorial-bridge-at-hoover-dam/
It is also the world's highest concrete arch.
Spectacular views.
On to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon.
The Skywalk
The Skywalk, managed by the Hualapai Tribe and located on tribal lands,
consists of a horseshoe shaped steel frame with glass floor and sides that projects about 70 feet
(21 m) from the canyon rim. The Skywalk is the most famous attraction at
Grand Canyon West.
(21 m) from the canyon rim. The Skywalk is the most famous attraction at
Grand Canyon West.
from
https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/skywalk.htm
http://hualapai-nsn.gov/about-2/
The Hualapai (WALL-uh-pie),
the "People of the Tall Pines,"
have lived in the Southwest for untold generations. Traditionally their homelands stretched from Grand Canyon to the Bill Williams River in west-central Arizona and from the Black Mountains bordering the Colorado River to the San Francisco Peaks. Primarily nomadic hunter-gathers, they also traded with nearby tribes. The Hualapai Reservation of just less than 1,000,000 acres (404.868 ha) was established in 1883.
Today the tribe counts about 2,300 members.
Peach Springs on Highway 66 is the tribal headquarters.
The tribe operates a hotel, restaurant, and gift shop in Peach Springs.
While limited ranching, timber harvest, and guided hunts provide some income,
the tourist industry offers the best opportunity for employment of tribal members.
Grand Canyon West
The Tribe has chosen a site at the far western end of Grand Canyon - about 250 miles (400 km) by road, a five hour drive, from the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park - to offer a variety of visitor services including the Skywalk. Food service is limited, usually as part of a package tour. The map below shows the location of Grand Canyon West.
from https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/skywalk.htm
Doug loves heights, while I am definitely not a fan.
I did manage to muster up the courage to walk on the glass floor
and experience the grandeur and beauty of the West Rim of the Grand Canyon.
There was a railing to hold on to, so that helped me to be able to inch my way
around the horseshoe Skywalk.
When I walked through the door and onto the glass platform,
I was hesitant.
I slowly put one foot forward and gradually put my weight onto the glass.
It seemed stable so, I gradually put one foot in front of the other and
made my way around the platform.
made my way around the platform.
I walked 70 feet past the rim of the canyon.
Yes!
I did stop many times to catch my breath while still holding on with one hand to the rail.
Some of the younger, more adventurous tourists would see me coming and
move out of the way so I could hold on to the rail and still make my way around the
horseshoe platform.
Some of the younger, more adventurous tourists would see me coming and
move out of the way so I could hold on to the rail and still make my way around the
horseshoe platform.
I did make it to the center of the walkway a few times.
The view was breathtaking as you could see to the bottom of the canyon,
4,000 feet.
Doug spotted an orange food tray at the bottom of the canyon.
While I was holding on for dear life,
Doug was trying to get a line dance formed around the horseshoe.
I was nervous about walking on glass almost a mile above the Grand Canyon.
No fear.
Skywalk is Incredibly Strong and Safe
Skywalk is engineered to carry a weight of 71 million pounds. That would be sturdy enough to to hold the weight of 12 fully-loaded 747 commercial jets. It can sustain winds of over 100 miles per hour from eight different directions.
It is designed to withstand an 8.0 magnitude earthquake within 50 miles of the epicenter. There are over a millions pounds of steel that reinforce the entire structure. The bottom tempered glass is several inches thick with five-foot tall glass railings. The cost to engineer, design, and build Skywalk was over $30 Million.
While I was holding on for dear life,
Doug was trying to get a line dance formed around the horseshoe.
I was nervous about walking on glass almost a mile above the Grand Canyon.
No fear.
Skywalk is Incredibly Strong and Safe
Skywalk is engineered to carry a weight of 71 million pounds. That would be sturdy enough to to hold the weight of 12 fully-loaded 747 commercial jets. It can sustain winds of over 100 miles per hour from eight different directions.
It is designed to withstand an 8.0 magnitude earthquake within 50 miles of the epicenter. There are over a millions pounds of steel that reinforce the entire structure. The bottom tempered glass is several inches thick with five-foot tall glass railings. The cost to engineer, design, and build Skywalk was over $30 Million.
http://www.arizona-leisure.com/grand-canyon-skywalk.html
Check out Sky Walk Videos
A glass bridge suspended 4,000 ft above the bottom of the canyon.
We could not take cameras or phones or bags onto the Skywalk.
They said there was too much litter that was dropped over the edge of the
Skywalk.
It was on sacred Indian ground.
It was on sacred Indian ground.
These are the views from the Rim.
This was as close to the edge as I was comfortable to be.
I am not a fan of walking out 6-12 inches from the edge and taking a selfie.
Our tour guide said to keep at least one body length from the edge of the canyon.
Good advice!
Lunch was at the
Guano Cafe.
"The Bat Poo Cafe"
Jutting out into the Grand Canyon,
Guano Point
could be one of the most stunning viewpoints in the whole of the Grand Canyon.
One can walk out to the tip of the point and experience a nearly 360 degree canyon view. This location at Grand Canyon West is also the home of the Hualapai Buffet (a popular package meal choice) where one can eat a sumptuous meal while sitting near the edge of the Grand Canyon.
While at the point one can see a few remnants of a past age.
In 1958 the rights to a nearby bat cave were purchased by U.S. Guano Corp. The company constructed a $3.5 million dollar tramway system to extract the expected 100,000 tons of guano (a valuable ingredient in fertilizer) from the cave below the rim. Unfortunately the original site survey was incorrect and the last of the mere 1,000 tons of guano was extracted by the end of 1959. Shortly after the mine petered out, a US Air Force fighter jet collided with the overhead cable system, permanently disabling it. The remaining towers were left intact as a monument to man's attempt to mine the canyon. As if this history was not enough to keep visitors busy, this point is also home to the Hualapai Market.
This unique shopping area hosts many Hualapai artisans offering both their wares and education on their cultural significance.
taken from:
https://www.papillon.com/grand-canyon-west-rim/west-rim-view-points/guano-point
Our view from the patio where we ate lunch.
Another lunch time view.
Our tour started at 6:00 AM and ended around 6:00 PM.
It was a memorable day with breathtaking views and
a thrilling walk above the Grand Canyon on the Skywalk.
Couldn't have asked for a better day.
What a day!
We looked for a special restaurant to finish our trip to Las Vegas.
We decided on the iconic
Battista's
Hole in the Wall
Italian Restaurant.
With a lot of eclectic items adorning the ceiling and walls.
Whether it be one of the largest collection of miniature liquor bottles in the world,
baskets hanging from the ceiling,
an Alaskan Moose named Moooosolini,
or many of the pictures of entertainers and other notables adorning the walls.
(http://battistaslasvegas.com/)
Gordy.
He is a legend here and
goes from table to table singing and playing for the guests.
He sang O Sole Mio to Doug and I.
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