Grand Canyon Skywalk
The Grand Canyon Skywalk is a visitor attraction at the Hualapai Indian Grand Canyon West Adventure Park, outside Grand Canyon National Park , that opened on March 20, 2007. It is a platform made of steel girders protruding over the edge of the canyon with glass floor panels and glass railing. The former astronaut Buzz Aldrin and a group of Hualapai Indians were allowed to take the first steps . The platform has been open to the public since March 28, 2007. The construction time was four years.
The Skywalk offers the opportunity to marvel at the Grand Canyon through the glass floor on a horseshoe-shaped balcony rising 22 meters over the abyss. The platform is located over a branch of the canyon. The Colorado River in the main valley, 1,100 meters below, is in view, but about two kilometers away. The height of the skywalk above the valley floor of the side canyon is significantly lower. The rocks visible through the glass floor vertically below are between 150 and 240 meters below the skywalk floor.
Construction and operation
The Skywalk is located on the Hualapai Indian Reservation . A tribal committee had given the Las Vegas investor David Jin permission to build the $ 30 million tourist attraction on their reservation.
The floor of the terrace consists of 7 centimeters thick, anti-reflective, five-layer special glass that was supplied by Kinon in Cologne-Porz . The glass of the parapet comes from the Berlin company "Glas Döring". The construction weighs 482 tons. It should withstand peak wind speeds of 160 km / h. In 2011 the glass panels (Rioglass Solar) were replaced, the costs amounted to 1.5 million dollars. This time, a renewable protective film was integrated on the glass plates in order to reduce costs. The first glass panes were scratched by the approximately 1.5 million visitors since the opening and by sand.
Originally, the contract between the investor Jin and the Hualapai people included the construction of a hotel and a tourist center next to the "balcony". The hotel was never started, and construction of the visitor center was stopped at the shell stage. After years of dispute between the Hualapai and Jin, in a controversial decision in March 2012, the tribal council terminated all contracts without notice and resolved to confiscate the investor's share in return for compensation of $ 9 million. This decision was made several times in the tribal council and withdrawn again, two members of the tribal council were suspended. The investor sued the decision of the tribal council. After the investor Jin was awarded $ 28 million in the first instance in February 2013, the Hualapai company Sa 'Nyu Wa filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy . At the same time, legal remedies were announced. Operation of the Skywalk initially continued under the responsibility of another company. In April 2014, the company of the late entrepreneur, his heirs and Hualapai reached a court settlement on unpublished terms and have continued to work together ever since.
The investor has a percentage of the entrance fees, but the Skywalk is owned by the Hualapai tribe. The income from the first few years allowed the construction of a Hualapai cultural center in Peach Springs . The hope of a decline in unemployment has so far not been fulfilled.
visit
The access is on a road that has been paved since August 2014 from the US-93. The visit is chargeable and only possible as part of an organized tour program. 120 people are allowed to stay on the “balcony” at the same time. Every visitor must put a special felt protector over their shoes to prevent scratching the glass floor. Photography is prohibited on the Skywalk. However, a photographer from the Hualapai tribe can be provided for a fee. Cameras and cell phones, as well as handbags and rucksacks, must be left in a locker.
Web links
- Grand Canyon Skywalk site
- Steps over the abyss. Süddeutsche.de, September 25, 2006, accessed on March 1, 2012 .
- "Skywalk" project causes controversy among Indian tribe. Spiegel online, February 26, 2007, accessed March 1, 2012 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Grand Canyon: Heart Palpitations on the Skywalk . In: Focus Online . March 21, 2007.
- ↑ Megan Neighbor: Grand Canyon Skywalk's glass is being replaced. In: The Arizona Republic. April 13, 2011, accessed August 30, 2012 .
- ↑ Kingman Daily Miner: Tribe's turmoil over Skywalk continues . ( Memento of the original from February 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. March 18, 2012.
- ↑ Associated Press: Hualapai corporation seeks bankruptcy protection . March 6, 2013 on grandcanyonskywalk.com.
- ↑ law360: Grand Canyon Skywalk Litigation ends in settlement . April 25, 2014.
- ↑ Bettina Schmieding: On the wings of the eagle . Deutschlandfunk, March 27, 2011.
Coordinates: 36 ° 0 ′ 44 " N , 113 ° 48 ′ 40" W.