Over 35 million people visit Las Vegas most years, many of them looking for things to do not only along the Las Vegas Strip, but beyond.
Every other year for the past decade or so we have been to Henderson, just outside Las Vegas, to visit cousin Carolyn. After the obligatory let’s-go-to-a-casino-until-we-lose-our-$20, we look for other things to see and do.
We’ve seen Hoover Dam and Lake Meade. Took a driving tour around Red Rock Canyon. Been to countless shopping centers and malls. Enjoyed the prime rib at Lawry’s. Saw a few shows, including the iconic Cirque du Soleil.
Near the top of my want-to list has always been the Grand Canyon, the place where the word breathtaking must have been first used. The South Rim is about 4 ½ hours from Henderson, so every year the decision is made to “maybe go next year.”
Then Carolyn during our November visit this year suggested we consider the West Rim, which is just a little over two hours from Henderson, the closest side of the immense Grand Canyon to Vegas.
The Grand Canyon West Rim in northern Arizona did not disappoint. The entire Grand Canyon is a mile or so deep, 277 miles long and 18 miles wide, with 1,904 square miles of it being Grand Canyon National Park. If the South Rim in the park is that much more impressive than the West Rim, my mind can’t comprehend it.
SLIDESHOW: A day at Grand Canyon West Rim, November, 2022
Highlights? There are so many. For about 15 minutes on our trip to the West Rim, I stood on the Skywalk, a horseshoe-shaped glass bridge – yes, the floor and wall are solid glass – that extends 70 feet over the rim of the Grand Canyon. It is 10 feet wide. It is 4,000 feet above the canyon floor. Yep, nothing between me and a three-quarter mile plummet to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and certain death but a few inches of glass.
It was great, quite the adrenaline rush, but I have done it once and won’t do it again. No lover of heights, I asked one of the guides if they have many earthquakes in that part of Arizona, as I eased toward the exit.
Anyway, I highly recommend that when your $20 is gone at the casino, you take a trip to the Grand Canyon West Rim.
Besides the Skywalk, there is a zipline – if you like zipping along at 50 miles per hour, 1,000 feet above the canyon floor – Colorado River rapids rides, culture, heritage, food and plenty of history, but none more impressive than the Grand Canyon views.
I will never forget walking along the unfenced rim of the canyon, daring to get close enough to the edge and its 4,000-foot drop straight down to get a good photo. I didn’t have my Canon R6 and lenses, but I did have my cell phone, and the photos accompany this column. The landscape is so special, even an iPhone 13 can capture magical photos.
Grand Canyon West is not part of the park, it is federal land sitting atop the Hualapai Indian Reservation. The Hualapai own the West Rim and all of the venues on it, and you can immerse yourself in the culture and heritage of the tribe and their ancestral bands.
There is so much to do, including hunting, fishing and river rafting opportunities. The Hualapai sell guided big-game hunting permits for desert bighorn sheep, trophy elk, antelope and mountain lion. The Hualapai River Runners, the only Indian-owned and operated river rafting company on the Colorado River, offers one and two-day trips.
Quite a change from generations ago, when the Hualapai’s ancestral homelands consisted of over seven million acres. The traditional lands begin at the Little Colorado River, continuing downstream through the entire Grand Canyon, with the lower 108 miles of the Grand Canyon the Hualapai Reservation. Some of the tribe’s lands are still not open to the public.
The history of the Hualapai is fascinating. In 1883, the Hualapai were relocated to one million acres of ancestral lands, with the 108 miles of northern border along the Grand Canyon.
The Hualapai people pulled themselves out of poverty and thrive today due to tourism.
The tribe’s culture and traditions are on display. A self-guided tour through Eagle Point’s Native American Village shows you how Indigenous peoples actually lived with traditionally built housing, earthen ovens and sweat lodges. You can hear the Bird Singers of the Hualapai Tribe, and displays are everywhere, adding a nice touch of history to the awesome views. There is no shortage of souvenirs, either.
More than 1,600 people live here, with 1,353 of them tribal members. As a sovereign Indian nation, the tribe is self-sufficient.
Nearly a million people visit Grand Canyon West each year. During our visit I took a short hike along the rim and up a butte to get an elevated view of the canyon. I can’t adequately describe the view, you’d have to see it to believe it. I guess what stands out the most is the immensity of the canyon and its steep, rock walls as far as you can see. The little brown ribbon at the bottom of it is the Colorado River, three-quarters of a mile straight down. When the sun gets low in the west, the colors of those rock walls change from browns to reds. God did a good job on this project.
The Hualapai did a good job, too. There is one road in and out of Grand Canyon West. They haul water from 200 miles away along that road. Generators produce the venue’s electricity because there are no power lines.
Admission was $64, and it is well worth the price. There are bundles available to do more, but the views alone are worth it.
Those views will forever be etched in my mind, helped along by the photos I took with my iPhone. I have seen sunsets on Mexican beaches along the Pacific Ocean, snow-capped mountains in Alaska, sky-blue water in Saint Martin and closer to home, the crystal-clear waters of the Current River knifing through the foothills of the Ozarks. They are all special and stunning in their own way. But when you factor in the sheer size of the Grand Canyon with the scenery, it will leave you breathless. Next time you are on a Vegas vacation, I recommend it.
