Constructed in 1965, this vertigo-inducing steel bridge carries Hwy 64 across the Rio Grande about 12 miles northwest of Taos. It’s the seventh-highest bridge in the US (depending on your source), rising 565ft above the river and measuring 600ft long. The views from the pedestrian walkway, west over the empty Taos Plateau and down the jagged walls of the gorge, will surely make you gulp. Vendors selling jewelry, sage sticks and other souvenirs congregate on the eastern side.
The West Rim Trail rolls south for 9 miles from the rest area on the western side, with views of the plateau and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. From the visitor parking lot, the mostly flat 4-mile out-and-back trail takes about 75 minutes to complete and has plenty of opportunities for photos of the river and the bridge.
