Over break, my family and I decided, for the last leg of our trip, to drive out to Grand Canyon West and see the new Grand Canyon Skywalk there. We saw the $25 per person fee (plus fees to get on the reservation, which was probably about $10 per car) and thought it was a little high, but figured it would be a fun end to our trip and decided to go anyways.
Update: There has been some confusion about where I got the price $25. Though I linked to Wikipedia here because it is clear and concise, I did not use it as my source for the price. I got $25 from the Opening Press Release:
Access to The Skywalk will run from dawn to dusk and will cost $25 per person in addition to the cost of a Grand Canyon West entrance package.
"Entrance package" and "tour" sound very different to me, so I did not think the tours were the only option. If you notice, nowhere on that site does it say that buying a tour is the only way to see the Skywalk. Moreover, the "Leave the driving to us" offer implied to me that we could have driven there ourselves.
We drove down Thursday morning, which included 15 miles of bumpy dirt roads before coming to a small airport on the edge of the canyon which consisted mostly of temporary buildings.
We walked in to get the tickets and met a very long line of people waiting to do the same. After 10 minutes of waiting, a "Question Answerer" came by and made it clear why it was taking so long: the sales people had to explain the "packages" and pricing to each and every person in the line. This was not because the package was that complex, but because each person in the line thought they were going to be paying $25 per person. In reality, the tribe was charging another $50 on top of the $25 for each person. You read that right, 75 bucks a pop. The "Question Answerer" explained it to us:
"The investor wants to get his, that's the $25. But it's our land, and we don't get any of that $25, so we have to get ours too, you know?"
It seems what happened is that the tribe got trounced in the contract negotiation, and were left to come up with their own source of revenue. Now, to be completely honest, the $75 got you more than just the Skywalk. It got you a bus ride to the Skywalk, then to Guano Point, another nice view which also had a "buffet" meal, and then another bus to a ranch which had a petting zoo. Not that anyone had come to see any of those things, or to eat at a buffet.
The conversations were the same throughout the line. "That's a load of crap, but, we drove this far, might as well just do it." And most people did. So did we.
First they bussed us out to the site. It didn't quite match the pictures I'd seen of it. It was more like a construction site with a huge piece of I-Beam sticking over the edge. Almost nothing was paved, so when the wind came up, it created small dust storms that made it difficult to be outside. We entered the "Visitor's Center" (a temporary building that smelled strongly of wood varnish) to learn that no cameras were allowed out on the actual skywalk. At best, you could walk to the door of the building, a couple hundred feet away, and take a shot from there. Then you'd have to check your camera in with security. They told us it was because "people were dropping their cameras and cracking the glass" and they did not want to be liable "if someone dropped their camera over the edge". I snuck mine out anyways:
Unfortunately, I was shooting from the pocket because of the five security guards on the Skywalk, so I couldn't get any very good shots.
We got back on the bus to get out of the wind and cold and be driven to the Guano Point, which had food. We figured we might as well get as much as possible out of our $75. Unfortunately, when we got there, we noticed that the line to get back on the bus was over an hour long. As windy and cold as it was, we decided against it. We hadn't expected much from the buffet anyways.
The whole experience was quite disappointing. While the views were spectacular, the cost was just far too high, especially because they were not clearly advertised anywhere. $25 might have been worth it, $75 was far too high. Additionally, none of the infrastructure was able to support the number of visitors and all of the buildings in the advertisements are not built yet. We spent most of our time waiting in line, a lot of it out in the cold, even avoiding the one really long line. My suggestion is to wait until they at least have the buildings built and hopefully have realized that most people do not want to pay that much for that little.
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Thanks for the information. We have plans to be out there in June – we’ll pass on this trap.
Yeah I just looked on the website for the skywalk and believe it or not the prices have actually gone up. The admission you are required to pay is 40.95 per person and the fee to get on the skywalk is 29.95 per person. The price is outrageous and I am really amazed that no cameras are allowed at this price. I think I am going to do a round trip bus tour that includes the admission for around 144 per person and includes a meal and a short stop to the Hoover Dam.
Was going to go with the familythanks for the heads upnot going now , will stay at the National ParkThe Indians need to wake up and stop the rip off
I drove out all the way from Vegas and had a spectacular experience, but NOT by going to see the SkyWay. Like the author, I thought it would cost $29, but later found out about the $40 bus ride. As we drove away from the scam without buying the tickets, we noticed a little sign that said lodging/horse rides. Once we drove about 1 mile from the main road, we found the tribe’s mock old town. The town also offered horse rides to the Grand Canyon. The tour guides were two cute, 20-something amateur comedians that really entertained us. The horses were very calm and amenable. The total horse ride to the Grand Canyon took about 10 minutes on the horse. We stayed at the rim of the Canyon for about 5 minutes for pictures. The entire experience took about 40 minutes and was worth the $30 dollars (plus the tip we left). So, despite the attempted scam, we had a great time.
“‘people were dropping their cameras and cracking the glass’ and they did not want to be liable ‘if someone dropped their camera over the edge’”What a load of BS. More likely they want to have a special additional charge for professional photographers. If you can crack their glass by *dropping a camera*, you really shouldn’t walk on it…
Alex, The whole point is about setting expectations. You announce a new and very high tech visitor experience, deliver much less and charge three times what people were told. That’s a recipe for disaster. As for those long lines, how long would they have been if people had known before arriving what they were in for? Having traveled so far, they felt themselves a captive audience. So they put up with it. Once.
And sure nobody wants it for $75. All that people in long lines described above – they have probably been forced into the experience at a gun point.That hour long line was of people that thought they were baited into paying $25 but got switched into $75
Alex seems to have missed the point completely. In retail, this would be called bait and switch. The store advertises a great low price, but when you get there, they are out of the item, which they never had, and try to sell you a more expensive item.The point is how many of the people in the line would have been there in the first place if they knew about the $75 price tag before arriving? If you advertise $25, I expect to pay $25. Very shady.
Makes the $25 per vehicle entrance fee for Grand Canyon National Park look downright cheap doesn’t it?
To clarify any confusion, I just want to point out that when we were researching the Skywalk before visiting it, Wikipedia only listed the $25 per person fee. Since publishing this article, I have updated the Wikipedia entry to include the additional $50, along with a few other clarifications.
I hadn’t read the wikipedia article, but every news article I read about the Skywalk mentioned that the $25 charge was just for the skywalk, and you also had to buy a “package” to visit. I think this is a miscommunication, not true bait-and-switch, but they better clear things up soon or a lot of people are going to be pissed off!
Even it was free, it sounds pretty lame to me. You can take a helicopter ride all around the Grand Canyon for about a hundred bucks – and you can take all the damn pictures you want.
I understand you can park ~10 747′s on that thing and it wouldn’t budge. I don’t think a camera is going to crack anything. They just want to be able to control media, sell it or maintain some mystery.
I was at that site last year, before the skywalk, and felt that it was a ripoff then. Lots of people visit and enjoy it though. And, you have to remember that tourism is pretty much that band’s sole source of income, so I don’t really blame them for fleecing the touristas.
No Cams! They just want to force you to buy the overpriced “official” photos and postcard in some tacky tourist rip-off shack, so that you can have some memoir of the thing.
Their worry about cameras falling and the glass cracking is likely directed to the display screen on most cameras, not the glass walkway.Not that they care about anyone’s camera, of course.
I find museums or exhibits that ban photography irritating, but the idea that someone would try to prevent people from taking pictures of public property is infuriating. It’s not like you can hide behind copyright law.
I was excited about going out to see this but after hearing this story, I won’t be taking my family. It sounds like nothing more than a huge scheme to milk as much money out of people as possible. It would have been a great experience, but I’m not going to pay 75 bucks a person to take my family there.
hey, where did you see the $25? clearly you didn’t go to their website, which my o my might just be the best source for the cost.yea, using wikipedia as a source for finding the cost is a superb idea.
I went to Grand Canyon West while the Skywalk was still in its planning stages. They had some signs about it, but that was it. We were in Las Vegas and my wife and I had been planning to take a day trip to see the canyon. First things first…the west rim of the Grand Canyon is private property. It is owned by the Hualapai tribe. Once you drive the 18 mile or so dirt road to get onto their property, you will need to pay them to go to the two points of interest. One is Guano point and the other is called “Eagle Point” I think. Anyway, the Skywalk is at Eagle Point. They do not allow cars anywhere but the airport lot, so from there you need to take one of their crappy school buses to each of the two points. There is one package for that. I think that is $50 or so. If you want to go on the skywalk that is the additional $25. Anyway, it seemed like a waste at the time when it wasn’t there. Now it just seems too expensive. Anyway, you get some great views from these two points even without the Skywalk. I wouldn’t bother with that part of the trip, but if you are out there and you want to see the canyon, I would recommend just doing the basic package without the skywalk. Also, just avoid the old cowboy town exhibit which is a different package for like $70.
Thanks for helping people avoid the trap.
When this was on the news, they made this pretty clear. The bus tour of the area (which is the only way to get to the viewing spot) had a price while the actual viewing spot had another price. Maybe this information should have been more publicly available to you, but when CNN was covering this, it was clear that it could cost you up to $150 to go see it after all the fees.
“hey, where did you see the $25? clearly you didn’t go to their website, which my o my might just be the best source for the cost.”This is, of course, excluding the idea that the website will obviously be biased. Other than that, great idea!Apparently, a lot of historical sites have been doing things like this. Although I don’t remember the exact details, I remember hearing something about a Yellowstone scam similar to this one.
Thanks for the info!I won’t be going unless I hear a different story from someone else.- SOBStateOfBrain.com
Don’t be so quick to be crass about the reasons cameras aren’t allowed. The top layer of glass is thin, designed to be replaced frequently as the scratches build up. A camera dropped from 4 feet , heavy 35mm like I have, likely could crack it. And the question, “what color is the sky?” is a stupid validation question. Today the sky here is gray, on Mars it is salmon. It’s not always blue.
@modette: I suppose in your culture your poisoned racism and bigotry is considered “edgy” and even “funny”.@Mr. Hicks-Wright: It is unfortunate that you had an awful time and I’m sorry for it; it looks as if you fell victim to a bait-and-switch. It’s also a shame that the tribe got screwed by the developers in that deal (if the “Question Answerer” is to be believed).Do you endorse the views of anonymous commenters such as “modette”?
Thanks for the thorough write up. Nothing comes for free, and the skywalk was built with no charge to the tribe… so now we see the implications
I, too, wonder where you got the $25 cost? The tribe’s website seems pretty clear about to total fees:http://www.destinationgrandcan…
Thanks for sharing this information. I had a feeling this was going to have teething problems, and it looks like it’s best to wait until they sort themselves out.
Im just surprised that if you felt you were being ripped off, you went ahead with it.Id have skipped it, driven down the road a bit, and just treked it to see the canyon for free…how can anyone justify charging to see a big crack in the ground?
The cost of the skywalk has definitely been a source of confusion. I saw one report online that said $75. But then immediately saw another report saying “packages starting at $25″. One was probably on cnn.com and the other on usatoday.com.@modette: Really lame. Grow up.@Random Indian Fellow:The claim the tribe got screwed on the skywalk revenues sounds fishy to me. From what I’ve heard, the deal was that the developer would build the multi-million dollar skywalk (and I think maybe some surrounding stores/attractions) for free with the right to collect the profits on them for some number of years (10 or 20?), after which the tribe would be given full ownership of them. In the meantime, the tribe still profits on packages and peripheral tourism dollars and the skywalk serves as the central attraction for the tribe’s push to create a bigger tourism industry on their side of the canyon. That’s hardly getting screwed, IMHO. Probably the Question Answerer’s line is to make it easier for people to swallow paying the $75, and it’d be hard to say he’s lying since the “we got screwed” part could be considered an “eye of the beholder” thing.
thanks, now i’m not going, was planning to go in May
There are plenty of places I have been meaning to visit. The skywalk pushed the Grand Canyon earlier in my queue. I guess it’ll be a while until I visit.
It was a total waste of money and drive ! although I just paid $25 for the SkyWalk and didnt pay the remaining $50 .. I think its a complete rip-off !
Wow, so many comments!I want to clarify one thing: the reason we thought the price was only $25 was because that was what we had heard and seen in the news. The additional $50 was hidden away. We checked the site to double check and found that, as far as we could tell, if we just wanted to do the Skywalk, it would be $25 plus the “entrance package”, which we reasoned would be on a per car basis. I did look at the [tours page](http://www.destinationgrandcan…, but it did not look at all like what we wanted, since we were only interested in the Skywalk, and so I ignored it. Though, even if I had paid more attention to it, it still does not make it clear that in order to see the Skywalk, I have to buy a tour. In writing this, I am hoping that other people will not suffer the same confusion and end up driving way out of their way to pay three times what they expected to pay.
Besides the view from Guano point, I think my favorite part of the 2.5 hour trip from Las Vegas was tearing up the 20 miles of unpaved roads leading to the Hualapai airport. That, and seeing the face of the rental guy at the lot when I returned the Jeep covered in dirt and mud.We visited Grand Canyon West in July ’04 – this was my hubby’s favorite part too, especially since we got the insurance on the rental Jeep.
I found the views nice and from what I remember, it didn’t cost much more than about $8-10 a person. I was happy to pay that just for a pit stop in the middle of the desert!
Blah.There are so many amazing, free places to visit in the southwest if you’re willing to brave a rough dirt road. Sounds like this one just isn’t worth the trouble.
We just drove out this weekend, and were sadly disappointed to find the cost to actually be $83 (don’t forget tax)! We also felt as if we were being take advantage of, and were sorry to see so many suckers, paying this cost, because “they drove all this way, so we may as well”…we turned around and drove the 45 minutes back, without a penny spent. 40 million, you think they could have splurged another 3 million and paved the freaking road. Total disappointment, save your money, go the National Park, where your money will go back into this amazing wonder of the world…
All involved sound to me (in my opinion) like a bunch of profiteering miscreants. There is now way they spent anywhere near 40mil on that – they are just saying that to try and ease people into spending 10 times what they should with the hopes that people will somehow feel like they are helping to payback the investment. Chumps, My Chumps, My Chumps, My Chumps – my lovely lady Chumps…
If you want to see the Grand Canyon, take the time to drive around to the North Rim. It’s about 1000 feet higher, so the temperature is cooler, there are much less crowds, and very little “buildup”. I would never waste my time on the South Rim. They have a freakin’ McDonald’s there!
The beauty of the North Rim is amazing. We were quite tempted to make the haul to the south rim just for the skywalk and after reading about the BS, am really glad we just skipped it. Do yourselves a favor….see the north rim…bring your camera (DUH!) I can’t believe these people prohibit cameras!!! Crock of S**T! why bother?
You should have left and doubled that $75 in Vegas.
I think for that kind of money they should offer bungee jumps off the edge! Not allowing tourists to use their cameras is outrageous. That’s like asking people not to gamble in Vegas.
“you have to remember, tourism is pretty much that band’s sole source of income”I don’t care. You don’t get to manipulate the market, which is what a tourist trap is, just because you can’t think of a better way of paying the bills. If it doesn’t work PACK IT UP.
The best way to go is a helicopter ride from Vegas to the Grand Canyon. It was one of the best experiences ever. Ain’t cheap, though.http://www.maverickhelicopter….
Those are some cool pictures. Hope it was fun non the less.
I, and everyone else who lives in the Grand Canyon area, have known for years that this was going to be a disgrace. DO NOT GIVE THE HUALAPAI TRIBE ONE CENT OF YOUR MONEY! They talk about “respecting the Earth” until they are blue in the face and then deliberately vandalize one of the planet’s most beautiful locations. Then to add insult to injury, they want you to pay money to look at the blight.Shameful hypocrites.
This information needs to get out to everyone who might consider going there. The bait and switch tactic is truly despicable. Let’s see, 75 bucks for a dusty walk with no camera, 100 bucks for a helicopter ride with camera. No contest for me. I’d go with whirlybird.
wow, thanks for the post! i was planning on heading out there in may too.
I Went for the high end Helicopter ride a couple of year ago for $100 for 45 minutes or so. It was totally awesome, they flew you all over the place and the pilot explained many of the features. They even game me a cable to plug in to the audio jack on my video camera so I could record the pilot and the music being played while videotaping! I was going to check this sky walk out next month after my trip to Sedona. Sounds like a waste of my time and gas now. I will pass now and just head over to the south rim entrance and take a helicopter tour again. Complete comfort in a sealed air conditioned cockpit. I will make my reservations ahead now that I know! I don’t wish the tride any bad, but I don’t like to get ripped off either. Especially by bait and switch! They should advertise the minimum fee of $75 right up front!Happiness to all!LR
$75 and no cameras? Wow. There’s something I’ll skip.Thanks for sharing.
This is an outrage. Indians have always been treated well. They received great beads, countless diseased blankets and loads of broken treaty’s…and now this? I’m in disbelief!
