Grand Canyon Escalade, Cancelled tourism development project at Grand Canyon east rim, Arizona.
Grand Canyon Escalade was a planned tourism development at the eastern rim of the Grand Canyon featuring a gondola tramway to the Colorado River. The project included a resort complex with multiple businesses, an elevated walkway, and an amphitheater near the river confluence.
The Navajo Nation voted decisively against the project in 2017 after local communities and environmental groups raised significant concerns. In 2018, the Bodaway/Gap chapter withdrew its initial support with overwhelming opposition.
The confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers holds sacred meaning for Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, and other Native American tribes. Visitors can sense why this site remains important to the communities who have ties to the land.
The site is located on the eastern side of the Grand Canyon and is difficult to reach because it sits within Navajo Nation territory. Since the project was never built, there are no visitor facilities or structures to see at the location.
The Bodaway/Gap chapter used the Navajo phrase 'Bil ni'dzil gaal' to express that the project was definitively ended. This traditional way of speaking shows how deeply the community felt about rejecting the development.
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