Arizona Part 1: Grand Canyon

Every year, approximately five million visitors flock to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Having not visited in quite some time, I was inspired to return last year and be counted among them.

Scenery on the Drive from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West

To reach the Grand Canyon, I set out from Las Vegas, Nevada and drove southeast for about two and a half hours until I reached Mohave County, Arizona.

Joshua Tree Forest

Along the way, I stopped at Arizona's Joshua Tree Forest (not to be confused with the famous, Joshua Tree National Park, located in Southern California, where you can see the largest concentration of Joshua trees in the world).

Joshua Tree Forest

Though it has fewer than California's Joshua Tree National Park, Arizona's Joshua Tree Forest still has an abundance of the giant, branching yuccas, known as Joshua trees, that thrive in the desert landscape. The large yucca have shallow roots that quickly absorb the sparse rainfall, that is then stored in the tree trunks. If you haven't been to the desert to see a Joshua tree in person, I recommend it.

After all, these interestingly shaped monocots inspired the 1987 U2 album title, "The Joshua Tree," an album which won two Grammy's, sold over 10 million copies in the U.S., and hit number one in more than 20 other countries. That's a pretty inspiring plant.

View of Willow Beach from the Freeway

Another stop I recommend, if you're driving to the Grand Canyon's west rim from Vegas, is Willow Beach. I spotted it from the freeway and decided to investigate.

Willow Beach Shore

I am glad I did because, as you can see, the view from the shore is much more beautiful than from the freeway.

Willow Beach

Willow Beach is located in the Black Canyon Corridor where the Colorado River cuts through the mountains.

The steep canyon walls alongside the calm, clear waters are quite the sight.

Big Horn Sheep

If you are lucky, you might spot some Desert Bighorn Sheep at Willow Beach. I met several in the parking lot. Watch the video until the end to see their agility and quickness in navigating the steep terrain.

Grand Canyon West

After close to three hours (not including my stops), I reached the West Rim entrance to the Grand Canyon, one of five entrances to the canyon, and one I hadn't used on any of my previous visits.

Grand Canyon

Why so many entrances? Simply put, the Grand Canyon is huge. Though it is not the deepest canyon in the world, it is arguably the most famous.

The Grand Canyon stretches 277 miles from east to west and is 18 miles across at its widest point. From the rim of the canyon down to the Colorado River, is approximately one mile.

Colorado River

90% of visitors to Grand Canyon National Park visit through one of two entrances at the South Rim that are open year round. The other 10% visit through the North Rim entrance, which is only open seasonally. The fourth and final entrance to Grand Canyon National Park, west of the North Rim at Tuweep Park, requires an advance permit reservation and is hardly used at all.

Among the four aforementioned entrances, I didn't mention the West Rim entrance through which I entered. That's because the land at the fifth entrance to the Grand Canyon is not part of Grand Canyon National Park. This area, and the west rim of the Grand Canyon, is privately owned and operated by the Hualapai Tribe and provides the largest portion of their income.

The Hualapai, or "People of the Tall Pine," are descendants of the Cerbat. An 1883 executive order established the Hualapai reservation which spans one million acres, encompassing 108 miles along the Grand Canyon and Colorado River and part of Coconino, Yavapai and Mohave counties in Arizona. This includes the western corridor to the Grand Canyon and the town of Peach Springs, the tribal capital.

The view from Grand Canyon West is as spectacular as views from all entrance points at the National Park.

Eagle Point

One unique aspect of Grand Canyon West is Eagle Point, named as such because the canyon's natural rock formations resemble an eagle with its wings spread, as you can see in the center of the photo above.

That said, the most famous and popular attraction at Grand Canyon West is the Skywalk, a horseshoe-shaped, cantilever bridge that you can buy a ticket to walk on. No cameras are allowed, so be prepared to put your camera and phone in a locker and venture out onto the bridge. Against my better judgment, given my fear of heights, this is exactly what I decided to do.

Grand Canyon West Skywalk

The bridge juts out 70 feet over the rim of the Grand Canyon. Did I mention that the floor is made of glass? Look down and you'll see 4,000 feet to the canyon floor below. I took a peek and immediately felt my heart start racing and my legs turn to jelly. I picked up my pace and veritably sprinted to the other end of the bridge where the exit was.

If you've read other posts in my blog, you will know that I try, whenever possible, to challenge and prevail over my fear of heights, participating in activities like hot air ballooning and zip lining, and I end up really enjoying the adventure. Not this time. I did not enjoy this experience at all.

That said, you might, so include it on your list of activities at Grand Canyon West. If it helps, I was told by one of the employees that the bridge's glass floor can hold the weight of 70 fully loaded 747 planes, so I am sure it is perfectly safe to traverse. I'm not planning on crossing the bridge again to prove it though.

After my Skywalk experience, some down time and several deep breaths, I headed to Hualapai Point, an area on the reservation that offers insights into Hualapai life through stores, exhibits, crafts and ...

... food. At Hualapai Point, you will find Gwe Ma'jo, a restaurant that serves some traditional Hualapai dishes including a beef stew and frybread, a fried, fluffy, flatbread that is delicious.

You can order the frybread a la carte or experience it as part of a Hualapai taco. In this dish, the frybread is topped with beans, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese and your choice of ground beef or chicken.

I recommend eating at Gwe Ma'jo over all the other restaurants at Grand Canyon West, as it is the only one that serves traditional Hualapai cuisine.

Grand Canyon Sunrise

That sums up my short road trip and experience at Grand Canyon West. Next up, I'll share about my accommodations while visiting the canyon. My lodging experience was an adventure in and of itself, and included cowboys, horses and a campfire. I'm looking forward to telling you all about it.