Visitors walk on the Grand Canyon Skywalk during Tuesday's ceremony to mark the opening of the new observation deck on the Hualapai Indian Reservation in Arizona. The tribe will include access to the deck in a variety of tour packages ranging from $49.95 to $199.00 Photos by John Gurzinski. Guests and media from around the world join Hualapai tribal members for Tuesday's opening of the walkway at Eagle Point, 120 miles east of Las Vegas. The walkway opens to the public March 28. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Hualapai tribal members walk on the glass-bottomed Skywalk on the Hualapai Indian Reservation. The Skywalk hangs 70 feet out from the Grand Canyon's rim, about 4000 feet above the Colorado River.

HUALAPAI INDIAN RESERVATION, Ariz. -- Almost 38 years ago, Buzz Aldrin and that other guy risked their lives to leave the first human footprints on the moon.

By comparison, this was a mere walk in the park.

On Tuesday, Aldrin led a group of dignitaries on a ceremonial stroll across the Skywalk, a cantilevered walkway with a glass bottom that juts 70 feet out over the western Grand Canyon.

The 77-year-old former astronaut described the experience as "wonderful."

"It really doesn't compare to walking in space," he said, but "it gives you an open-air sense of freedom."

Hundreds of invited guests, reporters and camera crews from around the world turned out for the event at Eagle Point, 120 miles east of Las Vegas. The Skywalk opens to the public on March 28.

Tribal elder and World War II veteran Emmet Bender opened Tuesday's ceremony with a blessing and a song as tribal members danced in front of the salmon-colored structure.

A group of Hualapai children in traditional dress escorted Aldrin up the steps of the Skywalk.

Moments later, he waved to the crowd and stomped his boots on the glass as he marched out onto the U-shaped deck. A group of tribal leaders walked toward him from the other side of the structure, led by space shuttle mission specialist John Harrington, a member of the Chickasaw tribe and the first American Indian to fly in space.

When the two astronauts met in the middle, they smiled and shook hands.

Standing nearby with a grin on his face was David Jin, the Southern Nevada businessman who dreamed up the Skywalk, then convinced a group of private investors to fund the $30-million structure and give it over to the tribe.

Jin and his associates said details of their arrangement with the Hualapai are confidential, but Jin is expected to share in the profits from the attraction for the next 25 years.

Tribal Councilwoman Sherry Counts praised Jin for his vision, saying, "He went out on the ledge to help the Hualapai people."

Tribal leaders expect the Skywalk to become the centerpiece of their Grand Canyon West tourism venture, which offers replicas of Indian villages and tours by air and ground along the roughly 100-mile swath of canyon controlled by the tribe.

The tribe will include access to the deck in a variety of tour packages ranging from $49.95 to $199.

Tribal Chairman Charles Vaughn addressed objections by some tribal members who see the structure as an affront to the canyon's natural beauty.

Vaughn said he considers himself "a traditionalist," but he had to consider what the Skywalk could mean for his impoverished tribe. "The benefit far outweighs the concerns I have for the environment."

After the ceremonial first walk, the attraction was opened to the media and invited guests. By day's end, hundreds of people had taken the walk out over the cliff's edge, including one group that was pelted by a wall of blowing dust.

To provide traction and prevent the glass from being scratched, visitors wore cloth booties over their shoes. They were hustled on and off by security every few minutes to keep the line moving.

A few people reclined on the glass to have their pictures taken. Others stared down at the backs of raptors that circled hundreds of feet below them as the Skywalk gently rocked beneath their feet.

Arizona State Rep. Nancy McLain was among the first people in line.

"I figured it was a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity," she said afterwards. "I still kind of got butterflies in my stomach."

Arizona State Sen. Albert Hale offered a different take: "It was awesome."

Hale, whose district stretches from the western edge of the Grand Canyon to the New Mexico border, said he was proud of the Hualapai people for taking control of their future.

"To me, it's utilizing the resources you have to improve your condition," the former president of the Navajo Nation said. "It's the American way to do that."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.