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.
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). Unfortunately, the experience had already been soured by the feeling of being taken advantage of and lied to.
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.
Thanks for the information. We have plans to be out there in June - we'll pass on this trap.
you mean, it wasn't even paved? There was dust in it? You just can't be serious! Of course they must have paved the whole of Grand Canyon before letting any civilized person in.
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.
The Grand Canyon should be free! I might start the Grand Canyon Freedom Federation (GCFF). ;-)
"'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.
s/anyways/anyway
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Thanks for helping people avoid the trap.
"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.
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'll wait for the WalMart and the casino to open...
Dude, your site looks TERRIBLE in Opera.
i was going to say why not just take a fun and dangerous helicopter tour...but a quick search on those seems about $300. Probably a lot more fun. Too bad, this seemed like a great idea. Maybe there will be enough backlash that they will have to adjust there deceptive technique and ridiculous pricing.
Kind of depends how many people you can get in the chopper. If it seats three plus the pilot, then one third of $300 is still much less than this ripoff.
Richard - I rather pay $300 for a helicopter ride then pay some Indian tribe $75+ so they can booze it up.
I had a miserable time visiting the Sears Tower in Chicago. It wasn't the admission price that annoyed me, it was the 2 hours of my vacation that I spent slooowly snaking towards the one working elevator, pausing to see the required short feature film on the tower.
In my day, you could buy a squaw for $75.
@Tekron , dude, nobody uses Opera, get over it and get FF or IE.
@Tekron: Seconded. The reason websites look bad to you is because you use a crappy browser. And don't start with the "standards-compliance" bullshit, just get another browser. They're FREE.
Thanks for the info!
I won't be going unless I hear a different story from someone else.
StateOfBrain.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 guess the tables have turned. If I remember correctly, didn't the white man give the Native Americans some beads for this whole country then rape their wives and kill most of the tribes?
WTF is up with the whiny Opera users? First off, your site looks fine in Opera (maybe you fixed it, maybe not). Second, if any of you Opera users realized how hard it is to keep on top of all Opera's STUPID bugs, you'd do us all a favor and switch to something decent, like Firefox.
Or better yet, just shut up and accept that your browser sucks.
Random Indian Fellow, I am full-blooded and I thought modette's comment to be funny. Get over yourself is my advise. And yes, this is a total rip off. There are better ways to equal the score with the white man.
I, too, wonder where you got the $25 cost? The tribe's website seems pretty clear about to total fees: http://www.destinationgrandcanyon.com/tours.html
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?
So surely an iPod could too? Or a Thermos? Or anything heavy? Why pick on cameras?
Clouds are grey, the sky isn't. However, if you're commenting from Mars, I take your second example :)
In Mexico City, they don't allow you to bring notebooks into the museum. I am serious. You can bring a camera but not a notebook. I guess people were dropping them and breaking the stone floor.
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.
For those eager for this tour, I will gladly conduct a tour of my home office for a piffling $65 per head. Much scarier and not too much wind whistling through the slats.
75$ sounds like a good deal in comparison with what Kit Carson and other Americans did to the "Indians". Suck it up and deal with it, you chose to visit the reservation. Write about something important.
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, 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...
See, that is why things are the way they are; a bunch of people said, "well, we drove all the way out here", like that is some kind of excuse for being dumb with their money...
You should have left and doubled that $75 in Vegas.
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!
I'll say it - Alex is a turd.
@af: You're the kind of guy who counts the number of M&M's in each package to make sure he didn't get ripped off, aren't you.
@Dave, stuff it. Kit Carson was 100 years ago. Water under the bridge. Get over it. You still want to keep bringing up Hitler to Germans too? Being less than 1/4 Indian, being brought up on a reservation has taught me to forgive, be at peace with God and my brothers.
Dude! NO ONE uses Opera. Ugh!
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.
Lets just take that land from them too. Time to change the border again. Send out the troops and round them up.Or just send them some blankets.
Or just pay or go.
Alex speak with forked tongue. ;p
Wow, what a high price just to see nature. 25 bucks is a lot but 75? Geesh... Bgeek.Com
tourist deserve to get ripped off..
Firefox rules, Opera drools.
"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.
Just think, you're not paying to see a hole in the ground, you're paying to help out a group that can't seem to jump on the booming casino market.
(Forgive me, Great Spirit)
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.com/
Those are some cool pictures. Hope it was fun non the less.
