Royal Gorge Bridge

The bridge was built in 1929 in about six months and has never carried a road anywhere - it was constructed as a tourist attraction and remains one, spanning 291 metres above the Arkansas River, which for decades made it the highest bridge in the world. It held that title until 2001 and remains the highest in the United States. The deck is over a thousand wooden planks and it moves noticeably underfoot and in wind. A wildfire in 2013 destroyed most of the park buildings around it but the bridge itself survived, and the site was rebuilt. A gondola crosses the gorge separately and a zip line runs across it. The railway at the bottom of the gorge runs excursion trains along the river.

What you actually see

• A deck 291 metres above the river - the highest bridge in the country.
• Over a thousand wooden planks - which move underfoot.
• A bridge built as an attraction - never part of any road.
• The gorge railway below - excursion trains along the water.

When to go

April to October. Three hours.

Honest expectations

It is a paid attraction, not a public crossing. The deck movement unsettles people with a fear of heights. Wind closes it. Additional rides cost extra beyond admission.

Nearby

Canon City is east; the Arkansas River rafting reaches are upstream.