Imagine seeing the Grand Canyon the way a bird sees it without stepping foot on a plane or a helicopter. Instead, you venture out on a platform stretching out from the canyon wall. The difference is this platform is made of glass, putting the Grand Canyon under your feet, literally. Taking a bus tour from Las Vegas gives you the chance to take in this modern marvel while exploring the varied landscapes of Nevada and Arizona along the way.

Hualapai Tourism

Skywalk is the creation of the Hualapai people and sits on tribal land. Grand Canyon West is not part of Grand Canyon National Park and is roughly a 250-mile drive from the South Rim. The Hualapai operate their own tour company, Grand Canyon West. It oversees the Skywalk and runs a hotel, gift shop and restaurant in the town of Peach Springs, the tribal headquarters. Various tour packages are offered that allow visitors a chance to experience Native American culture, go whitewater rafting on the Colorado River, visit the Hualapai Ranch and experience Skywalk.

About the Skywalk

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin was the first nonnative person to walk across the Skywalk. Steel provides the framework for the horseshoe shaped structure that juts out 70 feet from the canyon wall and roughly 4,000 feet above the canyon floor. The sides and floor are glass. Visitors put on special booties before venturing out on the surface. The booties provide better traction and protect the glass from scratches. Your first step into thin air is the hardest. It is a bit unnerving to see the canyon under your feet. As you venture out to the curve in the horseshoe, you’ll find unmatched views of the Grand Canyon. Special lockers at the Skywalk entrance are provided for you to store personal items including cameras. Photos may be taken from the rim of the canyon, but not from the Skywalk. Professional photographers are on-site to take memento photographs, available after your walk. Children are allowed, as long as they can walk Skywalk on their own.

Las Vegas Skywalk Bus Tour Operators

Various Las Vegas tour operators offer sightseeing tours that include a visit to the Skywalk. The West Rim is only a 2.5-hour drive from Las Vegas, closer than the rest of the Grand Canyon. Paradise Found Tours offers the Grand Canyon Skywalk Tour, a 10-hour adventure that includes photo-op visits to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. Grayline offers its 12-hour Grand Canyon West Rim Motor Coach Tour with Skywalk Tickets. The tour route takes you through the Joshua Tree Forrest. Airbridge Tours also has a 12-hour West Rim Bus Tour, with the Grand Canyon Skywalk offered as an upgrade. Average time at the West Rim for all tour operators is four hours, and lunch is included. Transportation from major Las Vegas hotels is included. All visitors transfer to the Grand Canyon West shuttle system for visiting the Skywalk and other points of interest on tribal lands.

Papillon -- Skywalk Tours by Bus, Boat and Air

Papillon is best known for its swooping helicopter rides above and into the Grand Canyon. The firm offers its own Grand Canyon West Rim Bus Tour with Skywalk. An option to add a helicopter ride and a pontoon boat cruise is available. The bus-only tour is 12.5 hours, while the tour with the helicopter and the boat take 13. Both include Las Vegas hotel pickup, photo ops at Hoover Dam, a drive through the Joshua Tree Forest, tickets for the Skywalk, a visit to the Hualapai Ranch and lunch. The helicopter ride takes you into the Grand Canyon from the West Rim before taking you back to Hualapai lands. The 12- to 20-minute pontoon boat ride zips down the Colorado River at the base of the Grand Canyon.

About the Author

Monica Wachman is a former editor and writer for FishersTravelSOS, EasyRez.com and Bonsai Ireland. She has an AA degree in travel from Career Com Technical and is an avid RV buff and gardener. In 2014, she published "Mouschie and the Big White Box" about an RV trip across North America.

Photo Credits

  • Ethan Miller/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
SHARE