$75 is way too freakin' much to pay to look at nature!!! I'd rather go four-wheeling and see nature for free!!!
not to get all "intellectual property" on you, but you ripped my school's griffin for your site background... http://www.reed.edu. if you see the whole seal, it has the motto: atheism, communism, and free love"!... so in that spirit, I guess it's alright.
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.
sure, lets pave more of the national parks. lets put up more concrete and asphalt and all enjoy nature. To those of you who cry about a little dust, you are the ones that overcrowd and ruin my vacations. stay at home in the 'burbs and pamper your bratty kids. and most of you complaining about the 75 dollars are probably living in 230,000 houses.....sell your SUV's and pave your backyard....
What do you expect from a bunch of Indians? They've been taken advantage of by white men for over a century...just trying to shaft you back in return.
An indian-run tourist site turns out to be a ripoff? Wow, color me surprised :rolleyes:
Whoever that's dumb enough to spend $75 to get on the Skywalk automatically loses the right to complain. You already made it to the Grand Canyon and you were already in nature but nature alone is never enough so you had to pay to be herded along on a man-made structure. Now you feel riped off?
@jsmith Dude, that griffon is quite a bit older than your school, it's not even a hundred years old. They may have both picked the same one, it was common on coats-of-arms. You can see it lots of places.
wow! saved me some cash.
www.thisblogisabomb.com
Fuck the Indians. Serves them right we took their land, fucking greedy Jew wannabes.
wow, thanks for the post! i was planning on heading out there in may too.
Ha ha.
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
At 3:24 PM on April 9, 2007 Birgette said: I guess the tables have turned. If I remember correctly, didn't the white man give the Native Americans some beads for this whole country then rape their wives and kill most of the tribes?
Good times
It's true. The background is a direct rip. He's not from Reed College either.
EDIT: I forgot the URL of the ripped logo used as his BG.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Reed_College_griffin.svg
$75 and no cameras? Wow. There's something I'll skip.
Thanks for sharing.
Just surfing the web a week are more ago. Found out it would cost $75. That no cameras would be allowed. Because of scuffing up the view. I bet it cost $75 just to fell your pick-up are SUV. Spending billion on a bogus war. Killing thousands. And some shit is wining about a few bucks. Why so many cry babies and cowardly racist here? Amazing!!!!
boom is a fucking hippie retard.
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!
Canyon's closed due to AIDS.
The Grand Canyon is one of the greatest wonders of the world. I have stood on it's edge, hiked to it's interior and rafted down the Colorado. I knew from the onset that this manmade structure could in no way enhance the beauty and majesty of the canyon. It is just gimmick and tourist trap. Only those naive of the canyon's scope and beauty would think otherwise.
Regarding the Griffin:
Thank you! I found this graphic as a picture from a rubber stamp almost 8 years ago, and I have had a lot of trouble finding it since. I never knew it was Reed's seal. Anyways, I think I might be able to claim fair use.
75 bucks and they can't even just come out and say it? what a bunch of shit.
It was dusty and cold!! It's called Outdoors. Stay home in your warm house.
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.
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 $75 fee on their website so were expecting it. We thought it was a great experience, but they are not quite ready yet for the demanding consumers that expect perfection. My observations are: Right below the floor is not 4,000 feet, only about 500 to the first ledge, then maybe another 500 to the bottom of the side canyon that it is over. The 4,000 ft height is from the river in the main canyon, which is at least a mile to the West. The really interesting part was the foot long cracks in the glass in one of the side panels. They said it was done during construction and was not a hazard, which did appear to be true. It was not in the floor panels. They said another was on order to replace it. The worst part was the 14.1 mile unpaved road, which was actually a bulldozed path thru the desert. The dust was awful and there were numerous flat tires left along the road, skid plates and other unidentifiable car parts strewn along the way, definately not for the faint of heart or low slung sports cars. Our family likes adventures and this was definitely one. I would recommend it to the adventurous, but go with open expectations and not preconceived perceptions. Give them a few months to work out some kinks and try it this summer.
Anyone who uses Wikipedia for anything other than a quick laugh deserves whatever happens to them. Contact these guys directly - they give you the correct price.
Depend on Wikipedia for anything that has to do with the bottom line ($)? Retard.
Don't think of it as being ripped off. Think of it as an educational experience of what the white man did to red face.
How much do you all pay to go on rides at a theme park?
As K said, the outdoors can be cold and dusty, If you don't want to be out in the cold and durt, then why go out there?
If you pave all the country side, where will you go then, because it will all look the same, like car parks.
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?
You're obviously a moron for using Wikipedia to check the prices. If you went to the official page right here: http://www.destinationgrandcanyon.com/tours.html
It says pretty clearly the price is $75. It's your own damn fault.
