Do I have your attention? I’ve been working, writing, and re-writing a hook for this post, but in the end, I thought a picture would do the trick even better. Thanksgiving weekend 2016, I visited Grand Canyon West – my first time ever experiencing the Grand Canyon. Even though I live in the American West, and have my whole life, it’s taken me 32 years to make it to the Grand Canyon. Why? Mainly because it’s in the middle of freakin nowhere, Arizona.
I spent this past Thanksgiving holiday in St. George, Utah, with my family and visiting the Grand Canyon was on the docket. Since I would be traveling with my mom, brother, and grandma, just “winging it” wasn’t going to work this time around…we were going to be doing a whole lot of driving no matter which location we picked.
Related: How to Plan a Road Trip in the USA
Based on location and driving time, we decided to head to Grand Canyon West…home of the Grand Canyon Skywalk.
Sounds intriguing. What is it exactly, you ask?
Constructed in 2007, the Grand Canyon Skywalk is a glass-bottomed, horseshoe-shaped bridge that juts out over the precipice of the Grand Canyon. You literally are suspended 4,000 feet in the air over nothing. That’s right. Just glass between you and the canyon floor.
Since Grand Canyon West isn’t part of the Grand Canyon National Park, my grandma’s senior pass didn’t work for us this time. Grand Canyon West is owned by the Hualapai Indian Tribe and they enforce their own entrance fees. After standing in line in a large blow-up tent building, we paid our expensive entrance fees and got our tickets.
Getting to the Skywalk was pretty easy. Grand Canyon West has visitors/busses park a ways away from the actual entrance, and then they bus you in. Maybe too many crazies driving too close to the edge of the Canyon? Crowd control? Who knows why, but I actually loved this. And grandma was in a wheelchair, so we didn’t have to wait for a bus. Sweet.
When we finally made it to the Skywalk, I was super-stoked. I couldn’t believe that it was finally time. We’d seen glimpses of the Grand Canyon from the shuttle bus, but just that: glimpses. I was about to walk above the Canyon.
We cleared the metal detectors (yeah…metal detectors) and opened the door to the Skywalk! Ahhhhh!
Wide-eyed moment: the walkway is not solid glass…just the middle. Picture an Oreo cookie, with the frosting glass and the cookies, concrete. Basically, only the middle of the walkway was glass, but it was enough to not only see the bottom of the Canyon, it also made your heart beat a little faster. And in some visitors’ cases, inhibit them from walking in the middle of the walkway. There were quite a few people hugging the edges.
Even though we weren’t allowed to bring phones onto the Skywalk (hence the metal detectors), there were photographers waiting to take your pictures at strategic locations. We bought one, so I don’t feel bad for making my own digital copy.
After we finished our walk above the Canyon, congratulating ourselves for surviving the glass, my brother and I headed over to Eagle Point, which is a magical viewpoint of the Canyon. Even though there were a ton of people around, I didn’t feel crowded. I felt dwarfed by the majesty that surrounded me.
Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our bucket lists, making sure we see everything, hit all the highlights, that we just forget to simply enjoy the view.
My mom can’t look at this next picture, but I love it. I would have gotten closer, but I was wearing basketball shorts and could feel myself starting to slide…
Visiting Items to Note:
- Grand Canyon West is not part of the Grand Canyon National Park, which means prices are higher, so make sure to plan accordingly and visit their website for up-to-date pricing.
- Cell phones and cameras are not allowed on the Skywalk. They said it’s because people drop their phones/cameras over the side while trying to get “the best angle,” but just imagine how many people would be crowded around trying to get selfies without anyone in it?
- Gas up in Vegas. There’s a few gas stations on the way (I think I saw 2 or 3), but it’s highway robbery at it’s finest. Gas was a good $1 more/gallon than in Vegas.
- Arizona doesn’t observe Daylight Savings Time, and Grand Canyon West stops selling tickets a few hours before closing, so plan accordingly.
Have you ever visited Grand Canyon West? The North or South Rims? What was your experience?
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