For the views of a lifetime, experience the New River Gorge Bridge with a Bridge Walk tour.
From the Summer 2012 Issue
Photographed by REBECCA KIGER FOTOGRAFIA
I’ve driven across the New River Gorge Bridge hundreds of times, and I still crane my neck over the side to catch a fleeting glimpse of the stunning landscape below. In fact, I attended the opening ceremonies of the bridge in 1977. I was six years old. At that time, it was the longest steel single-span arch bridge and the highest vehicular bridge in the world, rising 876 feet above the New River—the planet’s second oldest river.
The bridge, which is now emblazoned on the West Virginia state quarter, is a monument to man’s ingenuity—an amazing architectural and structural marvel. Before it was built, it took travelers 45 minutes to cross the New River Gorge. The bridge, which took three years to build, cut that time to 45 seconds. Nearly 17,000 cars cross it daily, and it has become a tourism destination in its own right. Hundreds of BASE jumpers have leaped from it. And thousands more stop at the visitor center each year to view it from the observation deck. But to truly experience the bridge, you must walk across it—or rather, under it.
Bridge Walk, in cooperation with the National Park Service and West Virginia Division of Highways, offers guided tours underneath the roadway along a two-foot catwalk that spans the length of the bridge. “Riding across the bridge doesn’t do it justice. You can’t truly experience the incredible views,” says Benjy Simpson, one of the founding partners and a tour guide. “Since we began giving tours in 2010, we’ve had folks from 37 countries and all 50 states and the District of Columbia with an age range from 9 to 88 years old. We can even accommodate wheelchairs.”
According to Benjy, people take the tour for three reasons: to see the engineering achievement that the bridge represents, to enjoy the spectacular views in all four seasons, and to overcome or learn to appreciate their fear of heights. “We’ve had 3,800 people and only 15 people did not complete the tour,” he says. “Our guides are understanding and patient. We want everyone to have a good experience.”
At 850 feet above the boulder-laden canyon, this tour isn’t for the faint of heart. Benjy swears that many people take the tour to conquer their fear of heights, and our own photographer Rebecca Kiger put that to the test. Rebecca recalls, “As I approached the catwalk, I faced what I thought was insurmountable fear. Benjy helped me put one foot in front of the other. Each step was one of terror. As we approached the halfway point, Benjy found words that reached me. He said, ‘Someday, your daughter is going to want to do things that scare you. You’re either going to move through this fear so you can share those moments with her or you’re going to miss them.’ My fear turned to determination, then to confidence, and finally to elation. As I reached the end of the catwalk, I was simply amazed at the feat I had accomplished with the help of a patient and surefooted friend. It’s been almost a year, and I’m ready to walk the bridge again. This time, I want to take my mother.”
The tour begins at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center. Participants wear a harness and are secured to the bridge by a safety cable. “It is impossible to fall,” says Benjy. “Our safety system is the longest continuous safety system in the world. The cable has breaking strength of 14,400 pounds. Not only are you clipped in, but there are also catwalk rails so you have something to hang on to.”
Tour guides leisurely lead you across the 1.5-mile span, calmly coaxing leaden feet while giving you an overview of the bridge’s history and architectural features and pointing out the peregrine falcon nests and the history of coal mining in the area. The view is breathtaking and photo opportunities abound as the cliffs give way to the rugged canyon. Whitewater rafters look like pin dots on the thin ribbon of the New River below, further illustrating just how high you really are.
Each tour lasts two to three hours, but I admit, after the 10th semitruck roared above my head, shaking the platform and shifting the giant cogs (the bridge is designed to move laterally east and west, as your tour guide will explain), I gripped the side rails and yelled, “Benjy, less talking and more walking!”
Short of repelling from the bridge, Bridge Walk allows you to truly experience this important monument—an adventure that will follow you for a lifetime. And I guarantee you’ll never drive across it the same way again. You’ll always slow down and wonder if someone is clinging to the catwalk below.
Daily catwalk tours cost $69 per person. Tours are available daily at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. Weekend tours may be scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Bridge Walk is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, and will also be closed the third Friday and Saturday in October due to Bridge Day weekend activities. Tours depend on weather conditions. Call to make reservations.
Bridge Walk, P.O. Box 132, Lansing, WV 25862; 304.574.1300; info@bridgewalk.com; bridgewalk.com
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