Dude! Thanks for the heads up! I talked about the opening in my Blog here and even planned a road-trip from SF – Wow, I guess I’ll wait!
When I first saw the photo’s on Digg last week, I thought cool!After reading this, I won’t ever be going there.
Guano point? Isn’t Guano bat shit?
@Rob – Yes, it is. Apparently there are a number of bats in the area. Who would have guessed?
Thanks for the heads up. I figured it would be a rip-off. I am a Native American (“Indian”). I’ve lived with this sort of thing all my life. Believe me, all of North America would be a dusty unfinished rip-off if the “white” man hadn’t come along. I thank the Spirits everyday I was born in the great USA.
You are a native American and you believe that all of North America would be a dusty unfinished rip-off if the “white” man hadn’t come along?Bullshit! You are no more a Native American than I am a native of Mars.Stop posing, you racist moron. Regardless of whether a Native American would condone this tourist trap or not, no REAL Native American (who’s ancestors were decimated by the European settlers’ diseases, deceptions, attacks, slavery, manipulations, land thefts like the forced relocations known as the Trail of Tears holocaust) would EVER say that, let alone follow that up with “thank the Spirits every day I was born in the great USA.”Go back to your trailer park, you low-life!
I was thinking about going to see this, but now I have changed my mind. What a rip-off.
I took my family there on April 4th, we found the $75 fee on their website so were expecting it. We thought it was a great experience, but they are not quite ready yet for the demanding consumers that expect perfection. My observations are: Right below the floor is not 4,000 feet, only about 500 to the first ledge, then maybe another 500 to the bottom of the side canyon that it is over. The 4,000 ft height is from the river in the main canyon, which is at least a mile to the West. The really interesting part was the foot long cracks in the glass in one of the side panels. They said it was done during construction and was not a hazard, which did appear to be true. It was not in the floor panels. They said another was on order to replace it. The worst part was the 14.1 mile unpaved road, which was actually a bulldozed path thru the desert. The dust was awful and there were numerous flat tires left along the road, skid plates and other unidentifiable car parts strewn along the way, definately not for the faint of heart or low slung sports cars. Our family likes adventures and this was definitely one. I would recommend it to the adventurous, but go with open expectations and not preconceived perceptions. Give them a few months to work out some kinks and try it this summer.
Wow.. you can get a whole day at Disney for $70 and at the time I thought that was a ripoff (it isn’t).Thanks for the heads up, I doubt I’d ever waste my money there.. When seeing the headlines (I didn’t care that much about it) I was expecting a $10 fee to go on the walk. Growing up in Vegas really messed me up, I expect plenty of cheap entertainment .. I guess you’re all use to people screwing you?
I went the second day it was open, and they weren’t allowing cameras or bottled water, or shoes because some dumbass had already broken one of the glass plates on the first day with his camera. I agree though; the skywalk might be cool in a couple of years when it’s finished and there’s a visitor’s center built up around it(Pictures make it look like it fits in with the surrounding scenery). As is, I’d definitely say it wasn’t worth the money. You’d be better off driving two hours west and waisting your money in Vegas.
I was also taken for a ride and I’m pretty embarrassed. Thanks Area 860!
That’s way to steep. I’d hate to have 3 kids and a wife to take out on that death trap.
If the only difference between the official postcard photos by a “professional” photographer and a quick snapshot with the pocket camera most people take on vacation is that one’s “official”, then the tribe needs a better photographer.
This is a killer idea that has went very bad!!Come back when it is done.Melissas Blogg
I’m going there in 4 weeks – and I’m passing this one. Hope those guys are reading this.
this site is a hit job by the park service and other commercial interest that never wanted the native americans to have their own competitive enterprise.i have been to the eye of london and paid $30 to go in a large carasoul ride that goes around once.to go and hover over the one of the wonders of the world and get lunch, tour and bus ride for $75 seems a like a deal in comparison. finally, shame on you for this hit job on this hard working native american tribe. have we not made them suffer enough to then attack their attempt to get some economic improvement for their tribe?shervindotcom
This thing is a disaster waiting to happen. I give it a year, tops, before it snaps off and plummets down into the canyon, killing anybody dumb enough to be on it at the time.Let’s see.. they haven’t been completely honest about the pricing, do you think maybe they’re exaggerating the “71 fully loaded 747s” weight limit? Either way, then what happens if winds bypass 100mph? (I’ll bet the Question Answerer doesn’t know the answer to that one!) The signs are already showing up.. someone mentioned a big crack that had “been there since construction”. Riiight.This will be one of those situations where we all look back and say, “damn, how did we not see this coming?”
I’m considering doing my Master’s thesis in Environmental Studies on the Grand Canyon Skywalk. This post and its comments highlight many issues and much controversy, even beyond what I had previously encountered on the topic. It would certainly be an interesting issue to explore. Thanks for your perspective.
Regarding the website and the cost.http://www.grandcanyonskywalk….Paragraph 2 reads “$25 plus entrance package” cost unspecified.No judgement just an observation
Grand Theft Canyon I guess
“According to Hualapai officials, the cost of the Skywalk alone will exceed $40 million”what a load of shit, this is something that should cost a few million if that, and cost a visitor maybe $5 or be free. fucking indians are such a rippoff.
Ummmmm…????”The really interesting part was the foot long cracks in the glass in one of the side panels. They said it was done during construction and was not a hazard,” (Thanks Kevin M)”I went the second day it was open, and they weren’t allowing cameras or bottled water, or shoes because some dumbass had already broken one of the glass plates on the first day with his camera.” (Thanks, gage)????
I was there in 2nd and 6th this month.It’s funny how they develop new strategies and rules each day, on Monday it was possible to go to the rim behind, so I guess west of the skywalk, on Friday a security guy was stayin there and some self written signgs tellin no trespass allowed…The food at guano point AND the ranch is somehow disgusting, but yes, that depends on what kind of food you are used too…Another funny aspects, indians have their own ranch and do “cowboy experince” stuff, thinkin of this, what experience could jews offer for touristical attraction?!?just my thoughts
Thanks for helping people avoid the trap. It looks like an eye sore. What’s wrong with viewing the canyon from the edge? Indian tribes have have done an admirable job of overcoming the past, using revenue from Casinos to get health care and education for their people. This is basically a reminder of common sense for consumers – buyer beware. T-Bone
KY ($40), Reach Around ($60), avoiding this place….. PRICELESS!
So, Birgette & Tonto, based on your comments about ‘getting even with the white man’, shouldn’t the tribe offer a discount to other persons of aboriginal heritage? I bet they don’t!
Sounds like a couple of tribes in this area, all concerned about the environment and such until it comes time for them to sell out the land to development… who’s the hypocrites now?
Lame. Imagine going to see one of the great geographical wonders of the world and not being allowed to take photos…
Thanks for the info. I had planned on going in May to see the Grand Canyon. I now will be skipping the platform.
Maybe they should carpet the whole canyon and install some heating systems for the city people…”The view and feeling of hovering were amazing. It really was the closest I’ve ever come to experiencing flight (unaided by plane or hot air balloon of course).”So it was just a boring, everyday experience when you finally got there? I’m sure you spend more than $75 in a couple of trips to Starbucks and a pizza or two.
When I researched this project, I found all the package pricing mentioned. I feel bad that some people read the press release and got bad information, but I would be just as angry at the newpaper or publication that printed that information then… I started researching this project over a year ago and was disappointed when it wasn’t completed when I was out in AZ last summer – but those tour package prices were there then, so it’s wasn’t a newly contrived bait and switch. Some reporter just didn’t get the information right.
“Entrance fee?” That’s like advertising $10 Dodger tickets and charging an extra $49 to enter the stadium. What kind of honest sales approach is that?
Wow, what a scam. Not going to see that. might as well as take a heelow tour for a few bucks more then.
I also went to the Hualapai Ranch in March right before the bridge opened. Perhaps it was because everyone was anticipating the opening of the new bridge and had information posted everywhere or perhaps it is because I am literate and knew exactly what I was getting into, but it was quite clear that I was going to pay $50 per person for the Spirit package (which, as someone misstated, DOES include the cowboy ranch, Eagle Point and Guano Point) and that when the bridge opened, it was going to be an additional cost for admission. Money well spent if you ask me. The tribe can charge whatever they want for you to access the Grand Canyon on their private property, what do people expect? As for the bumpy dirt road, it is quite an experience but I wouldn’t have done it any other way (even though I was driving a Volkswagen Beetle convertible). For someone who is in a hurry, I would suggest a Pink Jeep tour as those suckers paid no regard to bumps, corners or other vehicles on the road. But for me, even knowing that I was going to be driving over miles of unpaved, windy gravel road, it just added to the experience.It’s a shame you missed out on the food at Guano Point. There were about seven items to choose from and all of them were delicious. And there is not a bad seat in the house. All of the picnic tables are near the “point” of Guano Point and the views are amazing. What a great place to sit and eat lunch.To the people citing and consulting Wikipedia for entrance fees and information on the Grand Canyon West: It is not Wikipedia’s job to keep up to date on fees and activities at the Hualapai Ranch. You have no one but yourselves to blame for your misinformation.
is this skyshelf the only place to view the canyon? 277 miles long and the only place to view the thing is this one reservation? ha! yes, you should’ve researched it further than just hearing an ad on tv and packing up the car, but geesh! anyways, I would gladly pay $75 for the closest unaided experience to flight. Although there was this time when I got really hammered and was driving my car over these hilly spots on the road near the elementary school and caught some air. Probably spent at least $100 that morning in booze alone! Anyways. First I thought the whole skywalk idea was an actual bridge across the canyon. I’d pay $75 to do that. Hell yeah. But it turns out I was wrong and musta just been riding a killer high or something.In the end, it seems like a tourist trap. If you got the money, give it a shot. Why not? Just be prepared. Not everything in nature is like the tanning bed, so warm, so cozy.Also, this is an interesting blight on nature created by the people who protect it. Of course, they need an income to buy the goods of the white man because they have lost touch with their own heritage and capabilities of survival on the lands. Now that they are taking advantage of nature, it is only a matter of time before nature comes calling for the bill. Most likely with the collapse of this skywalk structure.Good luck to them. Good luck to you!
In Norway we built one for free, take a look at it:[free skywalk](http://www.gadling.com/2007/03…
Some people here talk about an adventure by going to the skywalk. Going down a dirt road is not an adventure. Do a Ghost town trip and plot yourself through some real scary off road stuff in Mid-NV in a normal SUV. You get great views, crazy roads (or make your own), no crowds, free to go, and for the most part you can go in and take pictures of whatever you want like mines, buildings, caves, and other sights. That is an adventure, going down a dirt road and then walk on a man made walk way is neat. But far from being an adventure.
Ummmm…so you “researched” the price on Wikipedia and it turned out to be wrong, then you decided against the (apparently quite good) meal included in the price and decided it was all a ripoff.Like $75 is sooooo much money for a unique “flying” experience. How long does $75 normally last you in everyday life?
Another thing to skip: the tourist planes that fly over the canyon. Expensive, the view is not really any better and the flight is very rough.
I AGREE!! I had the exact same experience. I would like to add that the Buffett was some of the worst food I’ve had. Even the coffee was cold. And the seats were unclean because noone was looking after the place. In general, I think the buffett area made the place look worse and did not add anything to make the $50 worth it.
At least Sean Harrison signed his comment with his real name, so his friends will know what to call him.
Thanks for this! The mainstream medias slack-jawed bubbling reporting of this tourist ripoff^H^H^H^H^H^H extravaganza *all around the world* failed to mention any of this stuff. I wonder how many media companies simply reprinted the press release?And they wonder why we rely on bloggers?
@Srini – Good to know, I’m glad we decided not to stop. I’m sorry you had to go through that, but at least we can let other people know!
I’ve been to the North Ridge and it was superior to the South. Skip this ripoff. Funny how they seem to expect people to dribble their cameras on the glass (it only takes one!). Let ‘em click away; they paid their dues.
I went on April 2nd and could not believe the road and all the crazy driving going on with the rental cars. I was in my motorhome with my family coming from the South Rim. The dirt road was terrible. I could not turn around with my motor home until I reached a cattle-loading area. I unhooked my Jeep and drove it the remaining way. Even then the washboard road broke two welds on my bike rack. We had seen the news on this site while we were on the south rim and were on our way to Vegas so we decided to give it a try. Once we made it to the airport we found out that the cost was going to be $300 for two adults and 2 children, we decided it was not worth it especially because we just came from the south rim and only paid $25 for a 7 day pass. In my opinion this is a big rip that should be better defined both in pricing and in the road conditions.We will not be going back and have told everyone that will listen about our bad experience. Lessons learned…
I don’t understand how you can blindly go here, with no informed idea of what it’s going to cost or what the road is going to be like, and then bitch about the experience. Perhaps if you had done 30 seconds of research (which is exacly how long it took me to find the correct information) or made a phone call or two, you would have known what to expect.
USA Today, New York Times, LA Times, BBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and CNN all reported in February or March that it was $25, and some of those also mentioned there was an entry fee or fee. None mentioned that the other fees were even higher than the $25 per person to walk on the Skywalk. The official site itself mentions just the $25 plus an “entrance package,” but it doesn’t mention “entrance packages” elsewhere, or what it cost; it just lists “tours” which apparently is what they meant.
@Bill – That is correct, and much of the source of the confusion. It seems that some of the reporters got confused, as many other people did, while others simply quoted from the press release. Either way, the press release was omitted the majority of the costs.
If you go their website at http://www.destinationgrandcanyon.com, you can see the package prices on the full page dedicated to package prices (imagine that!). At the bottom, it states that the bridge add-on to any package priced $50 or higher is $25 . If you call, they will tell you the same thing. What is so confusing about that?
@Kate – Let me try to make this more clear. I heard and saw in the news that the price was $25 per person. I went to their website to verify it. First I Googled around a bit and found $25 on BBC and another news site. Then I found the official site for the Skywalk, which says:> …$25 per person in addition to the cost of a Grand Canyon West entrance package… [[source](http://www.grandcanyonskywalk….]Confirmation! I decided to poke around a little more to see if I could find out what the “cost of an entrance package” was. I found the [Tours page](http://www.destinationgrandcan…, but put it aside because I just wanted to see the Skywalk. I didn’t want a buffet meal (which, it turns out, [was pretty bad](http://www.hicks-wright.net/bl…. I didn’t want to go to a petting zoo. I didn’t want to play cowboy games. I just wanted to see the Skywalk. So I figured the entrance price is negligible; who would omit $50 in additional fees? Nowhere does it say that buying the whole tour is the only way you can get to the Skywalk. It doesn’t even use the words “entrance package” again.As Bill points out, I was not the only one confused by the website. Reporters at many news outlets also reported $25. Obviously, the information that was given out was not clear. To make it worse, their packaging scheme is confusing and the prices are buried in the website. This post is intended to let everyone know that the price is (at least) $75 plus tax, and in my opinion, is not worth it. If you already knew that, fantastic! You must feel like the smartest person in the world. But, as the comments here, on Reddit, and on Digg suggest, many other people did not know, and that is why I wrote this.The biggest point you’re missing is that if the cost of something causes this much controversy, it’s probably because the pricing information is unclear, inconsistent, incomplete, and possibly even deceptive. If they said, right on the front page, “Walk on the Skywalk for $75 and up!” people would have just scoffed, muttered about how expensive it is and not gone. And those that decided to go anyways would have known from the start what the price was. But they didn’t advertise that price clearly, and many people felt deceived by it.
Kate you are clueless at best. I travel all over this great country and stop in to see as many sites as I can fit in on my outings. I am IT manager with a very technical background thus I use the WEB as well as other electronic sources to do get information but I also use books, newspapers and broadcast media. In this case my Verizon wireless card was not able to get a connection on the South rim of the Grand Canyon but my Dish was able to get all sorts of news coverage of the Skywalk grand opening. None of which mentioned the very bad road or pricing over and above the $25 Skywalk fee. That is why we use blogs to inform others of our issues/problems with things like this.
Kate is obviously a representative of the Skywalk (or tribe). Who talks like that? “There were 7 items to choose from and all of them were delicious. And there’s not a bad seat in the house.” Really? She tried all 7 items and sat in every seat?! Wow, that WAS quite an experience! The “VW convertible” was a nice touch, too.. lol.
@modette: “Maybe I am also Indian; did you stop and think about that?”Um, no, I didn’t, and, no, you’re not.I thought the comment was funny, though. Of course, this cracker laughed at Imus’s comment about Rutgers, too. If I had a dime for every time someone of color has leveled one of their racist comments at me, I’d be able to afford the Skywalk. Yes, the whites fucked over the Indians. History is rife with various cultures fucking each other over. If everyone made it their business to collect on past injustices, we could all just charge each other tolls for speaking to one another. People occasionally shit on each other. It happens. God, one of the biggest blights on the times of my life is having to hear everyone fucking bitch about it without end.As far as paying $75 to travel on a dirt road in order to look over a ledge: Hey, if you’re that fuckin’ stupid, then come on over to my place, I’ll charge you only $50 to make me a fuckin’ sandwich.
