Reviews mixed on Grand Canyon Skywalk

HUALAPAI, Ariz., April 10 (UPI) -- Two weeks after opening, the Hualapai Indians' breath-taking glass-bottomed Skywalk over the western Grand Canyon is drawing mixed reviews.

The horseshoe-shaped walkway loops out 70 feet from the edge of the canyon, and visitors walk on 3-inch glass 4,000 feet above the canyon floor. The $30 million project opened on March 28, and tribal officials hope it draws thousands of visitors a year to their isolated and impoverished reservation of 2,000 members 120 miles southeast of Las Vegas, the Christian Science Monitor reported Tuesday.

It costs $50 to enter the reservation, and $25 for a 20-minute foray onto the Skywalk, but not everyone thinks it's a good idea, including Robert Arnberger, a retired superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park.

"I'm not trying to denigrate their need, but this is designed to provide a thrill of being able to walk over the edge," Arnberger said. "The Grand Canyon deserves special care by everyone responsible for it."

Many older Hualapai said they consider their piece of the Grand Canyon holy and are unhappy with the project, the newspaper said.