Royal Gorge Bridge
Overview
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
near Cañon City
Cañon City, Colorado
The City of Cañon City is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Fremont County, State of Colorado. The United States Census Bureau estimated that the city population was 16,000 in 2005. Cañon City is noted for being the location of nine state and four ...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, within a 360 acres (145.7 ha) theme park. The bridge deck hangs 955 feet (291.1 m) above the Arkansas River
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
, and held the record of highest bridge in the world from 1929 until 2003, when it was surpassed by the Beipanjiang River 2003 Bridge
Beipanjiang River 2003 Bridge
Beipanjiang River 2003 Bridge is a 366 metre high suspension bridge at Xingbei Town , Zhenfeng County, Guizhou Province, China. The bridge has a span width of 388 metres...
in China. It is a suspension bridge
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
with a main span of 938 feet (285.9 m). The bridge is 1260 feet (384 m) long and 18 feet (5.5 m) wide, with a wooden walkway with 1292 planks.