Tyler, I am not denying that the media was mislead by the tribe, either by miscommunication or on purpose. They are indians after all, do we expect them to be honest? The point I was trying to make was that it took me all of 30 seconds on the internet to note that I was going to pay $50 for the package and $25 for the Skywalk once it opened. There was shit posted all over that place, they must have taken it down once the Skywalk opened so as to cause as much confusion as possible. I was satisfied with the amount of money I paid and would have even paid the additional $25 to go on the Skywalk (and would not have surrendered my camera). But that’s just me. I was there for everything… The view points, the lunch, the “cowboy town” (not worth seeing), the petting zoo (also not worth seeing), the wagon ride, etc. I feel like I got my money’s worth and it was pretty much what I expected, crappy road and all. But I did my research. Had I not, I would have no one to blame but myself.Scott, glad to hear you do a lot of traveling. As a travel agent, I also find myself traveling often. I was not forced to use any of my fancy travel industry-related pull to get inside information on the Grand Canyon West, it was just little ol’ me doing a quick web search and making a two-minute phone call. But now that I know that I have out-smarted an IT dude in his own area of expertise, my ego is inflating as I type this.
deepb, I’m not sure that there were exactly seven items… They had chicken, shredded BBQ beef (or pork?), corn on the cob, baked beans (which were really good), cornbread, coleslaw and peach cobbler. Hmm, I guess that is seven. That was at Bat-Shit Point, I don’t know what they offered at the cowboy town but they told me it wasn’t as much or as good. Anyway, yes, it was good food. Much better than I expected, especially from indians. As for the seats, have you ever been there? Presumably not or you would have known that there are only a few (I would say 10 maximum) picnic tables at Bat-Shit Point and all of them are situated fairly close to the edge, hence the good views. I do appreciate your attempt at making me look like a fool though. Seeing it backfire will be the best part, yes?I am not going to lie – the VW Beetle sucked ass. I had been warned about the crappy road and was advised to rent a pick-up or an SUV but I had my heart set on a convertible so that’s what we got. Due to complete fault of my own, I arrived at the rental place late, they had given away my car and I was stuck with a Beetle. Needless to say, I was less than pleased and the rental ended up being free. But that is neither here nor there. The Beetle sucked on that road (and it also did its fair share of sucking in general) and I would not recommend that anyone go there with anything but a pick-up or SUV.
If I used your research guidelines before visiting any sites I would not have experienced half of what I had seen to date but since you are a self professed travel agent (I am guessing on the reservation) you probably have never had any clients do anything such as exploring without thoroughly researching it or getting your approval first. Had I followed your travel prerequisites I would have missed out on experiencing the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert in AZ and the Coral Pink sand dunes in UT on this trip alone
I agree with Ann Onymous: funniest thread ever! Tyler writes that it was a disappointing experience because the price was higher than he expected and because, well, it was disappointing. Got it. Thanks. Then we have five basic types of comments: (i) those that berate him for complaining about it because he could have found out if he had researched more (as if that changes the fact that it’s apparently not well advertised), (ii) those that berate him for begrudging the sky-high price because they are Indians and Indians have historically suffered at the hands of white people (as if that changes the fact that the high price was apparently poorly advertised), (iii) those that agree and thank him, (iv) those that complain that the Griffin is stolen from Reed College, even though it’s easily a thousand years old and was taken from the coat-of-arms of Reed’s founder and finally (v) curmudgeons like me. Oh, yeah, and we have the Opera idiots.
Josh…So well said, I don’t think anyone could have put it better. You win the best comment award.
Thanks for the heads up.
We went to the West Rim during Spring Break. I wish I would have found this blog before going! Bob said it right! We drove our rent a car out their and it is NOT a 2.5 hour drive from Vegas!!! It was horrible. Once we made it to the 14 miles of winding f%#*ed up rode, we could only drive about 10 MPH (about 1.5 hours -you can do the math), almost 4 hours total from Vegas. There were 2 vehicles that got flat tires on that sorry excuse of a road (due to the sharp rocks in the road). Once we got there we were hit with dust storm created by the excavators. Then we stood in line for 10 minutes behind this guy that was totally pissed off, and the lady just laughed and said “…sorry, no wefund, haha”. After driving that far, I did not want to just go back, but I said SCREW these people! No trespassing signs everywhere and you can’t see shit. We jumped into our car and drove the rest of the night to the SOUTH RIM! We woke up to 20 degrees F, and bought sweat shirts and pants at the dollar store to keep warm. We then drove the final leg into the GC park… Extra night at Best Western… $149.95Sheat shirts and pants… $83Park entrance… $25Freedom to walk to the edge of the Grand Canyon… PRICELESS!!!
I’m leaving for the GC tomorrow (Sunday 4/15) and about 3 weeks ago I looked up the website for the Skywalk. Sorry, but I DID interpret it to be a minimum charge of $75 — $50 for the cheapest “package” and $25 for the Skywalk. It clearly says on the website that you must purchase a package to be able to go on the Skywalk, and the Skywalk is an additional $25 over the package prices. You do have to read EVERYTHING carefully, but it’s there. Well, my friend and I have been trying to decide whether to go (I personally feel it’s too expensive), and it looks like your experience solved our dilemma. Maybe sometime in the future, but not this trip. Thanks.
Thanks for the info, what a pitty, im going to Las Vegas next May and i was gonna take my family there, but hell no, i aint paying 75 dlls for each of us, id rather spend that money in Vegas.
@LR – I was in Sedona last year – it’s beautiful! rent a Jeep for a day or half day and do some of the off-road trails – Broken Arrow trail is AWESOME tho’ a bit scary in some spots (Mushroom Rock and The Stair Steps). there are several overlooks that are just incredible that you won’t be able to see/get to otherwise.it was my first time driving a Jeep and first time off-road and I made it just fine… but those “steps” man oh man…don’t bother with the optional “windshield/glass insurance”: $20… there’s nothing really on any of the trails I drove that would cause one to need it. also opt for the “top down” Jeep – much easier to look up at all the rock formations. they give you a cooler with ice so bring your own drinks. they’ll show you pics of what you’ll see on some of the trails – the pics just don’t do reality justice – you just can’t get the sense of height in the photos.also check out Slide Rock State Park – very neat natural water slides – bring yer swim suit if you can brave the frigid water! seems the locals go there a lot to swim – it’s like their “beach” tho there is no sand only rock. the kids love it!the park itself is free but there is a parking fee – I think it was $6 or $8 per car.also there are hiking trails all over Sedona. the trails themselves are free but you need a “red Rock Parking Pass” to be able leave yur car at the pull offs and parking lots. if I recall correctly the pass is like $12 for a 3 or 4 day pass. leave it on the dash board or you could get a ticket.also if you are interested in indian ruins and/or rock paintings/petroglyphs there are several in and around Sedona. I think we hit all of them; I’m somewhat of a history/culture/archaeology buff…also drive up the mesa to the airport there is a really good view of the whole Sedona valley from there.if you drive a bit south of Sedona there is Montezuma’s Well (free) and nearby,Montezuma’s Castle (I think there was a small fee); an indian cliff dwelling – very impressive but you can’t actually climb up into the dwelling. for that experience, go see Mesa Verde in SW Colorado (near Durango) – been there too; awe inspiring…anyway so much more to do there, too much!… enjoy your trip!
complainingabout unpaved roads?! in the Southwest?! what are you, stupid?!more then half the roads out there are unpaved! get used to it.on related note read a travel article about car rentals in the SW and a loophole they sneak in. apparently some of them have a damage clause that if damage occurs while on unpaved roads it’s not covered… yet to get to most the tourist attractions you have to travel on unpaved roads!!! nice!
PJS, thanks for the tips on Sedona.A lot of people got duped because many of the major news networks reported $25, which they got from the tribe. Since opening, more of them have corrected or updated the info, but there are some that still haven’t, and the pricing on the website is unclear at best. I’m glad you got the correct information about the price.As to the road, it’s one of the worst unpaved roads I’ve ever seen, and I’m from the southwest. [Kevin M.](http://www.hicks-wright.net/bl… said he even saw several people with flat tires because of the road.
Thanks for the review.
I went to the Grand Canyon Skywalk on Sunday April 22nd, and felt compelled to write a review. Let me start by saying I love the Grand Canyon and was willing to pay the high price to see the Skywalk. But because of the high price, I expected more for the money paid. Until some of the following issues are addressed, they should lower the price.1. The 2 roads in (1 40 miles unpaved, the other 21 miles unpaved) are in very bad condition. We almost needed a 4 wheel drive. Had it started raining, (and it almost did) we would have definitely needed 4 wheel drive to negotiate it.2. The outhouses were deplorable. They had never been pumped. “Material” was piled up ABOVE THE RIM of the seat. I can not imagine what it would be like in warm weather. FILTHY.3. The tribe member who gave me my tickets (I had ordered ahead online, and went to will-call) was very rude. She rolled her eyes, and acted as though I was a bother to her. (I encounter this often at tribe-run facilities. I have been told by many, they do not like non-native Americans, which is their right. But if they feel this way, they should get out of the tourist business!!)4. If you did not get your ticket online, the wait was very long; in some cases, over an hour.5. After getting on the bus, and getting to the Skywalk, there was another long line to check in your bags, and ANOTHER long line to get your wristband, and get through the metal scanner.6. On the side of the Skywalk bridge was a huge white banner that said “grandcanyonskywalk.com” with big blue letters. Really ugly. It not only took away from the beauty of the bridge and the canyon, but made it all look that much more commercial.7. Once on the bridge, you could have your picture taken for $14.95 I did, but the quality of the picture was terrible; very dark and blurry. It also took an hour to get that picture… yes ANOTHER long line.8. The Indian Village part of the tour that you paid the $50.00 for was an almost non-existent, newly built hogan, and another small “tepee-like” structure. No one was there to explain anything. Basically, there was nothing there to see.9. For the included lunch at the ranch, you had to ride the bus back to the gift shop, and catch another shuttle. The Ranch itself was a facade in the middle of the desert; very un-authentic, and sort of “hokey”. The “cowboys” referred to themselves as actors. It may be an ok show for very small children. Lunch was OK, but again, another long line.Unless there are some drastic changes made, I believe word of mouth will prevent many people from seeing the Skywalk. It is way too expensive for most families. For a family of 4, it would cost $300.00 (no discounts for children). Add the cost of a picture, and maybe a couple of t-shirts, easily $350.00. When you add to this the dirty bathrooms and the 1-1/2 hour drive on a bad road that tears up your car…. well, there is good reason to complain.
We went the same day as the last poster – Aprill 22. No problems with the lines. At all! Maybe we got lucky. I knew the prices were as steep as the canyon… but felt cheated because the complex is nothing like the images online. Yes, the online image is obviously a painting, but what is advertised as a beautiful pueblo style structure is nothing but an ugly container. The online images have you believe that the “balcony” reaches faaaar across the cliff and is completely made of glass. No so! The Skywalk is but a metal, cantilevered catwalk, stretching about 20 feet over the precipice. And yes, there is a crack in the glass!!What else…Food was good but cold. Ranch, Indian dancer, etc. are all a bit “hokey”. And we did get a flat on the unpaved road, despite driving with extreme caution (it took us an hour to do the 12 miles). On the upside, everybody was very friendly!!HINT: Don’t use the portopotties but the facilities in the airport terminal.
Haha. I want to see a picture of the crack in the glass.
Chris wanted to see the new “thing” at the Grand Canyon , so we went this weekend. It is advertised as $25.00 to go out on the skywalk and the pictures show a beautiful building next to the walkway. Well; they are not quite “HONEST.” It is $25.00 to go on the skywalk, but it is $50.00 to be on the reservation. You find this out after what they say is a 1 hour trip down a 57 mile dirt road. Wrong! this dirt road is 57 mile alright; the fastest you can go is 25 mph; you do the math!!! So, after this long drive you get the good news it is $75.00 a person!! Chris said maybe we should forget it; I said after that road we are not coming back so get out the damn credit card out. Then you get on their bus for a 10 min ride to the “walkway”; built in one of the ugliest place on the whole Grand Canyon; not a tree to be seen and the water is gray below! Their building is not started, so you have a trailer to go into to go through a metal detector and leave your camera and purse in the trailer. The walkway glass was cracked which lead me to believe they may have a few engineering glitches and I got my ass off the thing right away after seeing that! Believe me it is not as big or long as it looks on TV. They do give you a buffet lunch, with your ticket, at “Guano” (means poop) Point. The Indians used to go over the cliff here to pick up bird shit to use for Makeup (war paint). You get to sit in one of the windiest places on earth to eat your chicken or ribs covered with blowing dirt. We passed on the lunch. There are buses leaving every 10-15 min with 52 people on board at $75.00 per person $3,900.00 per bus from 8:00 am until 6:30 pm. That’s $156,000.00 per day! I guess they are making a lot of money. They are flying people in from Vegas and Laughlin to go see this thing! I guess the Indians are smart; but not so honest about all the details of the activity. We had to stop and change a tire for a young girl who took her grandparents out there. They had the right kind of car and good tires; but the road is terrible, they blew out the side wall of the tire. They must have hit the side of the road and a big rock. They did not know where the spare tire was and were completely helpless. The tow truck would have come out there but it would have been 2.5 hours and $400.00! The girl was very scared and grateful we stopped to help. Some guys stopped to ask if this was the right way to the Skywalk. Grandpa yelled out go back it is not worth it!! One last detail, the hotel the Indians run to accommodate this adventure looks great online, but the sign at check in says “SINCE THE TRAINS COME BY EVERY 10 -15 MINS PLEASE ASK FOR THE FREE EAR PLUGS”. We immediately canceled our reservations and made it to Kingman , AZ for the night. We got up at 6am and got the hell out of Arizona!Ahhh…imagining that irresistible “new car” smell?
The contract terms are confidential, but having seen them, I can assure you that the tribe made out very well in the negotiations and will secure their immediate financial futute as well as own the entire complex at the completion of the contract term…Additionally, the tribe did not put up a single nickle of the over $40,000,000 of private money that built the bridge…Come on people, this is not the Wild West and we are not scalping Indians once again…by the way, the main investor is not even a white man, he is asian…lol spin that tale however you want!!!
it only cost 6 to 7 million, for some reason they want everyone to think it’s cost was more.
I was at the Skywalk on April 26th, 2007 and was very dissapointed.1. The trip to the skywalk was much longer and worse than anticipated. It is located almost 40 miles from the main highway, 14 miles of which is unpaved rocky path through the desert. Our rental car agreement specifically stated that driving to the Skywalk was prohibited and would be fined $250 (we did anyway).2. We were led to believe the cost of entrance fee was $25, but we’re never told until we arrived that you must purchase the mandatory $50 tour to access the skywalk making it a minimum of $75.3. You cannot bring your personal cameras (cause they’ll break the glass if you drop them we were told), but don’t worry, they’ll gladly take your picture for an additional $20.4. The site itself looks more like a construction site than a tourist attraction, and the management is atrocious. We were told to park in a ditch along side of the road, were yelled at for walking on the wrong side of a construction fence, but no signage anywhere directed you to the right location and the ticket counters are some PC’s set up on some collapsible tables.5. The Skywalk is not located at the most beautiful part of the Grand Canyon by any means.I suggest you research this carefully before you commit to going, if I had known this before I would not have wasted my time or money.
Unfortunately this is so very typical of tourism these days, and when combined with the price of gas will only prove to turn people away this summer. From what it sounds like the greed here is amazing, and I hope that the word gets out to those who’s money isn’t come by so easily, so that they can pass up this gouge, and spend their dollars on things more worthy.Somehow it just seems that in this country we are literally being “fee’d” to death.
DON”T GO!! My friend and I just went to see the SkyWalk and thought it was a waste of time!! The “forced” package was priced too high, the SkyWalk not too impressive, the food was aweful not too mention how health regulations didn’t seem to matter (half the people were not wearing gloves) and the picnic tables were very dirty – not with just dust but with caked on food. My friend and I had to laugh at the “Cultural experience” – a male dressed in an indian costume that had “Floresent Orange” strips of material hanging off it and he was in Niki shoes and sunglasses. The female dancer was in an indian costume with a baseball hat. Come on – that was their idea of Cultural Entertainment? The “dancing” wasn’t really dancing – unless you think moving around in a circle saying the same thing over and over again is dancing! “HOO HOO HOO HOO HOO!” I’ve seen elementary kids do a better job! I may sound harsh – but really, we felt completely RIPPED OFF and won’t recommend the SkyWalk to anyone! In addition to this, we were not expecting the 15 miles rough dirt road! Not good for the car and inexperienced drivers pretend to off road in their vehicles causing dust clouds and accidents. The local folk told us just last week someone died on the road because of kids driving too fast and losing control. Also, just as a side note- SkyWalk employees will tell you the only hotel is their hotel which costs around 200.00 per person. There are actually two other hotels about 30 minutes futhur down the road for about 60.00 per night in Meadview. But keep in mind the only restaurant in town closes at 8pm. The “shopping” was also a disappointment – all the stuff looked like it came straight from the border! I don’t think any of it was actually handmade by an indian.