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.
This ripoff somehow makes me feel less guilty about Europeans having taken America away from the Indians.
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.
Figures
I'm in if they'll let me pee over the edge.
Also, they should sell liquor and fireworks there ...maybe have some slot machines or blackjack.
We needs to see how the Indians really live and get into their culture.
This is a killer idea that has went very bad!!
Come back when it is done.
Melissas Blogg
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.
Where the hell is Ed Abbey when you need him?
Sorry, but using Wikipedia for your price guide was mistake #1. Mistake #2 was thinking that "Leave the driving to us" implied that you can drive yourself. It not only does not imply that, it pretty much explicitly says just the opposite.
And then there is your assumption that becuase you heard 1-2 others say "Well, we came this far, we are not going to turn back now" that EVERY ONE of the huge crowd felt the same way.
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?"
Fuck these fucking motherfuckers. They are pieces of shit!
Just take a dozen blankets as a bribe and you can take as many pictures as you want.
That "tribe" is 350 men without jobs.
To get rich quick, they ruined the Grand Canyon.
hey
Friday I spent $81 to park 27 hours at the San Francisco Hilton. This is less money for a unique experience. Not a great value, but not the worst either.
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.
agreed w/ many of the commenters. you are a moron for complaining and not doing your research about it before you go. what kind of half-assed tourist are you? and directing this to an issue about indians, of which the land really belongs to..you're pathetic.
Its all there on the website. $25 EXTRA to do the skywalk. Why blame other people for your stupidity?
Regarding the website and the cost. http://www.grandcanyonskywalk.com/update.html
Paragraph 2 reads "$25 plus entrance package" cost unspecified.
No judgement just an observation
Perhaps they ban cameras to stop mindless people from dropping cameras and scratching the glass, not breaking, but scratching and then later ruining the view.
Grand Theft Canyon I guess :-)
Jim Said: "I like to flame people who write information which isn't being broadcast in the news. If it's not on TV, it's not real! "
I say ; the damn thing is a monster of man kind thrown into the majestic beauty of the canyon. I smell a boycott coming on
ROFL.
Doesn't anyone else think we ought to give the entire United States back to the Indians? I think they've shown us wonderful management of their reservations.
I hope the tribe sends their kids to law school now.
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)
????
"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.
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.
Alex, you missed the point entirely. And even if you were just being sarcastic, it was still incredibly unfunny.
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.
What a scam and an ugly abomination to hang on the AWESOME Canyon!
"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.
It's just gilding the lily anyway. The canyon does not need a skywalk, and neither do you.
Uhhhhhhh... Dentmore? Sorry, No Vacancy!
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!
First the sky is not really blue it is due to the our atmosphere and the reflection of blue due to water. Second the Tribe does not charge 25.00 the maker of the horseshoe looking thing do...But I have seen many people that charge parking in there yard for special events etc... Why shouldn't the Tribe do the same. You would if people wanted to walk through your backyard and would pay to do it.
In Norway we built one for free, take a look at it:
free skywalk
Indians lost the battle against the white man. They should integrate into our society and stop acting like they do not have a chance in the USA. They are given privileges for getting into College and to help them out through life, should they really get these extras freebies in life?
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.
For those that said I am racist, you know nothing about me. Maybe I am also Indian; did you stop and think about that?
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.
The Grand Canyon is a NATURAL wonder. Anyone who would travel to stand on an ugly man-made platform stuck on the edge of such raw and powerful beauty deserves to get ripped off worse than $75+.
Indians have one hell of a short stick. Stuck on a reservation, attending shitty schools, surrounded by drunks, and with no escape in sight. It's one of the most depressing places you can grow up.
That being said, 50$ for being on your land is a bit much. Though there is no price on blood, is there.
yeah, get a big honkin' suv and tear up the natural wilderness. kill some buffalo and don't use every part. yee-hah!!!
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 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?
Funniest comments thread ever!
@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:
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, 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). 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.
It was dusty. Boohoo. Preserving nature sucks when you have to pay $75 dollars for it. You are willing to pay native americans but all th other shit (buffet, petting zoo) were a total ripoff. WTF are you thinking believing wikipedia anyways? A simple phone call could have saved you and the internet a lot of bullshit.
oh yeah, you also get "bat-shit point" for that $75.
what ever you say coldwar23....i'll be back. muhahahaha
@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.
I'm just kidding. I'm really a lesbian.
...that loves the red ones.
