feet above the floor of Grand Canyon, marking a new era in tourism for the Hualupai Tribe. Possibly the most spectacular tourist attraction on Indian land, the Grand Canyon Skywalk, the first of its kind, is a glass cantilevered walkway with no visible supports below to block the view clear down into the depths of the canyon.

The deck is anchored deep into the adjacent limestone cliff of Eagle Point. Temporary buildings are in place at present for the Skywalk, but a visitor center is under construction which will be a part of an all-new complex to include a museum, movie theater,

VIP lounge, and gift shop as well as private indoor and outdoor facilities for meetings, special events and weddings. The entire new undertaking named Grand Canyon West will also include an Indian village with authentic dwellings, The Hualapai Market, and the Hualapai Ranch – a western town with horseback and wagon rides.

Several restaurants and bars will be available, including the Skywalk Cafe, a high-end restaurant with outdoor patio and rooftop dining on the edge of the canyon. An air strip and complex of helicopter landing pads are nearby.

The Skywalk complex eclipses anything the tribe has tried before to lure tourists and make a substantial profit. It’s projected the $30 million

Skywalk, financed by Las Vegas developer David Jin, will boost visitation to the Hualapai Reservation to about 600,000 people per year, a large percentage of which will come from Las Vegas. Projections for the future top a million visitors per year.

Presently the Hualapai see about 300,000 tourists per year. Some come for river rafting. Others stop on their way to the neighboring Havasupai Reservation with its spectacular waterfalls and swimming holes. A variety of tour and entrance packages are available at Grand Canyon West and at the Skywalk complex ranging from $49.95 to $199.00. Accessing the Skywalk itself is $25.00 in addition to and entrance package.

Approximately 120 miles east of Las Vegas, Grand Canyon West is 70 miles from Kingman, Arizona, and 53 miles from Peach Springs, Arizona, north of Interstate 40 in northwest Arizona, west of the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park.

Grand Canyon West is the only location throughout the entire Grand Canyon where visitors can access the river and water recreation activities at the bottom of the canyon via helicopter tours.

In addition to boat tours on the river, Hummer tours are available along the rim of the canyon and through private areas that are otherwise inaccessible to the public. There are more than 30 tour and transportation companies that service Grand Canyon West from Las Vegas, Phoenix and Sedona by airplane, helicopter, coach, SUV, and Hummer.

The Hualapai will also operate the only one day white water rafting trip through the Grand Canyon as well as a Lodge on Historic Route 66.

The Hualapai Tribe, consisting of approximately 2,000 members, owns nearly one million acres of land throughout the Grand Canyon’s western rim. Tourists on Hualapai land can join the tribe in experiencing its uniqueness and untouched beauty. The Hualapai Tribe’s main goal is to keep a balance between form, function and nature, while protecting its cultural values.