Grand Canyon West, an isolated section of the western reaches of the Grand Canyon, is operated by the Hualapai Indian Tribe, which has chosen to exploit the scenic beauty of its homeland rather than plopping down a casino to generate income.

The 2,000-member tribe has set aside 9,000 of its 1 million acres for development and hopes to draw tourists from all over the world to see a part of the Grand Canyon that isn't as traveled as the famous national parkland to the east.

Grand Canyon West is about 120 miles east of Las Vegas, the closest major population center to the attraction. Southern Nevada has taken advantage of that geographic quirk to make the Grand Canyon its own -- which sort of rankles residents of the Grand Canyon State.

While Grand Canyon West doesn't figure to be a tremendous draw with the attractions that came on line Sept. 1, interest should be piqued when a new feature is ready for tourists in January.

That's when the Skywalk Glass Bridge, a privately funded $30 million see-through walkway extending out over the rim of the canyon wall, looking 4,000 feet down onto the Colorado River, makes its debut.

"It will be able to hold the weight of 71 fully loaded (Boeing) 747s and withstand an 8.0-level earthquake within 50 miles of the site or winds exceeding 100 mph from any direction," said Allison Raskansky of Las Vegas-based Destination Grand Canyon, which is overseeing all marketing and publicity campaigns for Grand Canyon West.

"Engineers just conducted a pull test and it exceeded design specifications by 400 percent."

The Skywalk is expected to grab most of the attention when it opens, but in the meantime, the tribe already has opened the Hualapai Ranch, a Western experience incorporating demonstrations, cookouts, horseback rides and wagon rides on trails along the canyon rim. Western-style wedding packages are even a part of the marketing plan.

The Indian Village at Eagle Point offers walking tours of traditional dwellings of Arizona's Navajo, Hopi, Havasupai and Hualapai tribes and of the Plains Tribe's Cheyenne and Sioux people. Cultural performances of tribal dances are planned and a market will sell Indian jewelry and crafts.

Raskansky said the tribe promises it won't be a cheesy exploitation.

"It's not a movie set," she said. "Tribal members actually came to the site and built the dwellings. The tribe doesn't want a Disneyland -- they want to share a cultural experience."

And while Indian culture abounds all over the Southwest, the Hualapais and Destination Grand Canyon expect the ranch and village to be a big draw for European and Asian visitors who want the experience in addition to seeing the canyon.

"Some of these visitors have never been up close to a horse before," Raskansky said of overseas tourists who want a Wild West experience.

By next year, the Hualapais hope to build a camping area and, within four or five years, a hotel. The lack of water, power and road improvements are the biggest obstacles to development.

The area already is served by a small airstrip and for 17 years, tour packagers and helicopter and air tour companies have incorporated Grand Canyon West in their deals.

Helicopter companies have landed on Hualapai land and provided meals in a canyon setting. Others have offered whitewater adventures on boats and rafts on the Colorado River.

The Hualapais hope to complete the last 14 miles of paving of the road to Grand Canyon West to make the area more accessible from Las Vegas. Currently, the paving project, which would take about a year to complete, is being delayed by a land dispute.

It's about an hour drive south on U.S. 93 and Diamond Bar Road from Las Vegas to Dolan Springs, Ariz. The last stretch of road is negotiable by SUV, but for those who don't want to risk damage to their vehicles on the rugged and rutted dirt road, there's a shuttle bus system in place.

Buses leave Dolan Springs every 30 to 45 minutes on a 40-minute trip through a Joshua Tree forest at a cost of $5 round trip. Shuttle buses also move visitors between the ranch, the Indian village, the airstrip and, eventually, the Skywalk.

Raskansky expects the Skywalk to be a big hit, despite the inevitable criticisms from environmentalists who have battled over the years to preserve natural quiet at the canyon and keep air tours from flying over it. She said she has heard as many positive remarks about the unique cantilever glass bridge as negative comments.

She said she has fielded more than 200 media inquiries about the project since work began on it.

"I think there will be two types of visitor to the bridge," she said. "Those that walk on the Skywalk and those who watch people walk on the Skywalk."

Richard N. Velotta covers tourism for In Business Las Vegas and its sister publication, the Las Vegas Sun. He can be reached at (702) 259-4061 or by e-mail at velotta@lasvegassun.com.