Kate yes you got me because you used a common tool as a travel agent. It does not take much for you to feel as if you accomplished something but simple things please simple minds
With people like you around, it doesn't take much for me to realize that I'm better than most everyone else.
Done too many lousy buffet's Gone down to many dusty roads I want clean napkins, and silverware a pretty smile to fill my plate. The world hasn't changed. The people haven't changed. It's just the time, and the place. Ya know.....I always thought that Mystery Spot was neat.
Kate go back to the reservation and figure out another way to deceive people.
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
Kate so keep blowing smoke up everyone's ass about how you are not part of Skywalk and/or the reservation because anyone with a clue knows better.
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.
This site looks fine in Opera. Why is anyone complaining?
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... $149.95 Sheat shirts and pants... $83 Park entrance... $25 Freedom to walk to the edge of the Grand Canyon... PRICELESS!!!
What gives? Someone went to Vegas/Nevada AND GOT RIPPED OFF. Call the feds ma parker and run to the hills!!!! Come on guys, I was in Vegas four years ago and did the Grand Canyon to Guano Point in a plane and bus. Cost $300 for my ex and I to do it. Was it expensive? No. Did we get to see one of the natural wonders of the world? Yes. Were the facilities at the viewing point fantastic? No. Was it worth the money. Yes. You still got to see somthing amazing and if you didn't get the right price before going then thats not the attraction owners fault. If it had been there 4 years ago andit was an extra $75 to go out on it then I definatly would have. Your only there once......
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.
P.S. The website also warns about the unpaved, rough road.
Stupid bugs in Opera? You're kidding me.... I'm using it every day instead of Firefox and Internet Explorer (both of which are slow and bloated in comparison), and it goes serveral months between each time I'm hindered by anything such as application bugs. Try it yourself and I'm sure you'll agree!
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.
We went to the Skywalk the first Saturday it opened and had a wonderful experience. A number of the things mentioned in this review are blatently false. I had no trouble finding the actual cost of admission beforehand and was fully prepared before I went for the price and dirt road drive. The buses they used were nice tour buses and not school buses. Also the buses run constantly so the picture of the bus line he has posted would have taken about 15 minutes to get through, not an hour.
He didn't really read through the tribe's website before going and hardly participated in any of the activities he paid for. It seems more than unfair to be angry at the tribe because he didn't have the correct information ahead of time and didn't get his money's worth. It was his own fault. People's reviews are often tainted by their own attitudes. If you are determined to be disappointed...you will be. I think that was the case here.
If you are interested in a different opinion, I have copied my review below which I wrote up for a user group:
After the drive from Palmdale to Arizona, we started the trip at the Grand Canyon. We opted to check out the brand new Grand Canyon Skywalk on the Hualapai Indian Reservation.
In general, I was pleasantly surprised by the whole Grand Canyon West experience. I was prepared for things to be a little unorganized and rough, but that couldn't have been farther from the truth. The road out there is truly 14 miles of washboard dirt road, however it really wasn't that bad as long as you didn't try to go 40 MPH on it. We had no trouble in our rented sedan. The drive is through a beautiful patch of Joshua Trees which was very cool. The scenery headed out there was very pretty.
When we got there, they had set up a second parking lot as their main lot couldn't accomodate all of the cars. They were shuttling folks from the remote lot to the main welcome center pretty seamlessly. The welcome center is little more than a counter to purchase your package for the day and a gift shop. There was quite a line to buy packages, but it moved very quickly. They also had a cash only line inside the gift shop which hardly anyone knew about, so bring cash if you can. We purchased our package within 5 minutes of arriving thanks to the cash only line.
The buses to shuttle you out to the various point were very clean and nice...I was honestly expecting old school buses. The drivers were very friendly and there was plenty of staff around to help you out, answer questions or just take pictures for you. Our first stop was at the Skywalk at the Eagle Point stop. The whole process of getting from the bus and out to the skywalk was very well organized and easy. They are checking cameras right before you walk out to the skywalk, but it was done very quickly. I expected to be pretty disappointed that I couldn't take pictures out there, but truthfully I ended up being thankful that I wasn't out there with a bunch of folks taking pictures. I think it really would have muddled things up out there. Also, if I'm honest, there was nothing to really take a picture of while on the skywalk that you couldn't take from the viewpoint right next to it after I got my camera back. Also, I had no trouble keeping my cell phone in my pocket, so I did snap a couple pictures of our feet walking on the glass with that.
