The Grand Canyon Skywalk has you standing nearly 4,000ft above the Colorado River. But its perhaps not as scary as some travellers may anticipate.
What is the Grand Canyon Skywalk?
The Grand Canyon Skywalk is a large viewing platform on Hualapai Indian land at Grand Canyon West. It is horseshoe-shaped, made of glass, and juts out high above the canyon.
You can book the Grand Canyon Skywalk experience as part of your Grand Canyon West admission ticket, or tackle it as part of a day tour from Las Vegas.
If going the independent travel route, the best time to visit the Grand Canyon Skywalk is in the morning, which is easier if you stay overnight in the Cabins at Grand Canyon West.
How high is the Grand Canyon Skywalk?
The section of the Grand Canyon immediately below the Grand Canyon Skywalk is 500ft to 800ft down. The Colorado River at the base of the canyon, meanwhile, is nearly 4,000ft lower than the Skywalk.
The Skywalk juts out 70ft from the land at Eagle Point, cantilevered to keep it in place.
Scariness of the Grand Canyon Skywalk
How scary you find the Grand Canyon Skywalk will largely depend on how big your fear of heights is. For a comparison point, I’m in the category of not liking heights but able to steel myself to cope with them. Make me look down from a tall building, and I will get a somewhat nauseous feeling inside.
I found the Grand Canyon Skywalk OK, fear factor wise. It helped that I was looking at the horizon for much of the time, and that the Skywalk doesn’t jut immediately over the Colorado River. The canyon drops in stages.
When I looked between my legs down through the glass, I found myself more wowed by the view than scared.
Is the Grand Canyon Skywalk suitable for children?
I took my two children – aged 10 and 7 – on the Grand Canyon Skywalk. Neither of them seemed at all perturbed. However, your mileage may vary, and if your child has a notable aversion to heights, you may have difficulty persuading them to set foot on the glass.
More Grand Canyon travel information
Other Grand Canyon travel articles on Planet Whitley look at whether it’s worth doing a Grand Canyon day trip from Sedona, the best route from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon and tackling the Hermit Road without taking the shuttle bus.
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