Grand Canyon West is getting a zip line

slideshow10 — Last light, western Grand Canyon, miles from the Hualapai reservation.

The Hualapai Tribe will offer a zip line to its tourism lineup at Grand Canyon West, according to the Associated Press.

More than a million visitors a year visit Grand Canyon West, which is located outside the national park and is best known for the Skywalk, a glass platform with a view of the Colorado River.

Conservationists have complained that Las Vegas helicopter tours dropping passengers off for Skywalk and river tours have disrupted the natural quiet at the Canyon’s west side.

The Hualapai will offer a pair of zip lines over a side canyon at Grand Canyon West, starting in January.

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You can now hang out in northern Arizona and snag a permit for The Wave without waiting in line. / Ron Dungan

The Wave is one of the most famous red rock features in the Southwest, but permits to the popular hiking area on the Utah-Arizona border are hard to come by.

Visitors will soon have a more convenient option to getting one.

It’s possible to get a permit to visit The Wave through a lottery, months in advance.

The other option was to wake up early and stand in a long line. But in mid-March, the line is going away, and visitors will be able to get permits on their phones.

The advanced reservation system will remain in place, but a new system will allow visitors in the Four Corners area to reserve a spot through an app, says David Hercher of the Bureau of Land Management.

“But the beauty of it is, that, you apply, and then you go on about your business. I mean, you want to go to Four Corners? Go to Four Corners. You’ll get a notification if you’ve actually been awarded a permit,” Hercher said.

Because service is spotty in northern Arizona, he recommends downloading the app before you travel.

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