Grand Canyon Skywalk Lets You Walk 4000 Feet Above The Colarado River!
Step out onto the world’s edge with the Grand Canyon West Skywalk, a glass bridge that lets you walk 4,000 feet above the Colorado River. This awe-inspiring feat of engineering offers panoramic views of one of the World’s Seven Natural Wonders. The Skywalk is a horseshoe-shaped structure at Eagle Point in Arizona near the Colorado River. It extends from the West end to the center of the canyon. The skywalk seems to be suspended from mid-air to an onlooker. Let’s dive into the details.
About the Structure of the Grand Canyon Skywalk
Built in 2007, the Grand Canyon West Skywalk is the largest cantilever glass bridge in the world. Entrepreneur David Jin who had involvement with tourism and the Hualapai Nation came up with the idea. He wanted to create an extending platform out over the edge of the Grand Canyon. The idea soon became a reality and turned into a rectangular walkway with the help of the architect Mark Ross Johnson. However, the rectangular walkway was eventually constructed as a U-shaped walkway.
The structure consists of 46 panes of glass, each weighing about 1,800 pounds. Its strength is such that the skywalk can hold the weight of 71 loaded 747 passenger planes stacked on top of one another. The maximum number of people allowed on the skywalk at one time, however, is limited to 120. It is also estimated that it can withstand a level 8 earthquake.
The Grand Canyon Skywalk infrastructure itself weighs a little over 1,000,000 pounds (450,000 kg) without counterweights. At the time of the final assembly, it weighed around 1.6 million pounds.
According to USGS topographic maps, the Skywalk’s elevation is around 4,770 ft (1,450 m) above sea level. The elevation of the Colorado River at the base of the canyon below is 1,160 ft (350 m). It has a vertical drop of around 500 to 800 feet (150 to 240 m) from below the skywalk. Kingman, Arizona, is the nearest city to the Skywalk and has a population of over 10,000.
Visiting the Skywalk
No phones, cameras, keys, or other valuables are allowed on the Skywalk for the safety of the glass, and you will be given lockers to leave your valuables in. Even though you cannot take cameras on the skywalk, professional photographers are on-site to help capture your memories. You will also get booties to cover your shoes with while walking the skywalk. You can purchase prints or digital files afterward.
Grand Canyon Skywalk is located in the Hualapai Indian Reservation, at Eagle Point, New Arizona. It is just a 21/2 hour drive away from Las Vegas. But you cannot directly access the premises via private vehicles. Off-site parking is available and a hop-on shuttle service will carry you to the location.
Thousands of people visit this marvel of human architecture each year. Operators have reported over one million visitors per year several times, first occurring in 2015.
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