We were planning a trip there in June, but after reading this, have decided against it. Perhaps the tribe reads this blog and might possibly change and/or improve conditions. I’m thinking that with all that cash flow, they might do well to invest in capital improvement. Possibly lessen the cost of entry and make it more attractive to the regular family. $300 for a family of four???? I think not. I hope things change because this could be a very nice attraction for the tribe. Or maybe just another casino.
What a total scam to lure folks up there, get them an hour into it when they are totally committed, and only THEN tell them of all the fees! This should be on news shows as a major SCAM!
I was not interested in visiting in the 1st place and I am even less interested in visiting now.
I went out there a couple weeks ago. The road is pretty rough, but I didn’t have that much of a problem with it since I figure if you drive off the highway in Arizona you’re probably going off the beaten path. What I don’t understand is why so many people are complaining they didn’t know about the road or the prices or any of the other stuff before they went. Try doing the research before you go somewhere. Don’t make assumptions. You can’t really blame anyone for your own stupidity if you didn’t get your information from the proper sources–or if you didn’t bother to get any information AT ALL. Do yourselves a favor. Spend less time complaining on blogs and more time taking responsibility for your own actions.
After reading everyone’s information, I am a bit nervous but still intend on going this summer. It may be windy but hopefully not cold as previously mentioned. I have read the information and truly understand the “Spirit Walk” is $50 and the “Skywalk” is $75. I am not going for the food or the petting zoo or the “all you can eat buffet” I hope to see something I never saw before. I will not be in the area for many years so it is an opportunity I may never have again. I will follow up with comments when I return.
Everyone on this thread is an idiot, aside from the author, and the folks that simply posted “good info, thanks”. Yes, I am an idiot too. If you want to post here and say “well I read the site and I understood that it would be $75, and of course the road is bumpy”, then good for you, STFU, go have a great time. The point of this blog is simply to inform those of us who don’t have 10-20 minutes to investigate the scam ourselves. I’m grateful for this blog, and it will positively affect my decision if I ever entertain the idea of going.Enough said?Be smart: either say thanks to the author, or stay quiet; no one wants to hear you bitch.BP
I have lived in the area for 38 years and have many friends that are tribal members. I first saw that part of the canyon when I was 10 years old. With that being said there is a few things the world should know.1 Half of the tribe did not want the skywalk. There are those who are in charge of Grand Canyon Resort Corp that are so busy trying to be bigshots and being on TV news segments that a 8 year old could con them. As long as they think it will put money in there pockets.(THERE POCKETS,, NOT THE TRIBES) David Gin is no 8 year old and he has seen there weak spot and pounced!2 Those in charge of GCW DO count on half of the visitors not knowing the true cost and paying it after they have come that far. That is why they took the sign down that was on the corral. It had the prices on it and when it went up, drive outs( as they call them) went down. 3 months ago somebody took one of there pamphlets and reprinted it with the prices on it. It upset GCW management terribly and they are still trying to find out who did it. Have any of you seen the head of GCR on CNN saying that there is 50 to 70 percent unemployment on the reservation. Why is half the employees at GCW other than tribal members.3 Even though they make good money the whole operation is held together with bailing wire and duct tape. The gift shop sells items that are made all over Asia mostly China. (thanks to Ginns contacts) All the made in stickers are pulled off and trashed, but if you run your fingers on the bottoms of most items you can still feel the glue from the labels. The items for sale at Guano point are for the most part, made by those who sell them.4 Gin is getting the money for the sky walk , GCR corp. gets three quarters of the money to get you to the skywalk. ( the busses are owned by Oriental tours, David Ginns company. )Oriental tours hires and fires the employees at the skywalk, not GCR corp. In 25 years the tribe will own the skywalk but it will be old news and be worn and in need of big money repairs.5 The real kicker for me was when friends, tribal members, Told me that they have to pay to go on the skywalk. Two tribal members tried to go without paying and were told by Ginns security guards to leave, or be arrested.6 Most of the visitors are Asian that come over to this country on junkets, set up by ——————————————- you got it ! oriental tours ! and DAVID GIN.I do feel sorry for the tribe as a whole, being sold out by a few money hungry members that are in it for themselves and are not wise enough to no they are being connedIf anyone has any questions please post them and I will answer them if I can.
Wow. Count me out. I was thinking about swinging by on my trip to Palm Springs but thanks to this blog…no thanks. What a scam. And if there is one thing on this earth I can’t stand it is being made to line up like cattle to the slaughter for everything. I just won’t do it unless it is unavoidable….like banking or checking bags for a flight; but to visit an attraction or get a free piece of cake when the town celebrates it’s birthday? Life is far too short.
A friend of mine and myself drove out on a Goldwing motorcycle on May 14th fromSalt Lake City. In the town of Dolan Springs we found out there was a dirt road out to the Skywalk of about 15 to 20 miles. After more inquiring we found out that the road was very bad for a bike. After finding someone to take us out there (for $80 bucks) we found out the dirt road was all washboard and would have been terrible if not impossible on the GoldWing. Once out there, we found out that the $25 to walk out on the Skywalk had to be purchased with a bus ride ticket for $37.50 (which included a “buffet” that I didn’t want). The bus only took us about 2 miles, but that was the ONLY way anyone was allowed out there. Once there, further disappointment in that no cameras were allowed onto the Skywalk (or cell phones).Yeah, it was a bit of a thrill to stand on the glass and look down, but the feeling was GREATLY DIMINISHED for having been deceived with the cost. I don’t know who is to blame for this, the Indians or the LV promoter who had a lot to do with getting the Skywalk in place. Perhaps this is just Karma coming back around….nevertheless…pretty disappointing. The Skywalk is anchored at just four points….I don’t for a moment believe it can hold all the 747′s they said it could. I’d really like to see some engineering spec’s to verify the claims. The idea is great but the execution is going very wrong. The Indians really wanted to create somethinggreat and from talking to some I think they had good intentions. But, I think they are being taken advantage of. There said there are already 2,500 to 3,500 visitors a day! Had to wait some time to get a bus to get back…in 95+ heat and no shade it was getting pretty uncomfortable, and it’s not even summer yet. When I first heard of the Skywalk I wanted to get out there and help out the Indians, but it looks to me like a rip-off.
The Indians run the Crazy Horse mountain in South Dakota. They charge $20 a car to get in and another fee to ride the bus to get closer. The video they show in the visitor center can be purchased in local towns. Buy the video and do a drive by on the highway. No need to pay to see something you can see well enough from a half mile back. I plan to visit the Grand Canyon this July. With two guys in college I think I’ll skip the $225 to walk on a piece of glass to see what God and nature made and take a mule ride instead. I can take a camera. I haven’t een there in 40 years…North Rim?? or South Rim?? Which is better. Driving 1200 miles one way from San Antonio.
nice buisness they have there(ripping off people).me and my friends were planning to visit the grand canyon especially the skywalk from when it was brought to our attention-who the heck does not let u take pictures of this great area-not only are u suckerd in for the cost but the ride was awful-why would any company want a bad reputation about something so spectacular-i have had other people ask me about it that were going to take the trip i told them *dont waste your money**we were there on may 16 2007 and purchased tickits online before the trip
We are getting ready to head to the Grand Canyon. This was one of the things I wanted to see. Sure glad I read all of this so I can save 150 bucks….
My husband and I went at the end of March. We purchased our tickets online- which avoided the long line. It is clearly stated on the web site the costs. We were not disappointed- except for the very bumpy, dusty drive. Spectacular view- *Note would NOT recommend for children under 12 or anyone suffering from depression.-canyon has no railings around it. We spent about 3 hours there so we felt it was money well spent and the $ 25 to walk out on the skywalk was a great excperience- was not a rip off. How may of you have spent $ 10 or more for a roller coaster ride that lasted maybe 2 minutes. So $25 for 15 minutes(no time limit by the way) is fair.
My Husband and I were brimming with excitement at the thought of walking the skywalk – we decided to treat ourselves for my birthday last month. Our expectations were high, as I’m sure everybody’s are after all the media hype, and afterall, those pictures you see online just look incredible! The drive from LA to Vegas took 5 hours, no problem, the drive from Vegas to the entry point another 3 hours, no problem, the off road drive to the check in point takes a painful hour, no problem….The only problem infact that we found was unfortunately with the skywalk itself. The advertisements are ridiculously misleading, the computer generated images far exceeding the reality of the structure itself. My husband was disappointed that none of the amenities surrounding the skywalk were open, I stand corrected, they were not even built! There is a make shift shack where you line up, emptying your pockets of video cameras, still cameras and everything else that may help capture your once in a lifetime experience, there is no museum, no bars and no cafes as quite clearly alleged to in all the pretty pictures. I didn’t so much mind the lack of stores, afterall nature lay in the canyon and the skywalk was going to deliver a breathtaking experience…. Not! The previously depicted steel futuristic catwalk which I thought might take a good twenty minutes to walk around is nothing but a tiny piddly balcony at best! The views garnered by walking it are just as easily obtained by walking to the edge of the canyon…weeks of anticipation were crushed. I thought one might have the impression of walking on air, but the walkway, although transparent in parts, does not by any means give you that feeling. The walk takes about 30 seconds to complete, of course you can stop and look at the canyon all you want, but you get the same if not better views from other vista points off the bridge. The pricing is misleading, whereas you are told that the walkway costs 25 dollars per person, you might find out too late that infact you are obliged to buy the package (which you can do without) which includes this ticket – for a whopping 75 dollars per person!! For this price the experience is a rip off and leaves you feeling…well..ripped off!! Be warned, once you get off the skywalk, there are no reruns. They will not let you get back on. So if you do go, walk the whole half a minute in your own sweet time and realize that this really will be a once in a lifetime experience, as I doubt you’ll ever want to go back.
Following the advice of several people posting, I went to the tribes website as advised by several posters and am more confused now than before. Not a good idea.
Here’s what I wrote on another messageboard on 26 March:>We are hoping to visit that dopey and controversial Grand Canyon Skywalk in a week or two, and most of the reports just talk about the $25 fee required to use the Skywalk.>>Their website is a little ridiculous and doesn’t provide all that much information.>>Apparently, you need to also purchase a day’s worth of “activities” on tribeland to also be able to purchase the $25 skywalk. The cost for that? $49.99.>>You also either need to call and schedule a shuttle to pick you up, or drive on 14 miles of unpaved road.>>Their information/reservation (hehe) line doesn’t work. It gives an error message.>>Along with the reports of the Skywalk all last week on every news outlet imaginable, they also reported huge numbers of the tribe (Hulapai) are out of work and impoverished.My comments afterwards were:It (the Grand Canyon Skywalk) is on the Hualapai reservation on the west rim of the canyon, which isn’t normally visited by tourists as they had no infrastructure. I’d been to the South rim before, which is the “normal” part that people visit. There, the height of the canyon is some 5500+ feet. At Grand Canyon West, it’s “only” 4000ft or so. And the colors seemed a little more muted. But it’s still spectacular.The Skywalk itself is astonishing. It’s hard to look through the glass without feeling queasy! You have to check your cameras and cell phones before getting on, and there are security guards on it to make sure people don’t use them. Purportedly this is to prevent anyone from dropping something, cracking the upper layer of glass.THAT SAID, holy cow. The overall experience honestly was like visiting a third world country.* There is a 14-mile unpaved road leading to Grand Canyon West that reviewers had described as “bone jarring”. It was unbelievable. It was through Joshua trees, so it was pretty per se. But there was dust EVERYWHERE from cars around you. The majority of drivers were going 10-15mph, and it was truly shockingly awful to drive on. If you could get up to 25-30mph, the jarring road more closely fit the suspension of most cars and was more comfortable. Rocks, dirt, washed away sections that left big uneven sections, and LARGE rocks littered the “road”. About every 2 miles there were people in cars off to the “side” replacing tires. And abandoned cars. It tested the patience, seriously. We are very optimistic travelers and I had to adopt a fake “ridiculously over the top optimistic traveler” stance to counteract the mutiny that was occurring in the car. That sounds funny now but certainly was not in the car. [A pic of the road there](http://lacheyphotos.com/d/1135…* You get there – there is no infrastructure to handle the crowds. The port-o-lets to use the facilities are honestly filthy. Ugh. I won’t even go into details. I’m a boy, the world is my urinal normally, but these were just ridiculously over the top awful.* The ticket process is vague and chaotic. There are maybe 100 people all crammed into an old building that hasn’t been cleaned in years. Outside there are helicopter companies offering tours, but no rhyme or reason as to who is operating what. Inside, the same is true about hike groups. Everyone seems shocked at the pricing structures, most hearing only about the $25 charge to get on the skybridge, and not the required minimum $49.99 “tour” fee add-on. [A family waiting on the side in the ticket building](http://lacheyphotos.com/d/1116…* The busses are operated by people they van in from Vegas (2+ hours away) every day. They don’t know anything about the area… Busses ran randomly and would stop after leaving a pickup area and the driver would offer people still waiting the chance to stand up and ride back. But you didn’t get a map to tell you where you were going. There were five stops, but most just wanted to go to the Skywalk and nothing else. But you were on this journey that seemed unstoppable. OH! And the drivers didn’t really count how many people got on a bus. Once it got too full, they’d tell the people standing to get out. * As part of the $49.99 was lunch. We would’ve skipped it but it was on the most beautiful part of the tour, which really was amazing. Lunch was a chicken leg and some cole slaw. They had corn but ran out. They also had other things but ran out, I think. They gave you SYROFOAM cups but were out of drinks.* The trash cans were overflowing, and no one seemed to be attending them. And they gave you STYROFOAM CUPS (again, for emphasis) that never ever ever biodegrade. And it was windy. And we’re all on the precipice of their precious canyon. Idiots.* There was a cultural “display” of some indians playing lute and banging on drums and jumping through neon colored hula hoops.* The area by the skywalk [was barren](http://lacheyphotos.com/d/1120… – chain link fence, pickup trucks, and more port-o-lets… Ick.As the heat piles on there through the summer, I can envision lots being really bad about this experience..BUT… (on to more positive stuff)Whereas in general I’m in favor of the current administration to claim the Grand Canyon West as US Land, just to improve the infrastructure of the area and save the west part of the Grand Canyon from exploitative ruin by the Hualapai tribe (Trail of Tears 2: Dances With Electric Boogaloo, anyone?), the Skywalk itself was stunning.As mentioned before, you aren’t supposed to take your camera on the walk, purportedly for fear of dropping it on the top layer of glass, causing them to replace it more often. The real reason we fear was that they are selling crappy photos they take themselves for $15 a pop. Nauseating. I remember reading the “how to use the camera strap function of your camera” section in the manual, so was fairly sure it wouldn’t fly out of my hands. The tricky part was getting it by security in the building beforehand, and the four posted security guys on the bridge.It doesn’t really shake at all, and I’m no spring chicken. After maybe 20 minutes of being comfortable on it, I bounced some and it seemed solid. When you first get on it, it was truly odd to look through the glass down to the canyon. Heights and me normally get along fairly well, but it was still crazy.[http://lacheyphotos.com/d/1117...](http://lacheyphotos.com/d/1117…[http://lacheyphotos.com/d/1119...](http://lacheyphotos.com/d/1119…[This one is deciving](http://lacheyphotos.com/d/1122…, as the rock that looks like it’s just under the bridge is actually in the foreground:[Guano Point](http://lacheyphotos.com/d/1127…[From a broken down structure at the tip of Guano Point](http://lacheyphotos.com/d/1129…[Nice Joshua trees lined the bone-jarring drive there](http://lacheyphotos.com/d/1134…And here’s a [video I posted on YouTube of the bone jarring drive](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…. For the last 1/2 of the video I “anchored” the camera on the steering wheel:Enjoy my comments! Don’t be mean to me! I don’t use Opera!
I was a employ there and worked with those stupid indians on there land. If I know had they were I would not have worked there. They are rude and just want the money and do no work. I keep being told that the white man took there jobs from them. They do not like white people at all, they just want your money. I just want to tell everyone who is going there, do not eat at guano point(people getting sick) and do not eat or drink anything with water in it(unless its from a sealed bottle), the water is delivered in rusted water tank trucks. The prices for drinks and gas for your car is very high. I have read everything on this web site and it is all true. You can read this site and still go, but remember we told you so.
