Hualapai to build temporary route to Skywalk

June 11, 2013

The federal government has granted an Arizona tribe the right to build a road to the Grand Canyon Skywalk. It is the latest in an ongoing scuffle over access to the tourist destination. The Hualapai Tribe operates the glass bridge over the canyon. The tribe has received a permit from the feds to build a temporary dirt road alongside construction crews who are paving the main road to the Skywalk.

Previously, tourists had to pass through property owned by Nigel Turner, who had been charging $20 a person for access. The Hualapai protested, but Turner said he had the right to charge because an easement on his land had expired.

Last week, he was arrested and charged with threatening construction workers. Turner shut down part of the road on his land, but now says he has reopened it and lowered his fee to $5 a car.

Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick asked officials late last week to expedite the permit for the Hualapai to build its bypass road so visitors could avoid paying Turner’s fee.