Visiting America’s highest suspension bridge

​The highest suspension bridge in the world stands at 1,627 feet, spanning the Sidu River in Hubei, China, according to Guinness World Records. Before it was built in 2009, the Royal Gorge Bridge in Canon City, Colorado, held that title, at 956 feet high. It’s still the highest suspension bridge in North America and the tallest bridge in the United States.
 
Since we camped about a half hour away from Canon City while trekking across Southern Colorado, we had to go see this marvel, held in place by 4,100 steel cables.

Once-in-a-lifetime ride
 
The $35 per-person admission includes access to the bridge, a gondola ride across the gorge, and a children’s playland. Having worked up our courage, we paid the fee and headed straight to the gondola, joining a couple in the first of three cars hanging from a heavy cable. ​

​In no time, our compartment left the loading station, slowly starting its 2,200-foot trajectory across the gorge before picking up speed. As our car dangled, we looked way down to the Arkansas River, noting a train track running adjacent to it and seeing rafters in the water.
 
We snapped panoramic photos of the 1,260-foot bridge, a true wonder indeed, before spotting climbers on the rock face as we neared the other side of the gorge.
 
Treacherous walk to remember
 
After pulling into the gondola station, we unloaded and meandered toward the bridge for our chance to walk across the 1,257 wooden planks spanning its length. Flags from each of the 50 states lined both sides. 

​A golf cart entered before us, giving us reassurance the bridge could support our weight. It was actually designed to hold more than 2 million pounds at one time. We started our crossing, one foot in front of the other. I made a conscious effort not to look down through the gaps between planks. Bob, on the other hand, eagerly peeked through, encouraging me to do the same.
 
I finally gave in and gaped through a crack, quickly realizing how long it would take for a dropped item to reach the ground. We stopped in the middle of the bridge to admire the views on either side. Posted signs warned us not to attempt fishing from the bridge. (Someone must have tried that at some point to warrant such a sign.)

Thrilling adventures
 
As we lingered, brave souls seemingly floating through the air caught our attention. These people paid an additional $52 each for the thrilling 2,350-foot zipline — America’s highest.
 
The park also offers a $41 skycoaster ride, where passengers don flight suits and are harnessed to a tower near the edge of the gorge. They’re lifted off the ground and then swung 1,200 feet out over the gorge, at up to 50 mph. 

A conception in time
 
The idea of a bridge across the Royal Gorge dates back to 1900, when a man named T.C. Johnson envisioned the Brooklyn Bridge there. It wasn’t until 29 years later that the bridge became a reality.
 
Built in seven months, it was designed to provide a place for people to admire the scenic landscape, not to build a road across — although cars were permitted on the structure, for a toll, until 2013, when a wildfire damaged it. The bridge reopened in 2015 and returned to vehicle-only traffic for a short time during the COVID pandemic.
 
The gondola became part of the experience in the 1950s.Today the bridge is limited to pedestrians and work vehicles and attracts half a million visitors annually, according to highestbridges.com.
 
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