Walking In The Sky

Newcastle Herald

Tuesday April 3, 2007

CHRIS WATSON

Imagine standing, not on the edge of the

Grand Canyon but actually above it, gazing

down between your feet to the canyon

floor 1200 metres below.

Brave souls will now be able to experience

that sensation as just three weeks ago

more than one million pounds of steel was

precariously positioned over the canyon's

edge as the Grand Canyon Skywalk, owned

and operated by the 2000-strong Hualapai

Indian tribe, came into being.

The skywalk will be the first-ever cantilevershaped

glass walkway to suspend more than 1200 metres above the canyon's

floor and extend out 21 metres from the canyon rim.

If you find it reassuring, final strength tests established that the structure

could safely hold the weight of 71 fully loaded 747 aircraft and sustain winds

of more than 160 km/h.

Located at Grand Canyon West's Eagle Point, guests will enter and exit the

skywalk via temporary buildings while the adjacent visitor's center is being

completed. Open from dawn to dusk, admission for the skywalk will be

$US25 in addition to a purchased Grand Canyon West entrance package. A

limit of 120 people will be permitted on the bridge at any one time. Grand

Canyon West plans to issue shoe covers to avoid scratches and slipping,

and these will be numbered and given to each visitor as a reminder of their

experience.

The visitor's center that will open later in the year will include a museum,

movie theater, VIP lounge and gift shop as well as private indoor and outdoor

facilities for meetings, special events and weddings. Several restaurants and

bars will be available including The Skywalk Cafe, a high-end restaurant with

outdoor patio and rooftop dining on the edge of the canyon.

Grand Canyon West is located about 190 km east of Las Vegas and its

attractions include an indian village, the Hualapai Market and the Hualapai

Ranch, a western town with horseback and wagon rides, and it is the only

location where visitors can access the river and water recreation activities at

the bottom of the canyon via helicopter tours.