Arizona’s most spectacular—and controversial—new attraction is Skywalk, an oval-shaped glass bridge suspended 4,000 feet above the Colorado River and extending 70 feet over the Grand Canyon. The cantilevered glass walkway is part of Grand Canyon West, a 1 million-acre destination owned and operated by the Hualapai Nation in northern Arizona.
A three-story visitors center, which will offer a high-end restaurant and several meeting rooms and private dining areas, is scheduled to open adjacent to Skywalk by the end of the year.
According to Allison Raskansky, director of sales and marketing for Grand Canyon West, Skywalk is expected to give a major boost in the number of visitors, including meeting groups, coming to the destination, which, by car, is three hours from Las Vegas, 90 minutes from Kingman and five hours from Phoenix. Several aviation companies offer air service from Scottsdale, Sedona and Flagstaff.
“We can handle small groups on up to several thousand,” she says. “We’re especially good for incentive groups because they usually want something that is not a canned product.”
Along with Skywalk, Grand Canyon West offers Indian Village, a replica of five villages depicting traditional life among the Hualapai and three other Arizona tribes. There is also Hualapai Ranch, which offers lodging for up to 40 guests, and an array of activities, including horseback rides on the Grand Canyon Rim, cowboy cookouts, off-road Hummer tours, helicopter tours that land on the canyon floor, and boat rides between the canyon walls. A wide variety of Hualapai cultural activities can be arranged.
“The Hualapai are very involved with the meeting programs,” Raskansky says. “We can arrange for all sorts of dancers, from children to elders, and for storytellers and artists who can do renderings on rocks for people.”
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Grand Canyon West 702.889.9378
www.destinationgrandcanyon.com