After telling a friend about the bad experience we had at Grand Canyon West he informed us of this WebSite. I only wish we would have known about this before we went to waste our money. After getting ripped off, we faced rude bus drivers, uninformed guides, bad food and a general sense of confusion from all of the staff members. I was truly amazed with a man who apparently was supposed to be in charge. I heard an employee saying he was Mr. Bravo and he was in charge. After hearing him deal with other dissatisfied customers it is no wonder why the rest of the employees are so rude. In his defense he may have been having a bad day but he should not be allowed to treat paying customers with such rude behavior. It is easy to see where the rest of the staff gets their attitude. If one of my employees treated customers like that they would have been out the door seconds afterwards. If he is a tribal member and has a tribal name, it would have to be dances with head up ass!
I was never fond of going in the first place. I wanted to stay in Vegas but my older brother and my mom insisted to drive three hours to be hustled by the “Red Man.” First of all the first 14 miles to site of the skywalk was unpaved, it’s a really bumpy ride, I was sleeping til that point. When we got there the whole place smelled like total crap. We were treated like s*** by the cashier who wouldn’t give us a discount because my mom did not have her triple A card, and my brother did not have his Marine ID, I’m guessing his USMC tattoo on his arm wasn’t proof enough. Then we discovered it was $75 per person and not $25 which was posted on their website. We got the busride over to the skywalk and it still smelled like s***! Then we found out we could not have any belongings on the skywalk so we were told to buy a locker for $2 to keep all our stuff in. If they told us at first we could have left it all in the car. Then on the skywalk there was one Indian taking a picture of two gay Asian men holding hands. I was completely afraid of heights and speed walking so I could get off. The Indian camera guy told me to wait and i explained my situation and asked him if I could get by real quck but he ignore me. I walked right through the picture and all three of the people gave me a nasty look. My mom insisted that we go back and get a refund for at least me but I had already noticed the “NO REFUNDS! NO ACCEPTANCE!” sign on the cashier. So then we went to guano point on the bus for an all you-can-eat buffet that guaranteed dysentery. The food looke awful and none of us ate it, we stuck with the hot water they served. I’m guessing the s***** food made it feel like your money was going to something. Finally we got to leave that God forsaken place. If you staying anywhere in the West, especially Las Vegas I would not reccomend going on the skywalk. Trust me it will be a waste of your time and money.
Don’t waste your hard earned dollars while these tribal people sit around all day in tipi’s thinking about new ways to rip off people. I called skywalk the night before and was told the cost was $25.00 per person and I did not need reservations. The food was downright awful and besides..Who wants to eat when the temperature is 116 degrees. They should have put sun block on us and misted us down with water all day while giving us pedicures. I would have felt I got my money’s worth if this was done. I am starting a support group for people organized against tourist traps.
My name is John Carroll and I run my own attorney’s office in central Phoenix. I have not yet been able to make it out to the skywalk but my brother who has just recently visted the skywalk from Philadelphia has told me that him and alot of other people are upset with the skywalk buissness. I am not clear at this time if it is or is not entirely run by a Native American reservation. If not i guarantee that a lawsuit could be filed against the owner for price gouging and/or advertising false information. If so I could help you get a refund from the owners immediately. If anyone would like to contact me please leave another blog.John Carroll Attorney Office, downtown Phoeniz AZ
my wife and i recently went to las vegas for our honeymoon. we had a great time until the last day when we decided to go to the grand canyone west and go on the skywalkmy wife was very disapointed with the way things were run and the lies they had told usas we tried to get a refund we were told that we had to leave immediately. we went on the skywalk and were not allowed to bring any items and and had to buy a locker which they didnt tell us about before we bough the ticket for seventy five dollars. plus when we called them we were told that it was only twenty five dollars per person. they also took us to guano ridge for a nasty buffet which we did not eat. when we saw te buffet we immediately got on the bus back to the main building and demanded a refund. an high official came out and explained to us that we had to leave immediately or the authorities would be informed. on the way out on the long ass unpaved bumpy road i ruined the alignment on my wives car and had to get it fixed when we got back so the trip cost about over 300 dollars including the two fees for us, gas money and about 100 dollars it cost to get the alignment redonei have also just seen Jonh carrolls attorney and i would like to contact you about a possible lawsuit, at least a refund from the skywalk ownersmy honeymoon went amazing until we decided to go to the skywalk, dont ruin your vacation
i like how the cnn video on youtube makes it look like a smooth ride there, but you only have to go less than 15 MPH
The tour guide at Guano point told us there will be many changes in the next two years at the west rim of the canyon. He was talking about the development of hotels and theme parks and possibly a casino in the near future. It seems that everyone is now blinded by greed, including the Indians. Our government needs to stop this and preserve our natural treasures. The skywalk should never have been built. The builder is laughing all the way to the bank and I hate him!
Agreed with all of this. It was total false advertisement. I also wrote a post on this to warn others:http://www.kimbalina.com/2007/…
I am tired of hearing about oppression. Get on with your life and do what I did and demand a full refund. Contact Allison@destinationgrandcanyon.com and ask for a refund. I received mine. Next email the BBBof Nevada and tell them about your fraud. They are quick to respond. Then tell all your friends not to go to the skywalk and tell them to tell their friends. Then contact the travel section of your local newspapers and tell them. The last thing is to call your local news and ask them to do a piece on consumer fraud regarding the skywalk.
my cousins invited me to go “RV ing” across the west this summer starting from our hometown of euygene oregon. we went up and down the west coast and too many other places. a few days ago we arived at the grand canyone and thought it would be fun to go on the skywalk on the west rim. me and my cousin jim wanted to stop there but his wife karren was disagreeing and said she had heard it was a tourist trap. she was correct.first of all we were told the night before by phone that the skywalk would only cost us $25 of our low budget for our long trip. we had everything planned out and though the spending would match exactly what we had brought. we were wrong.because of the skywalk’s jacked prices we were forced to abandon our fairly new but small RV in some phoenix shithole car dealership. we needed the money so we buy plane tickets back to oregon. fortunately we got more than we had payed for but my two cosuins and i are only 19 and we do not have bank accounts or credit cards. were just simple people and we havn’t really ever left oregon.the three of us agree, the skywalk’s lie is what turned out trip into a nightmare. if we had, had just a couple extra bucks we could’ve had money to get back home fine.the skywalk ended up costing over $220 bucks for the three of us instead of the $75 we were told we would need.i would highly disagree going on the skywalk, not the price is jacked up but that the lied to us about it. if they hadnt lied we wouldve been fine.you dont understand the kind of hell we had went throught to get home. you vacation might just get ruined like ours if you go on the skywalk.we should have still been on the road until august 1st, but our trip ended just a few days ago thanks to the rip off we endured from the skywalk
I’ve followed this pretty closely and have received pretty much the same feedback as that found here. The biggest complaints have been about the road (which is now getting paved) and the lack of cameras. Luckily, I was able to visit during the opening ceremonies and cameras were allowed that day. Check out these pictures.
Wow, I spent 1 hour reading this thread and it was well worth it. Saved me over $300. I guess I can consider I ‘made’ $300/hr. since I just avoided wasting that much $ plus wasting a day of my life.Being part “Indian” myself, I’d like to say: stop whinning and get over being conquered. The whole history of mankind is defined upon conquering. Who cares: The White conquered the Sioux who conquered the Blackfoot, blah blah, some darn Neanderthal tribe was conquered by someone else (probably by the Sioux hehe). Sheesh. Funny how people thing that certain borders of this planet are “theirs”. Stop whining, read a book and use your brain to make your own in this world.
I agree with many of the reviews above. I have visited the grand canyons (south rim) several times, and decided to visit Grand Canyon West this time during labor day in sep due to all the recent hype.Here is my feedback -1. We drove to Grand Canyon West, the 14 miles drive is really horrible. We were in a smaller car (not an SUV) and at times we thought the car would break down. We actually had some trouble starting the car later in the day. Definitely don’t drive there in your nice car, rent an SUV if you must.2. We did not find the Hualapai folks friendly toward visitors. The attitude was more like “we want your money, but we do not want to be courteous to you”. Thankfully, they employ enough non-Hualapai tribes people who are friendly enough to answer common visitor questions, and point out directions.3. We just wanted to walk on the Skywalk (we drank the cool aid), but were forced to take other “tour packages”. The skywalk is supposed to be $25, but the package ends up costing you $86 (including taxes). Definitely NOT worth it.4. It seems they are trying to create more like a theme park out of Grand Canyon (like universal studios and disneyland) than actually preserving the natural beauty and sanctity of these lands. They also plan to build a restaurant and may be a casino.5. The food was a disappointment at Guana point as well as at the ranch. And they do NOT have vegetarian options.6. The old village is more of a wild western town and does not really fit in with the Grand Canyon theme.7. If you really want to see the Grand Canyon, go to Grand Canyon South. 8. This is definitely not worth the money ($86). If I had to pay just $25 to walk the skywalk, may be I would not have minded that.9. Most of the fellow travellers on the trip were asians. It seems to me that some tour companies are making them take this option.
I expanded some notes from my trip report to grand canyon west and added them to http://grandcanyonskywalk.blog…
Thanks very much for your helpful comments.
WOW, just read the whole thing. Thanks for the warning – was planning on going in October, will skip this trap. This tribe needs help but not this kind of help.
Grand Canyon West Sky Walk Is A Total Rip off!I went on vacation to Las Vegas. My husband and I rented an SUV and drove the 2.5 hours to take a tour of the Grand Canyon West and the Skywalk.After a teeth-chattering horrible ride for 40 minutes on a dirt trail we got to “Checkpoint Charlie”. Security guards force you to park your car 8 miles from the edge of the Grand Canyon.You can either go back to Vegas, or pay money to go further. The big hype is the glass-floored Sky Walk, and they hit you for $75 per person! That includes a bus ride and food on a paper plate.
1,350.00 worth of losses in vagas makes Mr DeNosh a man who knows how to spend money wisely.
we went in June and experienced the very same thing except that even the view wasnt anything like I expected. The sun shining on the glass hid the view. The glass beneath the feet was smoked and we couldnt see anything. It was a total ripoff
So glad to see that people have responded so negatively. We went thru the exact same thing. Very dissapointed. The natural view aside from the “skywalk” is beautiful. The skywalk and the scam surrounding it ruined even the view.
We went this week. The drive out from Vegas is great… except for the 14 mile dirt approach. One of the staff said that they will be paving the road starting in a couple of weeks so that should improve. There is still a lot of construction in the skywalk area and I foud the excessive security a litle off-putting. They now have a metal detector to prevent anyone taking anything onto the skywalk which I found patently offensive.In short, if you go skip the skywalk and go straight to Guano point. The view is actually much better and you can avoid the $25 fee for the skywalk. It’s still $50 for the tour, but that’s not too terrible for what you get.
As one blogger suggested, I tried getting additional information from the ‘Official’ website. But, it requires visitors to download ‘FLASH’ just to enter the site. We don’t allow ‘FLASH’ at home or at work because it’s such a resource pig…and, it creates irritating, unstoppable, unnecessary animation. We’ll skip the skywalk this vacation.
My parents and I went to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon and took the Skywalk tour. We paid in advance for a package tour that included a self driving trip from Las Vegas to the canyon, a helicopter ride and pontoon boat trip on the Colorado River, plus the Skywalk. This was nice because all of the costs were explained up-front and we knew what we would experience before we got there. The drive was not bad at all. In fact the geology on the 14 mile dirt road was interesting if you knew what to look for! Because we chose to tour the West Rim in November and in the middle of the week, we were there when the crowds were not! There were no lines at any destination and the Skywalk was a nice relaxing tour which was especially nice at 4:45 pm just before the sun went down. I would recommend that tourists do their homework before traveling to the Skywalk. Dont expect to be able to take your camera onto the Skywalk. There are metal detectors and security guards. In November, the weather is cooler (70 degrees when we were there)and the crowds are much smaller. Look into package deals. Remember that this is the desert. Keep hydrated!
I was thinking of going there next year after seeing this I will see the grand canyon but I wont walk the skywalk what a rip off. Kim the sky is blue clouds are grey I can’t believe you can be that stupid.
If you go the tickets went up, You have to pay extra to eat and park if you drive. The skywalk went up in price too. DO not get there late or you will be turned away after driving the bad dirt road all the way there and paying. No refund for parking
PLEASE DO NOT visit west grand canyon. There was no explaination of fees until u are there (3 hours). we drove from las vegas to pass hover dam and paid $20 dollars just for parking the car outside the skywalk. Then u will be paying $30 per person to walk there and extra for bringing camera. We decided to turn around and spend the money on buffet. It is totally insane. On my way out, I saw lot of tourists on the opposite direction on the highway and I really wanted to put up a sign so they wont not waste the gas!…. 0 out of 10 for this travel location.
This site has been very helpful,we were planning to go next month but after having read the comments I’ve changed my mind.It sounds like a nightmare!!! I still want to see the Grand Canyon but will definitely NOT be going to Grand Canyon West. I wonder how long before this tourist attraction goes under??? Or will the Asian tourists (sucked in by the tourist operators) keep it afloat??
A group of us drove from Las Vegas to tour the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. The drive into the Skywalk included a stretch was muddy and bumpy on the dirt section but the paved section was pretty good. Upon arriving we were charged $20.00 to park the car then to tour the Skywalk, Guano point and the ranch cost us an additional $65.00/person. The tour included transport to all three locations. We boarded the first bus that took us to the Skywalk. We were unaware that we would not be able to take our cameras out onto the Skywalk..the explaination we received was because people were throwing them (and garbage) over the skywalk and poluting the environment. Not only could we not take the cameras, we were also charged $1.00 to lock the cameras and other items in a locker (which was mandatory). We locked up our things and then we proceeded through a security system similar to going through airport security. Next the short walk to the Skywalk where you are greeted by two groups (one at the entrance then at the exit) that want to take your picture. The Skywalk itself was not quite as big as expected..and because it had rained, was covered in carpeting to prevent it from being damaged…so we paid $30.00 to look through carpet instead of the glass floor. Very disappointing.Next it was a walk back to wait for a bus to take us to Guano point. This part of the tour was worth it. Lovely views that you could walk around at your leisure to explore. Did not participate in the meal that was offered at an additonal cost and did not see many others who wanted the meal either. We got back on the bus and proceeded back to the starting point to get on another bus that was to take us to the Ranch. After observing the bus driver walk past the bus and go visit with a group of other drivers we waited approximately 20 minutes and then got off the bus. Obviously no one was interested in driving us to the Ranch, and we walked back to the ticket booth. When we got inside we explained what had happened and we wanted our money back for the tour we did not get of the Ranch. The young lady who was helping us said she would refund our money then the manager came in and told us he would not refund it. The cost to visit the Ranch was also $30.00 so they got an extra $150.00 for a tour that never happened. Very dissatisfied with this tour and the service and treatment we received.I would not recommed this tour to anyone. It is the best legal rip off I have ever experienced. Do yourself a favor and take a helicopter tour instead. Not only will you save the driving time, but you also get a better view of the Canyon.
i thihnk the grand canyon catwalk looks scary!! i sure wouldn’t do that.
Totally agree with “M”‘s comments above. We visited this tourist attraction last week and wished someone had warned us about it first. To add insult to injury the security guy wouldn’t allow us to wander around Guano Point – it was almost 5pm and they were closing early – we were told earlier closing should have been 6pm. We didn’t get to the Ranch either – coach drivers seemed friendly but spent most time chatting to each other and keeping us hanging about on the coach. We were lucky enough to drive to South Rim and would advise visitors to forget this West Canyon theme park and head straight for the Grand Canyon Village itself. $25 for a 5 day car permit, terrific views of the Canyon and you’re allowed to take photos – no official photographers at $30 a pop.
You think the Skywalk is bad. You should see their river rafting operation. When I went on a trip last year, one of the guides showed up drunk at the launch ramp. I heard several of the boat operators saying that it happened all the time. Made my family feel comfortable,NOT. On top of that, they were disorganized and left the beach much later than we were promised. We were then rushed down stream to the helecopter pad by the Skywalk, with little said from our guides the whole way. The bus ride back was the worst. In the middle of the desert the bus broke down in over 100 degree tempuratures. The lady driving the bus was great, but we didn’t make it back to the lodge until 8:00pm. Not worth the money or your time.
I’m planning on taking my family next month…. Doesn’t seem like anyone has anything good to say about the west rim. Maybe skipping this part of the N.P. would be worth it huh?
Very dissapointing! Took my girlfriend’s father and sister there and spent a fortune. First off, their website is not very clear nor forthcomming as far as what the fees and rates are. 14 miles of unpaved road is not very comfortable when you are in a regular car, you’re better off in a SUV or 4×4. Spent $20.00 for parking the car, $30 for the bus ride (which was not stated in the website) and $30 for walking on the bridge itself. To add insult to injury, no cameras allowed! The reason for no cameras is because they are afraid that the bridge may be damaged and visitors may drop their cameras into the canyon by accident. Let me get this straight: thid thing can support millions of tons, but a camera will damage it? As far as dropping stuff into the canyon, I saw several paper plates and napkins fly into the canyon from the food court, regardless of trash bins nearby. Hmmmmm….. Guano Canyon wasn’t too bad, although as soon as you get off the bus, you are greeted by the staff hawking their overpriced jewelry and trinkets. In short, don’t bother going! Spend the extra travel time to go to either to the North or South Rim!
