Good morning, everyone. We are certainly glad to be back with you sharing what’s new at the Grand Canyon and catching up with you about what we at GrandCanyon.com have been doing over the last couple of years that this Grand Canyon news blog has been out of commission. In the process of trying to update you on our many and myriad activities we’ve been taking part in, we’ve discovered that updating you in a chronological fashion just flat out isn’t gonna happen, to which we eventually said, “so what?”
So without further “ado,” we’ll share with you something we actually did in December of 2007: our long awaited and much anticipated stroll on the Grand Canyon Skywalk!
December 2nd, 2007 Our trip to the Grand Canyon Skywalk began late last Sunday morning after a pleasant night’s stay at the Las Vegas Hilton. When we had checked in, the front desk clerk had offered me an upgrade to a renovated room, which I declined, but I think he might have upgraded me anyway! My room was absolutely gorgeous – spacious, spotless, and decorated in a modernized art deco style in maroon, yellow, black and cream. The king-size bed was SUPER comfy. Too bad my noisy neighbors (20-something men on a drunken rampage) prevented me from enjoying a full night’s sleep in the thing.
The next morning we enjoyed a fabulous Sunday Brunch at the The Buffet. We all thought we’d died and gone to heaven ‘cause we all love to eat and the menu not only featured the “usual suspects” for brunch (crepes, omelets, pancakes, hot and cold cereal, pastries, fruit, etc.), but had a few lunch items as well like pastas and salad. What sold me on the experience was the “bagels & shmear” station, complete with salmon, whitefish, capers, cream cheese, red onions, the works. Yummyyyyyyyyyyy! Reasonably priced, too. I’ll definitely be back to do the Star Trek Experience and to visit Quark’s Bar (I’m a trekkie [Editor's note: the Star Trek experience unfortunately closed in September 2008])!
After eating entirely too much, we set off for Grand Canyon West and the Grand Canyon Skywalk. It took a good
3 hours to get from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West. Fortunately delays at Hoover Dam were minimal. It was fascinating to see the construction of the bypass – dang, that bridge is going to be waaaaaaaaay the heck up there! Can’t wait to see it when it’s done. Thankfully too, the notoriously bad unpaved section of the road to Grand Canyon West had been recently graded, so driving it was a lot better than it had been in years past, but there’s still a lot of washboard, plus a few of the deeper ruts remain. With the recent rains, it’s probably gone a bit downhill. We were in a Suburban and glad that we had it. Once you get past Dolan Springs, it is a genuinely pretty drive, taking you through a large stand of Joshua Trees that is estimated to be about 900 years old. But some of those turns are a real lulu – keep your eyes on the road! Paving of this road is expected to begin in the near future, but answers varied as to exactly when.
When you arrive at Grand Canyon West, you park your vehicle in front of the passenger termi
nal, and then go inside to purchase your tour package. It’s a minimum of $50 per person for the basic Grand Canyon West tour package, which includes entry to the complex, and rim-top bus transfers. Then it’s another $25 per person to go on the Skywalk. For an extra $150 or so per person, you can also sign up for a helicopter flight to the canyon floor which includes a short pontoon boat ride on the Colorado River. It’s about an hour total for this activity, and it’s doable for most people in reasonably good health. There is a short but rather rugged path that one must walk from the helipad down to the boat dock then back up again after the pontoon boat ride, equivalent to about 5 flights of stairs.
When we got to the Grand Canyon Skywalk, we checked in at a small security checkpoint where we were asked to surrender our cameras, cell phones and other personal belongings. They’ll rent you a locker to store your things for $1.00. They don’t allow cameras or on the Skywalk – supposedly – to 
prevent you from possibly dropping these items on the glass and scratching it. But what a coincidence, they sell souvenir photos of your stroll on the Skywalk for $25 each, or buy 2 get 1 free. They also have you slip a pair of protective booties over your shoes, again to protect the glass.
Now it was time to take that much anticipated step over the abyss…
*Whew* what a memory! And one that’ll have to wait for Part II. In the meantime, the Grand Canyon Skywalk continues to garner mixed reviews. Knowing what you’re getting into before you commit to it is crucial to your enjoyment of Grand Canyon West and the Grand Canyon Skywalk. Again, more commentary on that is forthcoming in Part II.
Until then, make it a “grand” day!
Alley Kaye
P.S. For more information on tours from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West and the Grand Canyon Skywalk, visit GrandCanyon.com and sign up to receive our FREE informational video series, or click on the text links as follows: Las Vegas Indian Adventure Skywalk, the Las Vegas Grand Celebration Helicopter tour or the Las Vegas Grand Voyager Tour (the latter two do not include the Grand Canyon Skywalk, but include heli ride to the bottom).
Related posts:
- Trip Report: Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon Skywalk – part deux Good morni
- Trip Report: Grand Canyon Havasupai Heli Hike Good day t
- What is the best tour for the Grand Canyon out of Las Vegas? Thank you
- Phoenix Day Trips Examiner: Grand Canyon Skywalk documentary premieres April 2, 2009 on the National Geographic Channel Phoenix Da
- Grand Canyon Helicopter Tours: Eco-Star vs Bell Good morni
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
February 6th, 2009 at 9:06 am
Planning to visit GC South Rim next Sept with my handicapped adult son. We will take Amtrak from East Coast and stay in Flagstaff 1 night before & after spendng 2 nights at Bright Angel Lodge (aready have the room reserved there). My son can walk short distances and also has an adaptive stroller (like a wheelchair but reclines slightly) that folds. Much of the tour advice for the South Rim assumes you can drive, go hiking or take mule rides. We will not have a car and we won’t be able to hike. Will we be able to use the free shuttle bus? Can they take a folded-up stroller or do they have wheelchair lifts? Same question about the 4 bus tours offered by Xanterra on the South Rim. Any suggestions or advice about how to make our stay enjoyable would be much appreciated.