TimeOut

Eagle Point (PART1)

 

After Hualapai Ranch ( timeout.watchprosite.com   ) and Guano Point ( timeout.watchprosite.com ) our last destination of our tour at the Grand Canyon West is Eagle Point.  Here's a clip of us driving from the ticket/check point into the area:




The roads coming into here were unpaved so it was nice to have some good roads to drive on.  Certain areas were really dusty and bumpy. Left is Guano Point, Eagle point straight ahead!

Here's a video I made so that you can see how wide and vast the Canyon is, it's pretty amazing!

***For optimal viewing, click on settings and select 1080p for HD playback***


Saw this bird hanging around a wooden pole with a image of a bird etched into it!



A video of a bird in flight, must be so cool soaring around the Canyon:



Too bad it's not an eagle but still made for an interesting set of shots:

Why is this particular place called Eagle Point?  Well from the pic below, there is a large area of the natural formation rocks in one of the valleys that clearly resemble a majestic Eagle with it's wings and tail showing!  Specifically the landmark you see as you look east is called Eagle Rock.   It's almost unreal to see this and it's even more impressive with the beauty of the Canyon in the background:

Eagle Point is famous for their landmark, the Skywalk!  Open to the public in 2007, the Skywalk is a horse shoe/circular shaped bridge that extends 70 feet out over the Grand Canyon West.  The floors of the bridge has a clear glass in the center of the walkway to see the Canyon floor below.  Those that are acrophobic can walk along the sides to see the 4,700+ foot drop to the bottom.  Here's a pano of the Skywalk with views of Eagle Point:

As you might of noticed, there are no guard rails around most places at Grand Canyon West!  You can get right up to the edge and some even dared to sit over the rocks.  You can see out for miles and as I noted with the Guano Point post, the colors change as the sun sets and rises.





Sa Nyu Wa is the Tribal corporation that owns the Skywalk:

The Skywalk was built to withstand an 8.0 earthquake and the high winds that come into the Canyon.  While it can handle a high load, for safety only 120 guests can stand out on the bridge at one time.

They are constantly building so there are a few areas that are boarded up or incomplete.  Not sure what they plan to do with the gated area on the left but as more and more people come here to visit, I'm sure they got something planned.

Some people say that the Skywalk is a tourist trap and or complain about the fees to come out here.  If you do come out here you should know that they do not allow you to take your own pics if you are out on the Skywalk!  They make you go thru a metal detector and wear covers for your shoes as to not scratch the viewing glass.  The Hualapai have their own photographers that takes the pic which you can purchase at the gift shop. This is probably the biggest criticism of the Skywalk but I guess it is the best way for them to recoup their investment and pay to upgrade the roads.  A few months ago they had a huge dispute with the owner of the nearby ranch over the roads going in and out of the area.  Hopefully they get it all sorted out and that everyone is happy.

At the Skywalk bridge, it was funny to see some of the adults freaking out while the kids were running around like it was no big deal.  For me, I used to rock climb and having been up on many multi-pitch climbs, it wasn't a problem for me to be near the edge of the cliff or looking down.  But no doubt, it's a long long way down!

While we did not eat here, they do offer a simple plate lunch menu, drinks, and desserts.  As I mentioned before, the food out here is not very good so don't expect much when you are visiting.  In the back is a gift shop with the usual offerings of tshirts, mugs, magnets, and Hualapai/American Indian arts and crafts.

-MW

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