On June 23, 2013, Wallenda highwire walked across the Little Colorado River Gorge in Navajo territory outside Grand Canyon National Park's borders about 40 miles east of the main tourist facilities.
The event, billed as a "Grand Canyon crossing" and titled Skywire Live with Nik Wallenda, aired live worldwide on the Discovery Channel with a 10-second delay.
Opinions varied on whether the event was truly a walk across the Grand Canyon.
The Reuters news agency described the location as simply "the Grand Canyon", while the Associated Press described it as a "gorge near the Grand Canyon."
According to the United States Geological Survey, the Grand Canyon geological area includes the Little Colorado River Gorge.

Wallenda originally obtained permits to walk across the canyon in 2008, and planned to make the trip as early as 2009.
However, the walk was delayed due to substantial logistical hurdles.
When the opportunity to cross Niagara Falls arose, the Grand Canyon walk was put on hold.
Shortly after crossing Niagara Falls, Wallenda said he would try to make the Grand Canyon crossing "within a year".
In August 2012, he said that he was "98 percent" certain that the walk would take place in May or June 2013 and said he would get "something in writing" that no safety harness would be required for the walk.
On March 18, 2013, Wallenda announced that he had come to terms with The Discovery Channel for television rights.

According to Wallenda, "There's a lot of updrafts and downdrafts, and the winds are hard to predict [in the Canyon]".
To prepare for the winds, Wallenda walked a 1,000-foot (300 m) wire twice daily along the banks of a Sarasota river with fans watching.
He used wind machines to simulate wind gusts up to 91 miles per hour (146 km/h) and practiced during the heavy rain of Tropical Storm Andrea.
Wallenda said it was "hard to prepare for [the updrafts] ... when it comes down to Mother Nature, we're not in control."

At 1,500 feet (460 m), the walk was the highest of Wallenda's career, about seven times as high as the Niagara crossing.
He covered a distance of approximately 1,400 feet (430 m) in 22 minutes, 54 seconds, using a 2-inch-thick (5.1 cm) wire.
He carried a 30-foot-long (9.1 m) balancing pole weighing 43 pounds (20 kg).

As the walk began, Wallenda realized the wire had become slippery due to gathered dust.
He spat on his hands and rubbed his shoes for better grip.
Shortly thereafter, he stopped and crouched down on the wire due to wind gusts.
He later stopped a second time to break the bounce of the wire that his walking had induced.
Throughout the walk, Wallenda could be heard praying, repeatedly saying "Thank you, Jesus."
Wallenda ran the last few steps then jumped off and kissed the ground.
Completing the walk in 22 minutes, 54 seconds, Wallenda became the first person to highwire walk across a Grand Canyon area gorge.

After the walk, Wallenda said it was more difficult than he had expected and that "it took every bit of me to stay focused".
He said that dust had accumulated in his contacts and called the walk unusually stressful.
However, he called the view breathtaking, and said the opportunity "was a dream come true."
Skywire Live drew an average of 10.7 million viewers in the United States, making it the highest rated program of the night.
During the walk itself, viewership increased to 13 million.
It became the highest rated live program in Discovery's history and won 71% of TV-related social media usage for the day.
On June 23, 2013, Wallenda highwire walked across the Little Colorado River Gorge in Navajo territory outside Grand Canyon National Park's borders about 40 miles east of the main tourist facilities. The event, billed as a "Grand Canyon crossing" and titled Skywire Live with Nik Wallenda, aired live worldwide on the Discovery Channel with a 10-second delay. Opinions varied on whether the event was truly a walk across the Grand Canyon. The Reuters news agency described the location as simply "the Grand Canyon", while the Associated Press described it as a "gorge near the Grand Canyon." According to the United States Geological Survey, the Grand Canyon geological area includes the Little Colorado River Gorge.
Wallenda originally obtained permits to walk across the canyon in 2008, and planned to make the trip as early as 2009. However, the walk was delayed due to substantial logistical hurdles. When the opportunity to cross Niagara Falls arose, the Grand Canyon walk was put on hold. Shortly after crossing Niagara Falls, Wallenda said he would try to make the Grand Canyon crossing "within a year". In August 2012, he said that he was "98 percent" certain that the walk would take place in May or June 2013 and said he would get "something in writing" that no safety harness would be required for the walk. On March 18, 2013, Wallenda announced that he had come to terms with The Discovery Channel for television rights.
According to Wallenda, "There's a lot of updrafts and downdrafts, and the winds are hard to predict [in the Canyon]". To prepare for the winds, Wallenda walked a 1,000-foot (300 m) wire twice daily along the banks of a Sarasota river with fans watching. He used wind machines to simulate wind gusts up to 91 miles per hour (146 km/h) and practiced during the heavy rain of Tropical Storm Andrea. Wallenda said it was "hard to prepare for [the updrafts] ... when it comes down to Mother Nature, we're not in control."
At 1,500 feet (460 m), the walk was the highest of Wallenda's career, about seven times as high as the Niagara crossing. He covered a distance of approximately 1,400 feet (430 m) in 22 minutes, 54 seconds, using a 2-inch-thick (5.1 cm) wire. He carried a 30-foot-long (9.1 m) balancing pole weighing 43 pounds (20 kg).
As the walk began, Wallenda realized the wire had become slippery due to gathered dust. He spat on his hands and rubbed his shoes for better grip. Shortly thereafter, he stopped and crouched down on the wire due to wind gusts. He later stopped a second time to break the bounce of the wire that his walking had induced. Throughout the walk, Wallenda could be heard praying, repeatedly saying "Thank you, Jesus." Wallenda ran the last few steps then jumped off and kissed the ground. Completing the walk in 22 minutes, 54 seconds, Wallenda became the first person to highwire walk across a Grand Canyon area gorge.
After the walk, Wallenda said it was more difficult than he had expected and that "it took every bit of me to stay focused". He said that dust had accumulated in his contacts and called the walk unusually stressful. However, he called the view breathtaking, and said the opportunity "was a dream come true." Skywire Live drew an average of 10.7 million viewers in the United States, making it the highest rated program of the night. During the walk itself, viewership increased to 13 million. It became the highest rated live program in Discovery's history and won 71% of TV-related social media usage for the day.
Nik Wallenda