The nearest city with a population greater than 10,000 people is Kingman, Arizona, about 50 miles (80 km) south.

[3] David Jin, an entrepreneur who had been involved with tourism and the Hualapai Nation for some time, had the idea of extending a platform out over the edge of the Grand Canyon.

The deck of the Skywalk has been made with four layers of Saint-Gobain Diamant low-iron glass with DuPont SentryGlas interlayer.

[6] Plans for the Grand Canyon Skywalk complex include a museum, movie theater, VIP lounge, gift shop, and several restaurants including a high-end restaurant called The Skywalk Café where visitors will be able to dine outdoors at the canyon's rim.

[7] Supporters within the tribe counter that it is an opportunity to generate much-needed cash to combat serious problems that plague the small 2,000-resident reservation, including a 50% unemployment rate, widespread alcoholism, and poverty.

[6][8] Effective February 7, 2012, certain members of the Hualapai Tribal Council, without prior notice, seized control of the Skywalk which was built and previously run by Grand Canyon Skywalk Development (GCSD), a Las Vegas, Nevada, corporation.

[9] GCSD was awarded $28 million in damages by an arbitration board, which was upheld in U.S. District Court in February 2013.

Former Grand Canyon National Park superintendent Robert Arnberger has described the development as "the equivalent of an upscale carnival ride," adding that he has been unable to resolve "the apparent conflict between the tribe's oft-stated claim that there is no better caregiver and steward of the Grand Canyon than the tribe, and their approach to the land – which is based on heavy use and economics.

"[6] Tribal leaders counter that the five million people a year who visit the National Park portion are already overburdening an area and, further, that the tribe needs financial income.

[13] Access to the Skywalk can be made from Las Vegas, Nevada, in the north or Kingman, Arizona, in the south, via Highway 93.

Every package includes parking at the terminal and shuttle bus transportation to the two scenic viewing areas and the Hualapai Ranch.