March 21, 2007 | Any ‘80s movie buff remembers Harrison Ford taking the leap of faith into the void above an endless chasm in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Thanks to some special effects, Ford lands squarely on an “invisible” bridge. Starting March 28, Grand Canyon Tourists with nerves of steal can now take their own leap of faith via the newly-completed Grand Canyon Skywalk. Hanging 4,000 feet (that’s more than three Empire State Buildings) above the canyon floor, and 70 feet out beyond the rim, the all-glass, open-air skywalk has been labeled an engineering marvel.

Las Vegas business mogul David Jin raised the reported $30 million needed for the project, but the ownership and management of the platform will go to the Hualapai Indians, whose reservation spans roughly a million acres along the western rim of the Grand Canyon. “The Skywalk is owned by the Hualapai and David will receive a portion of the profits in exchange for giving it to them,” Amanda Hill, PR Executive for Destination Grand Canyon told Outside Online.

On Tuesday, Hualapai leaders inaugurated the platform by walking out for the first time in an opening celebration, along with former Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, known for his historic first steps on the moon, Native American Astronaut John Herrington, and hundreds of invited guests. “The ceremony began with a tribal welcome and blessing by the Hualapai,” Hill told Outside Online, “followed by the ‘First Walk’ in which Buzz Aldrin, John Herrington, tribal leaders, and David Jin met in the middle of the Skywalk and spoke to the assembled media.”

Construction on the platform, located at Canyon’s West Eagle Point, began in March 2004 and has been surrounded by environmental controversy ever since.

“When we have so much poverty and so much unemployment, we have to do something,” Sheri Yellowhawk, a formal tribal councilwoman overseeing the project, told the Associated Press. Yellowhawk told Outside Online in January 2006 that the bridge, “will allow people to see the canyon in a nonpolluting, non-motorized, unobtrusive way.”

Jo Johnson, co-director of the Boulder, Colorado-based environmental protection nonprofit River Runners for Wilderness, does not agree.

“It’s a Disneyland approach to one of the world’s most glorious natural wonders,” he told Outside Online in early 2006. “I understand the tribe’s need from an economic view, but the point should be to see nature on its own terms.”

The Skywalk was rolled out over the canyon’s edge earlier in the month and attached to steal foundations drilled into the canyon wall. The structure was subjected to days of testing and according to the Destination Grand Canyon Web site, destinationgrandcanyon.com

Architect Mark Johnson told the AP that the Skywalk can withstand up to 100 mph winds and the observation area is equipped with shock absorbers to keep it from bouncing when walked on. According to the official Skywalk Web site, only 120 people will be allowed to cross the walkway at a time, and visitors will be issued shoe covers to prevent scratching the glass floor.

The bridge is slated to open to the public on March 28 and viewing will cost $25 dollars.

According to the Skywalk Web site, the site will include a three-story, 6,000-square-foot visitors center complete with a museum, movie theatre, VIP lounge, gift shop, and several restaurants, including a high-end rooftop café. Although construction on the center has not begun, Hill told Outside Online that the project is slated for completion in 2008.

For more information on the construction and opening of the Skywalk, go to grandcanyonskywalk.com

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