By Keith Kravitz

The Grand Canyon glass walkway is one of the canyon’s most famous places of interest. Located at the edge of the West Rim, the glass walkway permits you to walk past the edge and directly into the abyss. The moment is utterly gravity defying. Do this once and you can now scratch space travel off your bucket list.

Excursions to the sky walk leave regularly from Vegas. Transportation includes chopper, airplane, and tour bus. Outings are all-inclusive and come with hotel pick up and drop off, lunch, and a skilled guide. Excursions vary from half a day to a full day with rates starting at $120 per person.

The skywalk is the centerpiece of the Grand Canyon Skywalk complex, which when finished will feature a theatre, gift shop, several dining establishments, and a VIP lounge. The complex itself sits amid a 9,000-acre area called Grand Canyon West. The Hualapai Indians own this land and when it’s developed will feature hotels, restaurants, a golf course, and a cable car to the bottom!

The Sky Walk stretches 70 feet beyond the top of the rim. It’s really a exhilarating feeling realizing that the one thing standing between you and the bottom 4,000 feet underneath is a sheet of glass. Breath deeply before looking down. I recommend holding the glass railing if you are susceptible to vertigo.

The Sky Walk is a technical wonder. The $30 million Skywalk is made up of 46 panels of Saint-Gobain Diamant low iron glass and Dupont SentryGlas. The guard rails are made of the same hybrid substance but use fewer layers so it can be bent to adhere to the bridge’s u-shaped curvature. The deck panels are reported to have cost $250,000 each.

Technicians have designed the walkway to withstand the harshest physical conditions, including Magnitude 8 earthquakes and winds over 100 miles per hour. It can hold up to 71 jumbo jets simultaneously. Put in a different way, it can hold 800 people at once (maximum occupancy is 120).

There are lots of Grand Canyon Skywalk trips from Las Vegas. A lot of them will let you tack on side-trips. The most popular are:

1. Heli ride to the bottom

It’s a 4,000-foot descent through surreal buttes, spires, and ravines. Land at the base. Enjoy a Champagne picnic lunch. Discover the base.

2. Heli to the bottom with boat

This excursion lengthens the heli ride to include a smooth-water float ride down the Colorado River.

The West Rim is the only area in the Grand Canyon where one can ride a helicopter to the floor and land. There aren’t any air tours between the West Rim and the National Park. If you prefer a South Rim heli trip, you need to take a 45-minute plane flight from Vegas then switch to a heli at Grand Canyon Airport.

More than 200,000 people go to Sky Walk annually. Reserve your Skywalk trip as far in advance as possible. In no way pay full retail price. For the greatest deal, shop the online world. I’ve seen prices reduced up to 35 percent. Resist finishing your web booking over the telephone. Commissioned sales representatives are on the other end of the line and it’s their task to sell you a tour at the highest price conceivable.

The Grand Canyon glass walkway is a world-class attraction. No trip to Las Vegas is finished without having seeing it. There are various ways to get there, including helicopter, airplane, and tour bus. Reduce costs by selecting tours online. People do drive themselves to the Skywalk. I don’t recommend it. The last 10 miles is unpaved dirt road and requires an SUV. Getting to the bridge is worth the hassle. As I say, “Don’t check out the Grand Canyon, Skywalk it!”

About the Author: Mr. Kravitz is a travel writer who reports exclusively on the Grand Canyon. Go here for his Top 3

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