Trift Bridge

Trift Bridge thisisbossi on Flickr (Creative Commons)

Stretching over an arm of Lake Triftsee (itself a product of the Trift glacier), hidden among the high Swiss Alps, the Trift Bridge is a thin modern suspension bridge that looks like it could blow over with one stray wind, but is in fact quite safe.

Originally built in 2004, the bridge was replaced in 2009. The first bridge was constructed to allow workers from the Trift hydroelectric plant to access a power plant that was built below the glacier to collect and use the run off. A few short years after the original bridge was built, the second, sturdier model was hung across the wide ravine and the site was opened to the public. Currently the bridge spans a vertigo-inducing almost 560 foot gap in the mountains, suspended over 300 feet from the valley floor. Unlike some of its more primitive inspirations, the Trift bridge is made of thick steel cables over which wooden planks have been bolted. Despite the modern construction it still looks like a death trap.

While the bridge itself is an impressive site to visit, the journey to span is harrowing in and of itself requiring a cable car trip, which also carries visitors high above the ground.

Know Before You Go

It's best to buy tickets up the cable car as early as possible during the day, as they can sell out both ways, or just for the ride back down. While it is possible to hike back down without taking the cable car, the journey is an extra two hour hike.