What a total rip off !We drove the 20 miles down the dirt track (don,t take your own vehicle…you will wreck it !)…this took an hour…then $20 to park on a pot hole ridden dirt lot…then $30 to enter the site, and yes another $ 30 to go on the skywalk….that was $280 for a family of four before you got anything !!!!!…but we drove down that damn road, and your’re there, so like everyone else you end wincing up paying.The last needle….no cameras on the skywalk…Total BS !!! they just want to screw you some more for postcards and tourist trash…My advice: Don’t go and get ripped off…go to South Rim and see the real thing, and come home with load of cash !
Wow, I am going to Vegas next week and had wanted to check this place out, think I will pass, Thanks for saving me the trouble and the money
BE WARNED: NEVER VISIT THIS ATTRACTION. HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE
Thanks for this info. Family of 4 was going to go until now.
I too was planning a visit here this summer…but after reading here, we won’t be.
The BBB of Nevada and the Skywalk PR people promised me things would change at the skywalk after my complaints and many others. Well,they have changed. The prices have gone up Way more than last year. They did not charge for parking last year and no they are and the price for the skywalk has gone up . We never saw one Indian last year and the village is a joke. The Hulapai tribe is ripping off all the tourists. It is a trap that should be avoided. I have been hearing since last year that the road was going to be pavd and they still have not paved.
Ok look people: presumably you are going on vacation. Creak open your wallet and do something memorable, enjoyable, and fun. It is expensive, but why don’t you plan ahead, buy a package, and then just sit back and enjoy your vacation?My husband and I just went to the West Rim and Skywalk at the beginning of May 2008. I had previously visited the West Rim (pre-major developments) in 2000. Personally, I sort of like the more natural look to the pre-skywalk days, but what can you do? It is most likely
a permanent addition. We did not experience the long lines and delays that were mentioned in some of the posts. We booked the self drive Hummer tour, which included all the Indian tours, the shuttle, helicopter ride, boat ride, and Skywalk. It was extremely enjoyable to drive from Las Vegas ourselves. We enjoyed the Grand Canyon, the Skywalk, and the day in general. Have the professional photographers take your photo on the Skywalk, then maybe buy one if you like it. If not, there are plenty of free photo opportunities at the canyon’s edge. The food is not the best – I would rate it a 5 out of 10. Best value quantity wise is the buffet lunch which is all you can eat. The lunch at Guano Point is not. I highly recommend the Fry Bread (extra) which is just fabulous. Sort of like a Funnel Cake but solid, not crinkly tubes. Great day – do it – save your money – don’t be a cheapskate- how many times in your life are you going to the Grand Canyon????
I looked at some of the previous comments and wanted to add some things…1) Yes, the unpaved road is bumpy (made of natural DIRT and ROCK) but isn’t that part of the whole wild west experience??If you get motion sickness, I would recommend taking Ginger Root or Dramamine before going….Of course, they are supposedly paving the road (at a cost of 20 million) sometime in the next few years. So all you complainers should be happy… but part of the rustic experience will be lost forever. 2) You can drink the water and soft drinks, you can eat the food. It is not going to make you sick. My husband and I ate it, didn’t get sick. What will make you sick is dehydration. Make sure you drink lots of fluids. We were there in May for relatively low temperatures (75 – 80 f) and we are from Florida (so we are used to the heat) but that dry air will just zap your body of moisture. You will get sick from dehydration very easily. 3) Yes it is $20 to park. If you know that going in, plan for it, don’t mull over it, and just have a good time after you pay it. 4) The lockers at the Skywalk were FREE when we went there. Earlier posts were claiming $1 or $2. 5) We had a very nice, sober (not intoxicated like an earlier writer mentioned) tour guide for our pontoon boat ride down the Colorado River. She sang two traditional Indian songs during our ride. I personally went on the boat ride for the experience though… it’s only about a 15 minute boat ride, go for the fact that you can say you have been boating on the Colorado River!6) You are on VACATION! ENJOY!!!!!! Be HAPPY!!!
Ok, last comment…Has anyone considered that the reason that there are metal detectors and you can’t bring stuff onto the Sky walk isn’t just to maintain the glass structure?There are radicals that might do something to intentionally damage the Sky walk because it is man made on the Grand Canyon. At least you can feel safe that there is security there.
Thanks you so much guys!we planned to visit the Sky Walk this coming September (We are arriving from Israel), but after reading your comments we decided we will not spend our money there!It sounds horrible, and the price is ridiculously high!Thanks again! You saved us $300 !
I was just there over the Memorial Weekend, and I must say I was a tad dissappointed in the hidden costs. I read that it was only $33 to go on the sky walk, where it was $20 to park, $29 for the sky walk and another $29 to take the “bus tour”. Eating at the buffet was extra, around $11/pp although it was good food, watch out for the after effect of the ribs….Yipes! I found the best part of the trip was talking with a native Indian Wa-Ka-Liva. Very charming and nice to hear all his stories on his tribe. I too think it was quite costly, but it was still one of my favorite parts of my trip. We actually spent more and went on a 30 minute horse back riding trip, for the low low bargin price of $45, but again, it brought you to the side of the canyon, and I will always remember that spetacular view! Although, if I went with my kids, and I have 4 of them, it would of cost around $400 for the experience of just the skywalk. Which I think would of been way too much! Oh, we did not buy the picture of us on the skywalk either, that was $30 for one, or a package deal for $99…..no thanks, but another nice Indian man took our picture with our camera on the side, he sat us down on a ledge and had Lake Mead in the back ground…..it was priceless! (Until Walgreens in Vegas lost all my grand canyon pictures) I think this trip was worth it, but if I had my family with, I’d be questioning if it would be worth $300 or so to see it all???
I am just adding my voice to the chorus. My family and I took our (probably) final family vacation (my sister and I are 25 and 22) to Las Vegas. Being the site-seeing type of family, we decided to rent a car and spend a day going to Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. We had never travelled out west, so seeing the Grand Canyon was going to be on of our highlights.At Hoover Dam, we recieved a card with information on how to get to the West Rim (Grand Canyon West) and the South rim. Since the west rim was so much closer, it was a no brainer to go to that part. After passing through Doland Springs (where we met a very nice lady at the Double D Mart), we finally hit the “well-marked, pounded, bumpy but not dangerous” dirt road. After traversing this monstrosity of a road, we came upon the paved road that marked entry into Hualapai Land.We saw the signs that said there was to be no stopping on the road, punishable by a tribal fine, and thought it odd, but continued on. After paying $20 dollars (!!!!) to park, we began walking the only way we were seemingly allowed to, AWAY from the direction of the Grand Canyon. We still had not figured out the scam. When we entered the building that everyone was being coralled into, we begun to realize that we had been royally taken in. The cheapest package available is $29.95 a person, which totaled $120 (Before taxes, from the previous comments, I understand there are ridiculous taxes imposed) to see one of the Great Natural Wonders of the world, and then another $120 if we each wanted to walk out on the skywalk.I cannot see how ANY of this is nothing short of plain extortion. Obviously, this scam was created in order to exploit all the tourists from Las Vegas who take the shorter ride with the intention of seeing the Grand Canyon. Obviously, we could have paid the money and saw the Grand Canyon, but as a family, we decided it was not worth it. We left Grand Canyon West after only 15 minutes with nothing more to show for it than a $20 parking pass, a filthy car and poorer opinion of Native Americans (or American Indians).I intend to spread the knowledge of this scam to everyone I know. I will wish it upon no one else to be scammed (to the tune of hundreds of dollars) by the Hualapai tribe in order to see the Grand Canyon.
I say don’t even think about going to the west rim. It is the biggest ripoff I have ever experienced. The tribe shoud be ashamed of itself.
I too wish I had read your blog before I went. I expected some high prices. Also, This part of the Grand Canyon is not nearly as impressive as the national park and cost a lot more. This is the e-mail exchange with the tribe:> That is an interesting response. We did not receive this e-mail until after we left. When we visited the Sky Walk on Saturday, June 7, 2008, we were told there was no way to get there but to take the bus. Also, were told that if we were handicapped we could drive there. Where was the dirt road that you gave as an option and why were we not told about it? We had already driven from Pierce Ferry Road over a dirt road at 25 mph for an hour to reach the Grand Canyon West entrance. Your website says this is the only entrance. >> We are a retired couple who have a modest a income and could have used the $60.00 paid for the bus tickets for gasoline used to drive a 650 mile round trip to patronize your attraction. >> We are Cherokee and Muscogee and were proud to support another tribe who had the intelligence to come up with a way to earn money for their tribe. >> With the cost of the tickets for the bus and the SkyWalk we spent over $130.00 for two of us to visit the SkyWalk. The experience for the SkyWalk and Guano Point was worth the $60.00.> > If it is true that we could have driven to the SkyWalk, we would have saved the $60.00 we were forced to pay for the bus to get there.> > Our total costs for the weekend were:>> Hotel for two nights – $160.00 > Meals – $125.00 > Gasoline – $110.00 > Parking – $20.00 > Bus – $64.10 > SkyWalk – $64.10 > Total – $523.20> > Wow! I cudda had a V-8! Or I could have had 8 to 10 steak dinners!> > Also, your website does not explain the costs well and is very confusing.> > Needless to say the experience leaves a bad taste in our mouths because we feel that either it is not true that there is an option of driving to the SkyWalk or your employees lied to us. We will certainly warn our friends to avoid going to the SkyWalk because of what we consider unfair treatment.> > Another thing is that the parking charge of $20.00 is way over the top. Parking should be included in the cost of the ticket.> > Any way, good luck with your enterprise! Experience is the best teacher! As P.T. Barnum said,”There is a sucker born every minute.”>> Sincerely,> > DeNoal & Catherine Sloan> > —– Original Message —– > > From: reservations > To: ‘dwsloan’ > Sent: Friday, June 06, 2008 1:53 PM > Subject: RE: Questions> > You do not need reservations we do not sell out the park and ride needs to be reserved at least a day in advance and you do not have to take it you will be able to drive over the dirt road yourself 4wheel dr. is not needed. If you would like to make a reservation please call 702-878-9378 > > —- Original Message —-> > From: dwsloan [mailto:dwsloan@bak.rr.com] > Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2008 7:42 PM > To: reservations@destinationgrandcanyon.com > Subject: Questions> > We want to visit the SkyWalk on Saturday, June 7, 2008.> > 1. Do we need to buy tickets ahead of time?> 2. Do we need reservations for the SkyWalk?> 3. How do we get reservations for the Park & Ride?> 4. What is the schedule for the motor coach?> 5. What is the cost for the motor coach?> > Please answer by e-mail or either of the cell phones below.> > dwsloan@bak.rr.com > 661.555.1234 Cell > 661.555.4321 Cell> > Thank you.> > DeNoal Sloan
visited on June 12, 2008. total cost for 4 people, car rental in Las Vegas, gas, pictures, was aprox $500. site was well run, scenery breathtaking- well worth the price
We stopped by the Skybridge while we were on our way back to Los Angeles from the Grand Canyon National Park. The contrast between the the Park and the Skybridge was stagering. At the park there were many lovely views and a many nice people.The Skybridge view was nice but, compared to the Park, not very special. The costs, poor roads,and the hours spent driving, all add up to a poor way to spend part of one’s vacation. Ned
We had a terrible experience at the Skybridge. After a long dive down a dusty dirt road we finally arrived to be told about the way overpriced options. We chose the bus route and got to the first station. The view was breathtaking but we decided against the skywalk due to the unexpected 200.00 (6 ppl) we had to pay for a 4 minute bus ride! After being there about 20 minutes we were ready for the next station. We waited in the 110 degree hot sun for at least 40 minutes and by the time we got back on the bus my 6 year old son was dehydrated and began feel sick on the bus. We did not get off at the 2nd stop because we thought the Ranch would have AC or at least a place to cool down. We were wrong. The buffet was not good and my son continued to get worse. He drank water and laid down now even vomiting the water and no place for him to cool down. If the bus system was faster or more available shade the view might have been worth it. But our experience was so horrible I would not recommend this site to anyone especially traveling with children.
We went there on Jun 23 2008. We were a family of 5 with 2 adults +2 seniors and 1 infant baby.I came to this site atleast 10 times prior to deciding to go there. I was determined to see canyon as this is going to be my only trip to Vegas. Was only confused about the bad road and high cost. Whether to go to south rim or west was another confusion.I finally decided for west because of it is located near Vegas. just 120 miles from vegas and around 90 miles from hover dam,we stopped at hover dam for a quick photo snap. then went ahead to canyon. the drive is almost good but for the last 14 miles.diamond bar road -14 miles is bumpy,but drivable. we rented an nissan altima and it was perfect.you have to drive slow may be 20-25 miles/hour. there is dust but it was a different experience.After the 14 miles, the last 4 miles are good roads which leads to the skywalk.Once you reach the rim, you need to pay the following.car park $20hop on-off bus -$33 includes tax approxskywalk-optional $33 includes tax approxSo it works out $66 per person.I paid $264.The bad part was there was senior discount but the tribe said that they never solicit discounts and senior discount is given only if asked. its a 10% off the price.After i showed the ID they gave the discount. When i suggested them to display senior discounts, they replied that its not their practice to keep visitors well informed. they have decided to milk as much as possible. SKY walk was too good and every one of my family members throughly enjoyed it. we started from vegas around 8.30 and we were back to our hotel by 6PM.Overall it was worth the experience but i too feel its pricy. But i had a feeling that the tribe’s dont earn much money.It is the person’s who created this whole concept is earning big money.I did not see much tribe there except for around 50. wondering where others are.?Going to south rim is 41/2 hours drive. I decided to spend less time on road and save gas and spend that money on skywalk.go early and return early. good luck. I got some vidoes of diamond bar road. will see if i can upload it to youtube and post the link here.
few other things.Go with full tank gas.Take a lot of water bottles or vitamin waterTake umbrella with you or wear hat.SKYWALK does not allow camera’s and phones etc.The locker to keep your personal belongings is free. you have to pay $30 for a snap of skywalk.if you are heading to las angelos on return, take the kingsman route to take Route 40. thats the simplest route to LA
I just came back from the skywalk and it was more fun and exciting than I ever imagined. This article mostly seems to be about how much everything costs… vacations cost money. if you can’t afford to do it or don’t want to spend some enjoyment money, you might as well stay home. This is a very cool experience, and I’d do it again.
The skywalk is a total rip off, yes vacations are expensive but this is ridiculous. I can see why they pander to the Japanese tourists, they even have a food qweue for them, as they obviously don’t mind paying. It wasn’t worth the money at all, 3 times they stop you on the actual skywalk to take photos, and believ me it isn’t long. The food is $12 and disgusting. We waited 40 minutes in full sun, no shade for a bus to take us to the next stop. It’s all about the money!!
This has all been very interesting. I agree that the offical website is not very clear. The value for each person is going to be different. But I don’t believe anyone wants to be surprised by the cost. If you know/understand before hand you can make a decision based on what you as an individual would like.It is also hard to believe that the tribe was taken advanage of. I believe that they have leaders that are a lot smarter than this implies. I’m sure they had their lawyers in there protecting their interest.
I just came back from Las Vegas and live in Vancouver, Canada. I’d like to announce that the West Rim of the Grand Canyon is officially spoiled. The Skywalk is an eyesore and our trip is marred by the memory of being ripped off on the West Rim. The turn-off to the West Rim is 48 miles from the main highway and about half-way we noticed a sign that there would be a $20 parking fee. When we arrived, the fee was collected and we were directed to a parking lot. Next to that was the helicopter pad and a landing strip. Both were busy and noisy with planes and helicopters loaded with tourists taking off.In the parking lot I asked a security guard how we can drive up to the viewpoint. He said “you can’t”. We discovered we HAD to, at minimum, purchase a bus tour ticket. These tickets were $29.95 for what should have been a $5.00 bus ride (although I disagree with the whole bus ride idea). The explanation for that was there was no room for all the cars. This was another lie of the many lies we were told there. Total we were ripped off was $120.00 which is the minimum they could get from a family of three. Skywalk is now down to $29.95 each but I declined to be ripped off further or contribute to the scam. They have also set up ropes far away from the edge so you can’t get a good camera shot of the Eagle rock formation. However, there were 3 extremely obese native Americans who could take your camera to the edge and snap some photos. I didn’t see if there was a fee or if it was tip-based but my wife saw money exchanged.Anyway, it’s all be said here in this forum but spread the word. Arizona residents and lawmakers should be ashamed of themselves for allowing visitors to be preyed upon. We are telling all our Canadian friends to avoid Arizona. Who knows what other rip offs are allowed there. I don’t want to find out.