The experience of walking on the Skywalk itself was kind of cool. The clear glass runs down the center and there is frosted glass on the sides. Everyone stepped out onto it by avoiding the clear glass and stepping onto the frosted glass. It was funny to watch since it was essentially the same glass. A man came on with a wheelchair and actually made every effort to immediatly wheel himself onto the frosted glass right away. I don't think most people were even aware they were doing it. From there folks would slowly start to let go of the sides and step out into the middle. You do eventually lose all perspective of how high up you really are. It was a pretty view and a fun experience, but the best part was really the experience with all of the other people. There was definitely a camraderie out there. I think that's why the camera thing didn't bum me out much, it would have changed the dynamic and interaction with everyone else. We were allowed to take our time and stay out there as long as we wanted. It was great.
Eagle Point also has a village of recreated Native American structures which was really interesting to see and the views of the canyon from the areas next to the Skywalk were amazing. If you have one person in your group who doesn't want to walk on the Skywalk, they will definitely still have things to see and do at the stop while you walk out there.
From there we hopped the shuttle to Guano Point for lunch and for a different view of the canyon. This area is a truly amazing spot to view the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. We were hungry, so we decided to eat first. They were busy so we had to wait about 20 minutes in line, which didn't seem all that bad to me but the staff was extremely apologetic that we had to wait so long. They said they were streamlining the food service to make things run more quickly in the future. The food was very good too. I'm a vegetarian so they were happy to give me some extra beans in place of the chicken or beef. They even checked to see if they had any extra fry bread from their own lunch around for me. It was very sweet. In fact all of the staff we encountered were sincerely friendly and helpful. They seemed to have a lot of ownership and pride in the place and really seemed to want us to have a good experience.
They have a permenant tarp in place so there are plenty of tables in the shade to sit and eat. Very nicely done. After we ate, I hiked out to Guano Point which is a peak connected to the main area by a land bridge. The hike to the top was definitely the highlight of my day. It was a bit challenging, but the view was well worth it. Indescribable. The hike back down was harrowing, but fun. Parents, don't let your kids hike out there alone. This is really undeveloped land and they shouldn't be running around unsupervised. If you tripped in the wrong spot on the way back down, you really could go right over the edge.
We finished up at Guano Point with a little shopping from the many vendors set up next to the bus pick-up. Lots of traditional Native American jewelry and various other small items.
We decided to skip the final stop to the Ranch and Cowboy Village. It seemed a little more touristy than what we were interested in (petting zoo, gunfight recreations...etc.) We headed back to our car and took the bumpy ride back out completely impressed with the day. We heard that there had been around 2,000 - 2,500 people there on Saturday, but you would have never known it. Considering the tribe averaged 700 visitors a day before the Skywalk opened, they are handling the increased traffic remarkably well. I would definitely recommend visiting there, even if you had no interest in walking on the Skywalk. It was just a great way to see the Grand Canyon and not deal with all of the traffic and crowds of South Rim.
If you want to see any pictures of the day (including the dirt road, all of the stops, and the sneaky cameraphone Skywalk pictures) I have them on Flickr here:
http://flickr.com/photos/heather_on_the_go/tags/hualapai/
"tourism is pretty much that band's sole source of income"
Well, murder is pretty much my sole source of income, I hope you don't mind me making a living. Would you want my children to starve?
Dave, tourism is an established industry that many cities rely on for income. Murder, especially for hire, is one of the worst actions a human being can commit. Drawing any similarity between them is a logical fallacy.
everything I've seen about the Skywalk has said it would be $75 to get out ot it so I don't know why so many people are getting "duped"?...
@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. said he even saw several people with flat tires because of the road.
I love this country... people have deep pockets to spend on these things. If you have a slightly higher IQ to save and watch the others spending their money, you can become really rich here... ☺
If it were white people pulling this crap, some government organization would be all over them I'm sure. There'd be lots of negative press coverage, pressure from the left to make it accessible to poor people by lowering the price, etc.
But the Indians are a protected minorty (aren't they all) so white folks have to eat sh*t again
I hereby nominate Native Americans as the ethnicity most skilled at screwing up tourist attractions. Why? Because Indian casinos suck and stereotypes save time.
Thanks for the review.
What a way to make money... i understand they are poor but this is BS. good luck Native Americans ! cause i aint paying 75 dlls.
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.
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.
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!!)
If you did not get your ticket online, the wait was very long; in some cases, over an hour.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"I have been told by many, they do not like non-native Americans, which is their right."
I was born in America .That makes me a native American, even if I'm white.
And why is it ok for the tribespeople to be racist but not for white people?
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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