World video travel guide

News • Nevada • United States • 2012-02-14

Grand Canyon West Reflects Back and Looks Forward on its 24th Anniversary with Record Setting Year Destination has Grown from Averaging 15 Visitors Per Day to Over 2,000 in 2011

Grand Canyon West, home of the world-famous Grand Canyon Skywalk, celebrates its 24th Anniversary today. When the destination opened in 1988, only a single airline, Adventure Airlines, brought visitors that averaged a modest 15 people per day. In 2011, Grand Canyon West had the most visitors to date at over 750,000 (over 2,000 per day) arriving to Grand Canyon West by not only airplane, but helicopter, coach, van, Hummer and car.

The first group to Grand Canyon West was 30 British tourists arriving in several Cessna airplanes that landed on a small dirt runway. After landing, the group was greeted by Hualapai members, boarded a school bus and was taken to Guano Point for lunch on the rim. Guano Point, at the time, had only a barbeque, a steel guano mine tram tower covered in an old parachute for shelter and an incredible view of the Grand Canyon and Colorado River. Today, visitors still eat just feet from the canyon’s edge at Guano Point that now has a full service eating area complete with outdoor seating along the rim and still the most amazing view.

As Grand Canyon West air traffic continued to grow, the Hualapai Tribe paved the dirt airstrip in the late 1997. Soon after, visitors started arriving via ground transportation as well. Over the past two years, Grand Canyon West has added new guest facilities totaling nearly 20,000 square feet – doubling the previous amount of space – as well as opening a 5,000-foot long runway with adjacent helipads. The airport has become one of the busiest airports in Arizona and Grand Canyon West has become one of the most popular daytrips from Las Vegas and for those traveling on Route 66 in Arizona.

About Hualapai Tourism: Grand Canyon Resort Corporation, which is wholly owned and operated by the Hualapai Nation, manages Grand Canyon West, Hualapai River Runners (whitewater rafting), and the Hualapai Lodge. Grand Canyon West is a collection of viewpoints and attractions spread over 9000 acres of the Grand Canyon’s West Rim in Northwest Arizona, just 120 miles east of Las Vegas, N evada. Grand Canyon West is the only place in the Canyon where visitors can access a boat ride on the Colorado River via helicopter and is home to the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a glass walkway 4000 ft above the canyon floor. The site attractions are: Guano Point, with panoramic canyon views and the historic guano mine tram; Eagle Point, the location of the Grand Canyon Skywalk, the Native American Village with authentic dwellings of multiple tribes, and live Native American performances; and The Hualapai Ranch, a western town with cowboy entertainment, horseback riding, wagon rides and overnight cabins facing the Canyon rim. Private cars are welcome or all inclusive tours are available from Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Sedona by airplane, helicopter, coach, SUV, and Hummer. The Hualapai Lodge on Historic Route 66 and Grand Canyon West are open daily 365 days a year. Hualapai River Runners, the only one-day whitewater raft trip through the Grand Canyon, operates March – October. Visitors can view a complete list of activities, book reservations, and get directions at www.grandcanyonwest.com or by calling 1-888-868-9378 - internationally at (001)-928-769-2636.

RSS • All news