I’m going to the grand canyon for the first time in a couple of weeks. I’ve been on the internet for 20 minutes, half of which have been on this blog. I know from this and other sites the the south rim is probably prettier and cheaper, but the west rim is closer to Vegas and has the Skywalk, which is all-told about 80 bucks a person. I am now free to make a decision based on the information I’ve gathered with very little work. I have no sympathy for people who go to one of the natural wonders of the world and don’t even bother to spend 5 minutes online trying to ascertain the best way to experience it. Yes, vacations are expensive, so I want to be prepared, I want to know what I’m getting into. Maybe I’ll go the skywalk and complain about the dirt road and the busing situation, but I promise that you will not here me whining about the cost because I took the time to look it up ahead of time.
Dan should donate his money to the upkeep of the “real” Grand Canyon. Folks, read this blog & also read all the comments on tripadvisor.com Best way to teach these money hungry people is to not go to this place
I too visited the Skywalk and as much as I agree with all the other comments that the views were fantastic, I could not enjoy the experience without the feeling that I had just been seriously ripped off. The prices were exhorbitant and unjustified, I would not recommend this attraction to friends or family and its sole purpose seems to be to extract as much cash out of the unsuspecting visitor as it possibly can. visitor beware !!
Our family visited the Skywalk in early July of this year and I could not agree more with some of the other comments already posted. I could not enjoy my stay, because I just had gotten ripped off. $20 for parking in a dirt parking lot and admission prices are through the roof. We arrived in the late afternoon, and all of the other attractions (indian dancers …) were leaving. People made it sound the buffet dinner was free …. well we were going to be charged $12 per person for mac and cheese …. I really could not enjoy the beauty of the Grand Canyon, having to hold on to my wallet the ENTIRE time.Unfortunately, I think once again the Indians got the bad end of the stick. Investors sold them out, now they’re stuck re-paying loans and dealing with an unhappy crowd and I think a decreasing number of visitors, because of all the bad review.
Thanks very much for everyones’ comments. Really helps to prepare for a trip like this – definitely will go to the south rim and avoid this tourist trap.
What a crock this is, the grand Canyon was there a long time before them pesky indians. I’d give them some beads & kick them oin their way.
You waitum! You come here and we will scalp you mr Brown!Your only hope of getting out alive with your hair is to leave your hair at home!Beads – HA! we want shiny coins now, they make better necklaces.
We do special rates for um physics white man, we give good service for ten dollar!You come and we show you how good it is to feel dangling from skywalk, we have boxes at bottom to catch any change falling from pockets.You bringum plenty dollar – or we wampum back to Yorkshire!
I’m going to visit the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas next week. There are so many tour groups with so many prices. Can anyone recommend a reliable tour group (bus) with good prices? There is so much on the internet and the prices vary widely. Thanks for the info, I’ll skip the Skywalk this trip.
I read most of the posts but no one warned about FLASH FLOODS. I was suckered in. Drove on the horrible road, payed too much. It would have been disappointing at that point but not a disaster. Then it started to rain. Traffic stopped on the dirt road. Hundreds of cars were stopped for three hours while we waited for heavy equipment to clear the road. The tribal police were very nice. The dirt road was not created in a way to handle rain. The road actually becomes a river in the rain. My girls thought it was an adventure. I thought it was a ripoff.
A COMPLETE WASTE OF MONEY. A tourist trap that is poorly run and insults anyone with a modicum of intelligence. If your intent is to walk the Skywalk and enjoy spectacular views and perhaps ask questions in regards to this magnificent natural wonder you will truly be disappointed. The only thing you are able to do is stop every 10 feet and pose for their “professional” photographers. As I was looking out over the railing I was told to move, because I was in the way of one of the photographers. There were no less than 3 photographers stationed along the platform and in order to have your picture taken you are turned away from the scenery ~~the reason we paid the $30.00!!!I made an inquiry about the canyon and asked for some facts pertaining to the area I was given a look of absolute confusion and was told “I don’t know about that stuff…you’ll have to ask someone else!!” Well as it turned out no one on the Skywalk has any knowledge of the Grand Canyon. Also, there is a small enclosed area where there were Native Americans in full native dress, dancing and singing. This was actually lovely! Many people were taking pictures and I asked if they would mind posing with my friend and I, the two dancers say they would be happy to stand with us……and after another tourist snapped our photo the man turned to me and said “We accept tips for having our pictures taken” I was absolutey dumbfounded…I turned to him and said “I was in the photo too, so maybe he should be paying me!!! The Hualpai Indians are laughing all the way to the bank!!!!!
Just got back from the West rim skywalk mugging site. One side of me says the Indian nation is owed something from “White” America but what I experienced was a shakedown of the greatest order:Driving over worst road ever and parking in the sun: $205-minute bus ride to 2 lookout points: $30 ppSkywalk: $30 ppOptional Hualapai ranch tour: $70 ppBTW, my theory on the 13 miles of unpaved, tire-busting road into the place – it makes people say, “We’ve come this far let’s just pay this money”.
Just went out there and it was a huge rip-off. The bridge was interesting but for the money not worth it. The view from Buano was better than on the bridge. If you were planning on driving out from Vegas, stop at Hoover Dam do the tour and then turn back!!
Custer got scalped and so did we. this excursion is a total rip off. especially the 14 mile ride on the moon to get there to find out it will cost about $90.00 per person and the $20.00 parking fee. DONT WAIST YOUR TIME.
Add me to the list of people who visited the skywalk.I must have gone to a different skywalk though, because my experience wasn’t nearly as bad as the others on here apparently was.The road was easy to drive. It wasn’t an asphalt road but it was maintained. In fact I saw them grading the road as we drove in. Aside from the dust kicked up by people driving too fast i thought the road was actually enjoyable. It takes you through a beautiful Joshua tree forest. Personally i’d rather them preserve that then tear it up to build a road but I can see now that they have no choice. People need their comfort or they will complain.Other than that, we decided to get the pricing online and I’m glad we did. I can’t imagine driving hundreds of miles out there and not knowing what I’m getting into. There was no cameras allowed on the skywalk. That’s probably my biggest complaint. They did store our things for free in lockers but having to empty our pockets seemed unnecessary.Overall my family and I had a great time. There are some things they can improve on but none of it is enogh to ruin a trip out there. I’d say go if you’re interested and decide for yourself.
Rip off!! I called the place before i went and was told it would be 25pp for the skywalk. At no time did the women on the phone mention madatory 50.00 tour packages parking fees.Biggest disappointment of my cross country trip!
Have to agree with the many negative comments and wish I had seen this webpage first. Looked forward to seeing the GC for a long time, and decided to do the bus tour from Vegas to the Skywalk. GC of course was spectacular, but everything else associated with it was a total money-grab. And yes, we did know most of the costs beforehand, but expected far more than we got. Everything was bascially rush from one line-up to another, a hurried, mediocre meal and then the final insult; no pictures allowed from the skywalk, (a metal detector no less! to determine if you’re sneaking in a camera) and $30.00 to buy one of theirs. They’ve got a hell of a lot of nerve if you ask me. The visitor centre was basically underwhelming, no information at all, washrooms a disgrace. We got barely an hour and a half to actually experience the Canyon and take pictures. I’ll never go back and I’ll be sure and warn anyone else who’s thinking about it to go to the South Rim instead and forget the Skywalk altogether. Definitely not worth it.
We just visited the Las Vegas / Grand Canyon area. I was driving to the south rim viewing area of the grand canyon from Vegas and saw the signs for the the skywalk. It was much closer so we decided to go. They only got us for the $20 for parking. After they explained the other costs (after many specific questions on our part), we realized this was too expensive for what you get. It was going to be something like $29.95 per person to get to the skywalk and another $29.95 to walk on it. Also, no pictures were allowed. We left and drove on to the the south rim and made it there in time for sunset. Skip the skywalk and go to the national park.
Skip the Hualapai Ripoff. They should be ashamed. We made it to the gate after a 16 mile dusty bumpy ride where the $20 parking sign was. The lady in the booth asked for $40 which put me on guard right away. She said additional fees apply. After thinking the bus was optional from reading their web site earlier, I was told no, our car of 4 would have to pay an added $120 to get on the bus. And add the $30 per person on top of that. So quick math put the four of us at $280 to walk onto the famed bridge. I turned the car around and said keep the bridge. I found this site after my visit and can’t imagine how these people are able to get away with this for so long. Not a penny from me and now I’ll go out of my way to give this place as much bad press as possible for the rip off it is. Save your money, there is plenty of grand canyon to see in many better ways.
In all our family travels over 30+ years, this one takes the biggest “RIP OFF” award. The definition of tourist trap should show a picture of the enormous lines, full of lemmings at this hell hole. Besides the cost it was extremely disorganized and hours of miserable waiting just to get on a bus to get 15 minutes of viewing. This sideshow makes Niagara Falls look grand. Shame on the Hualapai Tribe. Stick to Federally operated parks instead…go the South Rim!
Oh Dear! I was so looking forward to visiting the Skywalk when we go to Las Vegas in April but……..NOT NOW!Thanks to all the people who have taken the time to write a review.Bob MaceGloucesterEngland
I was about to make reservations for the Skywalk-packages until I came upon this website. I would have driven an extra 300 miles to get ripped off! Thanks for the valuable advice. I’ld rather save my money for more interesting visits.Luc from Antwerp, Belgium
Thanks for all those contributing to this web site. We had been trying to find information to get to the Skywalk and it was extremely difficult before getting to this site. Even Wikipeadia does not provide this much information. We went to the South rim 2 days ago and that was magnificant. The only attraction that Skywalk provides is to walk in the “air” but we are not prepared to take that much trouble. We decide to skip Skywalk and go straight to Las Vegas tomorrow.
Thank you SO much for sharing this, and everyone else who has been there and posted to this list. I’m planning a trip out west for this spring and was going to make this a “can’t miss” stop on my tour. But after reading all of these comments has turned it into a big “NO WAY!”. Incredibly, almost two years after you started this page, the “Official” Skywalk site is just as confusing regarding the price as when they started it. BAIT & SWITCH ! ! !
To John (Feb. 7/09): Actually, it doesn’t even feel like “waling in the air”. The skywalk doesn’t extend that far out into the canyon to get that feeling. Mostly you get to look down the canyon wall, so even if you’re prepared to pay the prices, it isn’t quite as sensational as you might think.
Thanks…2 close friends have been and they said its a rip off. This merely confirms it. Thanks again. Im goin in June but will give it a miss.
Thanks for the info. I am planning a trip for my family this June and was going to this place. Now I’m not!! Great information — thanks to all!
We went to the Grand Canyon Skywalk and had an enjoyable trip. The trip though over priced was well worth it. The road was initially bad for a stretch. However things became better as we went on. To read more about our experience please visit Grand Canyon Skywalk
The link is http://www.myscrawls.com/trave…
Visited the Skywalk on our trip to Vegas. Was aware beforehand that there was a fee charged but did not know the details. My boss who was with me figured that we were going to get screwed, so we knew we would be paying a high amount, but I had never seen the Canyon so we went on. Road did not bother us, we thought it was actually nice scenery. Since it was a Tuesday, not crowded. Enjoyed the Skywalk and understood the no camera or cellphones since a piece of glass had already been cracked and was covered with a piece of steel. Really enjoyed Guano point and the great views. All in all, good trip. I am sure by searching before you go, you can find out how much it costs, (this site an example). Costs a lot of money, but would rather see this from Vegas rather than driving at least another 6 hours round trip to see the south rim.
Thanks for those who provided recent positive comments about your Skywalk visit. My husband and I plan to visit the Skywalk on our trip to Vegas and I am doing the research in advance to know exactly what to expect & pay. Your recent perspective of the trip is just what I was hoping for and I appreciate you sharing your positive experiences.
We just got home from visiting Las Vegas and decided to take a trip to see the skywalk. After driving all the way there and traveling on the dirt road for miles we were told of the pricing, well at least part of it. We initially thought it would cost $29 a person to go on the skywalk (information found online) but were told by an employee there that it would be $40 per person and you couldn’t drive there yourself, we were not told about the additional charge to go out on the actual skywalk. We, like a few other families arriving at the same time, turned around and left. We felt like we were tricked into going out there thinking we would get something completely different. They are just hoping that people will just pay for it since they had to go so far to get there. I will definitely not be going back nor will I recommend this to others.
I stopped by the Skywalk a year ago on my way to Las Vegas and remembered it being overpriced, all the extra costs were not advertised so you had surprises when you got there. The dirt road you had to travel on was absolutely horrible and extremely rough (and I had an SUV)and it took over an hour! It’s cool and windy this time of year and there wasn’t anywhere you could get in out of the cold. We had a lenghthy time to wait for the shuttle to take us to and from the actual site. We had a box lunch which sucked. The Skywalk itself was incredible and amazing but it’s over in about 15 minutes. Being unable to take cameras with you to take pictures was a bummer but of course for a fee, you can purchase one taken by the photographers that are placed on the walkway, another unexpected cost. We were shuttled to the Ranch where we ate the Bar-b-que, which wasn’t the best but not bad. There wasn’t anything going on that day, such as a gunfight, because a few people didn’t show up for work that day. Then we had to wait almost 2 hours for the only shuttle to show up and take us back to our vehicle because it had broken down. After reading all of the above negative comments, I’m surprised people still visit this site…….this truly is a tourist trap. Like so many, we only paid the price because we drove so far on that lousy road but I would not recommend it to anyone. You can get equally gorgeous views from the North or South Rim and take all the picures you want for free! I was actually going to make another trip to visit the Skywalk with my two adult children until I found this site and read all the comments which reminded me of how extremely expensive this was and of all the inconveniences we experienced which turned out not to be worth it. I’ve also spent 2 hours researching pricing on the internet, but they all lead you to think the only cost is #29.95 and transportation for a nominal fee…far from the truth. We won’t be coming back. Thanks for all the comments and information.
I live in the UK (LONDON ) and although I’ve been to Vegas before Iam planning to go again this September.Having seen a TV program on Skywalks construction I had made this a ‘must visit’ BUT having read all the commments I will give it a miss and agree that is a total rip off.Thanks to all the contributors
So what is the problem ? Most of the reservations have casinos..Do we feel better getting ripped of there or here…come to the North Dakota Badlands..it’s free
I will be traveling to Las Vegas for a vacation. I would like to visit the skywalk. I have looked into the cost of going to some shows in Vegas and am not impressed with the costs which can be $180 for a ticket. I don’t understand why people are complaining about $75?? Many attractions in touristy areas want to sell you the photos they take and don’t allow cameras for precisely this reason. Why do people feel this attraction has no right to follow common tourism practices?
I’d like to thank Brian for his promise to do all he can to keep Canadians from coming to Arizona. There’s too darn many of them here already. Besides, all Canadians are ignorant….. Oh, wait, maybe that’s just Brian. I can’t believe he caught on to the fact that every single resident of the state pressured the legislature to create a tourist trap on Indian land and that Indian land is totally under the purview of the residents and legislature….. And I thought it was Americans that were supposed to be ignorant, obnoxious tourists….. Silly me.
The important thing to know is that the skywalk is not located at the Grand Canyon. People love the skywalk and people hate the skywalk, but all are fooled into thinking it is the Grand Canyon.The Hualapai simply decided to start calling their reservation Grand Canyon 20 years ago to deceive tourists.
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wow. I was really, really excited about taking my children to the Skywalk at the Grand Canyon this summer. And I was dying to take my husband, who is an architect and an avid photographer. I wanted to awe him with the skywalk structure, and wow him with the magnificent photos he would be able to take from the Skywalk. But, thankfully, I read these posts and the Skywalk is definitely NOT on our itinerary while we are out west. I’m Cherokee, and I’ve always been an outspoken advocate for Native American people, tribes, causes and industry. This, however, sickens me, embarrasses me. Shame on you.
