The Royal Gorge Bridge and Park is a tourist attraction near Cañon City, Colorado that spans the gorge 956' above the Arkansas River. It held the record of the highest bridge in the world from 1929 until 2001. It remains the highest bridge in the United States. The 1,260-foot long bridge is primarily for foot traffic but service vehicles, and in special circumstances, automobiles and motorcycles are allowed. A walk across the bridge can be a bit unsettling as construction allows it to sway.
The project was financed by Lon P. Piper, president of the Royal Gorge Bridge and Amusement Company of San Antonio, Texas. It was built in six months at a cost of $350,000, over 20 million in today's dollars. An Incline Railway was added in 1931 to reach the bottom of the gorge. Most of the park structures on both sides of the gorge were destroyed by a wildfire in 2013. The bridge only needed minor repair and the park's buildings were rebuilt and reopened in a little over a year.
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