The way it was explained is that they don’t want you taking anything of any weight or that might be either tempting to toss over the rail just to watch it fall, and no cameras or cell phones because anything metal has the potential to damage the glass walkway. I didn’t get the feeling they’re worried about it breaking and dropping people to a horrid death, but more concerned about scratches, etc. That’s the reason you lose your shoes and wear hospital slippers out there.
Yeah, I only got around to visiting it a couple of years ago. I was expecting it to be nice, but nothing that stirring ( which is why I hadn’t bothered the other couple of times I drove through the vicinity ). I was wrong. It’s much more impressive in person.
The first day I actually and truly drove around the South Rim, stopping at the various overlooks, while playing Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ on my car stereo. It was entirely appropriate.
One of the best things about visiting either rim is that you get the whole impact in one shot. It’s not like a mountain where you see it in the distance and it just gets bigger as you get close. There’s just some nice forests (depending which way you’re coming from) and the park gate, then you park the car, walk past a couple buildings, and there it is. What’s even stranger is I’ve driven around the east end, and there’s nothing to see, just a river and a bridge. It would be an interesting rafting trip from there. I guess the water goes down, the land goes up, and a hundred miles later you’ve really got something. I would recommend someone get their first look at it from the rim, just for that impact of seeing it all at once.
One of the worst things about visiting the rim is that the hiking the opposite of most places. If you’re hiking in the mountain and you get tired, you can turn around and walk downhill back to your car. By the time you get tired in the canyon, you’re in trouble. There were signs that said “down is optional, up is mandatory”.
I heard a good phrase once: “It’s the kind of awesome from before “awesome” could be used to describe pizza.”
The Grand Canyon itself is nice; how wonderful it is for you depends on you. Responses range from soul-quenching to wondering where the lemonade stand is.
The Skywalk is overrated. It’s true you can’t take pictures (specifically, you can’t take your camera out with you) but even from an experience standpoint it is not very different from standing on the rim anywhere. At almost any point along the GC you can walk right up to an edge and look down to your heart’s content.
Notice, for instance, at the end of this promotional video, that the Hualapai chap seems to be having as rich an experience just sitting on the edge as anyone out on the walk. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvzlZuWrJNw
Be aware there is not much at the Skywalk besides the Skywalk.
Wouldn’t taking your mobile phones off you be a breach of one of those rights you have? And the Sky Walk owners shouldn’t have the rights to the views from their facility, should they?
There is no right to enter their land or their facility. If you want to go in there, you have to follow their rules. What possible right is there to have a cell phone on you at all times on private property?
[afraid of heights]
Excuse me while I curl up on the ground and whimper.
[/afraid of heights]
No. It doesn’t breach any rights, and it doesn’t break any laws. They are saying ‘If you want to walk on this thing we’ve built, you can’t bring your own possessions out here or take any pictures’. You then choose to accept the deal or not. The only slight problem I had with this is that they keep very, very quiet about it. So it’s perfectly possible to sign up for a tour, including Sky Walk, and not be aware of the rules until you get there. Bear in mind that many people sign up when they are a long way away, e.g. staying at a hotel in Vegas. It doesn’t matter to some people, but I’m a keen photographer and in some cases - although this was not one of them - I could well decide not to go if I know I won’t be able to use my camera.
This question doesn’t even arise, given the first question. Whether they own the rights to the view from their Walk is rather an abstruse legal point, but it’s moot. You can’t get any photos from your visit except the ‘official’ ones they take of you, and that you can then buy at the souvenir place.
All that having been said, I do happen to have some shots that show the view from the actual Sky Walk itself. But I’m not saying how I got them. As a magician, it’s my job to know how to do impossible things.
I liked the Grand Canyon. I also liked (for different experiences) Zion Canyon and one you seldom hear about, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Montana.
When we were at the Grand Canyon, some people were horsing around on the rail right at the edge of an overlook. My mom brought it to the attention of a park ranger, and he yelled at them to knock it off. My mom expressed worry that they might do it again after the ranger left, and he said, essentially, that the the railing is not the problem – the canyon is so vast they don’t try to fence it all off or prevent people from falling in. He said every spring they send around a helicopter to recover a few bodies, if people noted where they fell. 
IMHO, the “best” view from the rim is at Toroweap (aka Tuweep). It’s not a spot for the casual visitor, though. Anyone wanting to visit should heed the warnings on the NPS website.
I agree. You can walk right to the edge of a 3000 foot shear drop. No railing, so that might give you a thrill. The Main Street route is much the more scenic way to get there.
That would be in Colorado.
Anyone want to do a bungee jump off that skywalk?
Last time I was in the SW, on a visit to another natural attraction, our guide indicated that when asked about the GC he advises people to skip the Skywalk and refers them to other viewing points.
I’ve been there twice. It’s a biiiiig hole in the ground. It’s also one of the most beautiful and fascinating places on our planet.
I admit that it must be a very different perspective. I’ve never seen it from the top, but I’ve seen everything from Lee’s ferry to Diamond Creek at the bottom. I find it hard to believe that you could see the whole thing at once from anywhere, and nothing beats waking up with it on both sides every morning.
What they charge just to walk on it would pay for a jump at many locations.
Well, you can’t see the entire canyon, but the part you can see is laid out in front of you in very short order as you approach the rim. I’ve never seen anything else that’s so spectacular, but so hidden. From a quarter-mile away, you wouldn’t even know it’s there.
Sleeping at the bottom is a rare treat, not to mention hot meals and a shower, but I knew that when I got up I had a long walk in front of me[sup]*[/sup], which tempers the amazement and grandeur just a bit.
- 17 hours, as it turned out.
My wife and I have been on the Skywalk and felt it wasn’t worth the money. The views from almost right next to it are much more impressive.
The Grand Canyon itself is breathtaking and absolutely worth visiting, IMHO.