Grand Canyon West and the Skywalk

Grand Canyon West is the Hualapai Tribe's tourism enterprise on the western Grand Canyon, on the sovereign Hualapai Reservation, which was established in 1883 and is home to more than 1,600 people. It is not part of Grand Canyon National Park, and national park passes are not accepted.

The best-known feature is the Skywalk at Eagle Point, which the Hualapai call Sa' Nyu Wa. It is a horseshoe-shaped glass walkway, 10 feet wide, that extends 70 feet out beyond the canyon rim. It opened to the public on March 28, 2007, and the operator puts its cost at $30 million. The name of the point refers to a rock formation shaped like an eagle. In Hualapai tradition an eagle saved the people from a flood by carrying them to the west rim and then turned to stone, and the eagle also carries Hualapai spirits to the next world. The tribe asks visitors to treat Sa' Nyu Wa as a sacred site.

Height figures need care. The operator describes the walkway as 4,000 feet above the canyon floor. Wikipedia, citing USGS maps, gives the Skywalk an elevation of 4,770 feet and the river below 1,160 feet, while the drop directly beneath the glass, onto the side canyon, is 500 to 800 feet.

Every visitor needs an All-Access Pass, which covers general admission, the Skywalk, Hualapai guided tours and performances, and the hop-on, hop-off shuttle between the three main points. Private vehicles are not allowed inside: you park and ride the shuttle. Eagle Point also has a self-guided Native American Village with traditional housing. Guano Point has wide views and the remains of a 1957 aerial tramway built to mine a bat-guano cave found in 1930. Hualapai Point has a zipline and the tribe's cabins.

On the Skywalk itself, cameras, purses and backpacks go into free lockers, shoes must be worn under protective covers, and strollers are not allowed. The current FAQ says phones are permitted, at your own risk, though an older tribe page says personal phones cannot be used; check on arrival. Professional photos are sold on site. Outside food and drink, alcohol and firearms are not permitted, and scattering ashes is banned.

Hours run on Arizona time, which matches Las Vegas in summer and is an hour ahead in winter. Arrive early: the operator says Skywalk crowds peak from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.