My wife and I and my two 20+ sons have just returned from a trip to the canyon from the the UK We landed in Denver , drove to to San Diego and back to Denver taking in most of the national parks and the Flagstaff metior crater on the way . We went to the south rim village in the evening to see the sunset ,unfortunatly it was cloudy {may} but the views where amazing and the whole place is imaculate and $25 per car is good value . We had been told that the north rim was great so we drove all the way round only to find that it is closed untill the 15th of May becuase of the snow [should have done our homework] After staying a night in Vegas we decided to visit the skywalk , we asked about a helicopter trip in one of the sales kiosks in Vegas and stuggled to get out of the place ,Talk about HARD SELL!the flights turned out to be 400-500 dollars each So we drove out to the canyon to see if we could get a cheaper helicopter trip and to see the skywalk. First of all we missed the turning of the highway becuase the sign is on the opposite side of the very wide road , and then we got on to the gravel “Washboard” road which was very rough but fun for a while ,definatly a ball joint wrecker!When we finaly reached the skywalk sight and began to realize that very different forces are at work than at the national parks, the same forces perhaps that are building a big hotel in the middle of Monument Valley[ the entrance fee there is resonable at the moment and no mention of a permit to go on private land] The place is one big building site! We felt very cross when we were told that we had pay $52 each just to get near the canyon and a further $32 [including tax] to get on the skywalk and that the nation park ticket had no value there. Perhaps they should finish the place before they charge the full amount, or will the fee go up!The helicopter trip was another $100 which doesn’t seem to bad on reflection but we refused it becuase we were so annoyed.From the attitude of the staff you can tell that they are going to have your money somehow and they certainly don’t have the polished Park Ranger thing going on, more of a Vegas tourist trap thing going on! We had come too far to turn back so we coughed up and got on the bus and were told that the land was sacred and that they are building an airport on it.My wife went on the skywalk and scared herself silly and my son’s and I stood on the rocks and scared ourselves silly , the views are excellent and the desert feel is very different to the wooded west end It’s a travesty that it has become so expensive to see it.I walked to the furthest veiw point and was suddenly aware that all the other vistors has disappeared and that there was a break in the continual noise of helicopters , as silence fell a large crow glided past me and a cooling breeze blew up into my face as took in the fantastic veiws .I had three minuites of sublime splender and it all seemed worth it!
wow. I was really, really excited about taking my children to the Skywalk at the Grand Canyon this summer. And I was dying to take my husband, who is an architect and an avid photographer. I wanted to awe him with the skywalk structure, and wow him with the magnificent photos he would be able to take from the Skywalk. But, thankfully, I read these posts and the Skywalk is definitely NOT on our itinerary while we are out west. I’m Cherokee, and I’ve always been an outspoken advocate for Native American people, tribes, causes and industry. This, however, sickens me, embarrasses me. Shame on you.
WOW!!! I am so glad I looked at this site…sitting here debating to go to the North Rim or the Skywalk…DEFINATELY NOT doing the skywalk after reading this….Thank YOU for the info….Typical RIP off of the natural beauty of our world!
Thanks to everyone for helping me get the real story on this place. I am planning a big trip across the country right now and will be at The Grand Canyon this July. What a joke this sounds like. The more I have searched for information the more I realize this is a huge money grubbing scam by some silver tongued investor and a group of poor native americans. NO WAY will I waste time bringing my kids and wife to this thing. NO CAMERAS??? BAIT AND SWITCH ON COSTS? UNPAVED ROADS? LONG LINES TO LEAVE? FORGET THIS CRAP!!!
Just because it’s legal, doesn’t make it right. Just because they went through their own holocaust, doesn’t make it right. Right, Wrong, Legal and Illegal are four different things. It may be “their” land – but if they were as honorable of a tribe as they claim to be, they’d understand that it’s really everyone’s land and charging for entry shows their true colors. Especially since (from what I’ve gauged) they’re not putting money into its preservation, merely allowing it to be over-developed.
Hey, I just found this post, so I hope I’m not repeating anything. I went to the Hualapai’s edge of the canyon in 2005, as a day trip while we were in Vegas. We took a 14-person tourist van from Vegas over the Hoover Dam (very cool), through the Mojave Desert (very dry and bumpy), and went to this rim of the canyon before they had finished the skywalk…it was all still a construction site in 2005. What bothered me about the whole “Hualapai Indian” thing, is that there was no indication of anything specially tribal, cultural, or historical about their people in any way. There was a guy all dressed up in a feather headress, holding a tip jar under his arm (I swear, it was a coffee can)It was pitiful. I’ve been to Cherokee, NC, which has a rep for beeing a cheesy tourist trap, but it is way more honest than the Hualapai Res. The Hualapai were run onto this tract of desert land way back in the 1800′s when no white man could ever imagine it would be worth anything. Bless Goodness! That nice Steve Wynn came in from nearby Las Vegas, and offered to build them a skywalk. They only have to pay him forever for every person who buys a ticket…but they still get to charge admission to their land. The natives will get screwed every time….But, it is the Grand Canyon, and it is so naturally stunning! It is something a photo can’t capture (vertigo) So beautiful, and so BIG!
Let’s be very clear, this is part of the Grand Canyon, but it is NOT the Grand Canyon National Park. We were driving from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon NP and figured we’d stop off half-way to see the Skywalk — mainly because it seemed like a neat gimmick to see below while walking on glass. The website said it was $29.95, however we found out at the ticket counter that there was an additional $45.00 charge making the total per person price equal to $75.00!!! I still haven’t seen anything about that additional $45 charge on their website. After driving an hour out our way — 14 miles on an unpaved road — we were outraged and let them know what a bunch of thieves they were and turned around by not paying. Trust me, avoid this place like the plague! It is a waste of time and you get far better views at the Grand Canyon National Park which is only $25 per car! Please don’t contribute to these folks operating the Skywalk. And the “no camera” policy is there for one reason only — to force you to purchase a photo that they take of you for $30! These people are ripping you off in so many ways. Screw ‘em! Just go to the Grand Canyon Nat’l Park which charges far less and you can take all the pictures you want with your camera. Anyone on here that says the Skywalk was worth it either never gets out or works for the Skywalk. With about 99% of the comments on here being negative, it’s safe to say that this place IS a rip-off!
I am really disappointed to hear all this negative feedback about the Skywalk. My husband and I are off to Vegas next month and we were hoping to visit the GC as well as the Skywalk. After reading all these comments we have decided not to visit the Skywalk at all and check out the South rim instead or possibly do a helicopter flight only. Thanks!!!
Hello, I think “My Scrawls” decided long before she visited the skywalk she was going to write a positive article about her visit. To her credit she wrote it was “over priced” but failed to mention how much they charged for pictures. I doubt the Hualapai leaders were taken advantage of, in my opinion after reading an article I’ve quoted below they knew exactly what they were doing when they allowed the skywalk to be built. I found an article at http://www.post-gazette.com/pg… that stated “Jin wouldn’t speak to reporters about his financial settlement with the tribe but “David will profit for the next 25 years from the Skywalk,” said Steve Beattie, chief financial officer of the Grand Canyon Resort Corp., which oversees the tribe’s tourist businesses.Also that same article stated “The tribe will include access to the deck in a variety of tour packages ranging from $49.95 to $199.00.” (I’d assume the price of walking on the skywalk would be included in those prices but as we know now its not) The article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette continues “To reach the transparent deck, tourists must drive 14 miles on twisty, unpaved roads through a forest of Joshua trees. But the tribe hopes it becomes the centerpiece of a budding tourism industry that includes helicopter tours, river rafting, a cowboy town and a museum of Indian replica homes. Robert Bravo Jr., operations manager of the Hualapai tourist attractions called Grand Canyon West, said he hopes the Skywalk will double tourist traffic to the reservation this year, from about 300,000 visitors to about 600,000. In later years, he hopes it brings in about 1 million tourists”. I don’t know if they made it to a million visitors yet, if not it’s probably because they have no business ethic. If they reached a million visitors (or even 600,000) the income would allow all the tribe members to live comfortably. I don’t know about you but if I belonged to a community of 2200 and we divided 50 million dollars I could buy a really nice tee-pee with satellite TV with my 22+ thousand. (1 million x 50 dollars admission and that the cheapest package that doesn’t include over priced gifts and pictures.) If the money is divided evenly with all members of the tribe and I lived there with my wife and 4 children we would get a family total of $136,000 so we would probably super size our tee-pee.Finally I want to say thanks for having this skywalk blog. After doing a search for info about the skywalk your blog came up, I read it and wanted to know more which led me to the article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. I have 4 children and if we had gone as planned the $450+ price tag would have been a budget buster. The ride would have been for nothing because I could not … or … would not pay that much for just about the same view you can see anywhere along the canyon.
THIS WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS OF OUR HOLIDAY, TO BE CHARGED 43.00 EACH FOR A 10 MINUTE BUS RIDE TO LOOK AT THE GRAND CANYON.THEN WANTING A EXTRA 33.00 TO LOOK OFF THE SKYWALK . I WOULD URGE ANYONE WANTING TO GO TO THE GRAND CANYON NOT TO GO TO THE SKYWALK TOUR. IT IS JUST ONE BIG RIP OFF.
My wife and I just returned from a Las Vegas vacation. We had already planned to go to the Skywalk after seeing something about it on TV and the internet. Man, do I wish we had researched it further. The 120 mile long drive from Las Vegas to the Skywalk attraction was horrible; especially the last 21 miles of it which took over an hour and we were dangerously passed on this road by a Grand Canyon Skywalk bus. Once there, we found out that you cannot take your camera on the Skywalk. I would have thought that during the several conversations I had with these people prior to this, on the telephone, this might have come up. We were explained the $150.00 (for both of us) package and when I began expressing my displeasure were told that we were expected to pay the Indian territory fee regardless of whether we took the tour or not. Fat freaking chance!!! We left and drove 120 miles back to Las Vegas, stopping at the Hoover Dam and for a minimal $11.00 fee had an awesome tour and a great time. The Grand Canyon West Skywalk is a rip off and I hope that so many people come to realize this that the money hungry people running this go out of business.
The Sky walk is simpley one big rip off. I went there on Decmber 11, 2009. The cost is $43 for a bus trip (about 5 minutes), $32 for the Skywal ticket and no cameras otr personal items allowed. After getting the explanation from thestaff that poeple threw staff down to just watching them falling (I guess that included cameras) the real reason surfaced up. You are by a photographer who is taking a picture of you and for you. I f you want the picture, you need to say goodbye to another $30 (per each photo). They scan everybody through a metal detector to make sure that cameras are not sneaked in. The view of the skywalk is disappointing. The spot is not the best in the grand canyon to say the least. The view from the visitor center in the soiuth rim is way more impressive and cost much less. This place is nothing but a TOURIST TRAP . IT is highly recommended TO AVOID THIS PLACE.
When I read reviews There is only simple calculationTo View 1 point i.e. sky walkSky walk=$29 Bus+ $32 Walk + $30 Photo= $91($91 Ticket /head *2) + 24 miles of gas + $ 20 Parking= $ 200 for 2 person = Huge Harassment.
This is probably the most expensive Skywalk tour attraction in the world.The view is awesome but the Skywalk is not worth the price and effort to get there, unless you have $73 per person to flush down the toilet, it is a sham!It’s 127 miles from Las Vegas, there’s a dirt road at the end for 12 miles, 4 miles before you get there you must park and take a bus “tour” which is $43.05 per person to take you to the Skywalk and if you want to walk the Skywalk it’s $30 per person, you can’t take your camera, there are staff members taking pictures and they charge you $30 per picture. For my whole family without walking the Skywalk I paid more than what I paid for two nights at the hotel in Vegas!!!I strongly recommend a trip to the Grand Canyon National Park instead of this rip off!
Wish I read these reviews before going there. Just came back from there, and would NOT recommend it. Rather drive extra 2 hours to the Grand Canyon National Park. It is $79.95 US per person for bus and skywalk and absolutely NO pictures allowed. Paying almost $80 is one thing, but then you’re not even allowed to take any pictures, another scam. 7 minute helicopter ride is $139, and no pictures allowed there either.
Planning a trip through the southwest. Glad I found this site. Will be avoiding the Skywalk like the plague! What a scam!
Just returned from a trip to the West Rim as part of our vacation and can confirm that in 2010 things haven’t changed regards this “Mandatory” bus ride to visit the skywalk. This really disappointed myself and my partner as we had drove from Las Vegas twice after getting lost the first time, to see what was billed as a breathtaking experience. In the end we walked away after taking a few photographs from the compound that resembles a WW2 airfield in the back and beyond. If you want to view the Grand Canyon from this point you have little choice but to pay the dollars as a huge chain link fence prevents you from bypassing the airfield to view the Canyon by yourselves. Like many others this soured the trip as I was under the delusion that Indian tribes were still noble bands of people not shifty little businessmen scamming visitors. We personally walked away refusing to pay but no doubt for every visitor that does this ten will pay figuring “I have come this far…” and sadly the Hualapai rely and prey on this to extract the extra dollars from your wallet.Caveat Emptor!
We went the “whole experience” route….Plane Ride/Helicopter/and Boat up the River PLUS the Sky Walk and IT WAS GREAT!!! it was a lot of money, but if you never get back, why not have the whole experience? The buffet was not the best, and we did feel a bit rushed there, but otherwise we had a WONDERFUL day!!! …..from NC
Just watched the special on National Geographic on the building of the Skywalk and was very excited about going to see it, but after reading the reviews on many websites i can bypass this attraction.It is not about the extravagant costs for the privilege of going on it to me, it is the tactics that they are using to slowly extort money from the tourists as they lead them down the primrose path of no return,but as i have read, many have returned with their wallet only slightly dented and feeling better for not enabling these dishonest people and their tactics.
I guess not all are just riffof ,I can’t tell you how much my friends and I, and the kids enjoyed our trip. I have said many times that people can make a experience better or just get through it was definitely better. http://www.papillon.com
I cannot share the opinion of the people that say the Grand canyon is not worth visiting. Grand canyon is one of the places on Earth that you should have on your “Places to visit before I die” list.
Grand Canyon is great and bit scary place. When I saw that place first time around 4-5 years back during my vacations, I felt very scary. Well, I enjoyed sky walk there too.
Just saw the show on the construction of the Skywalk and was to make this a must see when I visit from Australia in 7 weeks but thanks to all your comments, I won’t be doing the Skywalk. What a rip off. Glad we don’t have these crooks in Australia.
I also just saw the show on NatGeo about the building of the Skywalk. What an amazing piece of arcitechure!! too bad they want so much money to walk about 100+ feet on glass. I so wanted to go see the Skywalk after seeing the making of the Skywalk.but I don’t want to go now. I will wait another 5 or 10 years until they finish the road and lower the prices a bit.that seems like WAY too much money to pay.and Thank You all who posted here. One or two comments one might dismiss as disgruntled, but hundreds of negative comments nearly all of them mirroring the same sentiments! that cannot be ignored!!thank you
My wife and I and my brother in_law and his wife left Vegas after a ten day road trip thru Sedona az and finished in las Vegas. After discussing the twenty seven dollar senior ticket we decided to get up and go. After going approximately seventy miles we ran into sixteen miles of washboard dusty roads. Arriving at the skywalk we were informed before getting to the ticket booth that it was forty some dollars for the bus and twenty nine dollars for the skywalk with ten percent for senior citizens. I can not tell you how scammed we felt. It would have cost us roughly three hundred and twenty dollars for the four of us. I asked if they had a guest registry for comments and surprise they had none. But we could leave a note if we wanted. I said no thanks I would post something on line when I got home. So we are back in okla and I saved enough money by not gong on the skywalk to have our vehicle cleaned Up. Riley
CAN ANYONE TELL ME IF IT IS WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE? PLEASE, THANK YOU. JON
We just visited the Skywalk on a trip to Vegas October, 2011. We rented a car and drove the 2.5 hours. The 18 mile dirt road was a bit surprising and I was glad we were driving a rental
. My summary was the $70 pp charge was reasonable, given that you get all three visits (we did the “silver legacy” package) and the lunch. The views and trails were spectacular. Only downfall was the lack of organization at the bus lines and the need to modernize the buildings/facilities. After 4 years now I would expect revenues would allow for this. In short, they need to “disneyworld” the lines/order of things– this would keep the rude folks from barging in line and creating a frenzy when buses load/unload. I agree with others– the ranch is lame, but it’s cute for kids and non-americans. They did have a decent meal there. Overall– do it. It’s a heck of a lot less travel from Vegas than the south rim (5+ hours) and you do get some awesome photo ops all along the way.
I visited Grand Canyon West three days before the official opening of the Skywalk, and I must say- it was probably one of the most over-hyped things I’ve ever seen. Tyler is right, it looks like a construction site- paved or not.Don’t spend the money on this; if you’re already out there, just pay the price for the BASIC package and go straight out to Guano point (which still offers incredible views).Besides the view from Guano point, I think my favorite part of the 2.5 hour trip from Las Vegas was tearing up the 20 miles of unpaved roads leading to the Hualapai airport. That, and seeing the face of the rental guy at the lot when I returned the Jeep covered in dirt and mud.
I just went the skywalk on 2/21/09 and current prices are:$40.95 Hualapai Legacy(29.95 + 7% tax(2.09) + $3 gas fee + $8 impact fee) = $43.04 total$29.95 Skywalk + 7% tax = $32.05 totalThere is no more $20 parking fee.Senior discount is 10% but not on the $11 fees stated aboveThere is an optional $11.95 meal optionSo for one go on the skywalk is $75.09 for adult $68.69 for senior (including taxes) without a meal.
My son and I when on a bus tour. It cost 300 for the two of us. That did not include a skywalk that was another 29.95. After has to meet the bus a 630 in the morning and sucking dust for 28 mile round trip down the road at leads into the skyway. The place was understaffed. A lot of confussion. And the place in very unsafe. 20feet off the bus was a cravass 100 ft deep. Not marked nothing. A fucking nightmare.