Hello fellow wanderers!
Grand Canyon. When you hear those two words, most people instantly think of the South Rim or even the North Rim. Most people do not even know that a West Rim exists. Grand Canyon West, however, is not part of the National Park system. It is owned and operated by the Hualapai (wal-lah-pie) Nation.
The entrance fee paid to the Hualapai Nation is $45 per person. This fee includes entry to Eagle Point, Guano Point, hop-on / hop-off shuttle and self guided tour. During our stay in Laughlin we had family with us that had never seen the Grand Canyon or Arizona so we decided to take them to the West Rim since it was only a couple of hours away.
Chris and I had visited the West Rim a few times back in the 2000's when we lived in Las Vegas. Back then, you could drive right up to the rim of the canyon, get out and walk around. There was nothing touristy about the West Rim and you had to make it over a 20 mile dirt road to get there. On occasion, a native member might have been sitting on a chair on the side of the road to collect $20 from you as you approached the canyon.
Today, Grand Canyon West is completely different. You pay to enter and then hop on a shuttle after you are pushed through their visitor center and gift shop. The shuttle's first stop is Eagle Point. This is where the famous Skywalk is located which is an additional $23 per person. Otherwise, you can just walk around and check out the Native Village and you might catch a Native Dance Show on stage. We were there in March and the restaurants were still closed or had limited food service due to the pandemic. Once you are finished here, you hop on the shuttle and head over to Guano Point. This is a much better view of the canyon and you can explore the old Guano Mine. After this stop, you shuttle back to your car.
If you choose to go on the Skywalk, you are not allowed to take anything personal out there with you. You will be forced to put all personal belongings into a locker, this includes phones, cameras, wallets, etc., basically anything that can fall and potentially hurt the glass bottom or fall into the canyon. You will be required to walk through a metal detector prior to going out on the Skywalk.
They do have photographers on the walk. If you want to pay for photos, you stay in the line to the right. If you do not want photos, you enter the walk on the left. We paid for photos which in my opinion, you have to do the Skywalk once so why not indulge in the photos for keepsake. The photos for the full package was $69 and we got about 14 photos in the package. Otherwise, it is $17 per photo.
We have heard other YouTubers say "I'm not wasting my money going on the Skywalk" or "I cannot believe they charge to do that" and several other comments pertaining to not going. First of all, you are supporting the Hualapai Nation. Second, why go to the Grand Canyon West if you have no plans of going on the Skywalk. Truly, this is the only reason why you would go, in my opinion. So go and support the Hualapai Nation and get your photos for proof and memories! We had family with us and we got individual photos and group photos and we paid the $69 for the package and got them digitally so that we could share. Please visit at least once if you are in the area and support the Hualapai Nation.
The Grand Canyon West is a once and done type of attraction for me. I will not go back after this visit. We went, we did it all and that is good enough for me. Keep in mind, you can cruise along Route 66 on your way up to the canyon for additional wandered off fun.
Our Grand Canyon West video is up on our Wandered Off YouTube channel. We hope you watch, subscribe and like our videos.
Thanks so much for wandering off to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon with us!
Chris and Brandi
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