Foresthill Bridge

The Foresthill Bridge crosses the North Fork American River in Placer County, eastern California, at roughly 730 feet above the riverbed, making it one of the tallest road bridges in the United States. It was constructed in 1973 as part of the Auburn Dam project, a large federal reservoir scheme that was ultimately abandoned, leaving the bridge as a dramatic span over an otherwise undeveloped canyon. The structure has become a magnet for BASE jumpers and rappellers, with one sanctioned Bridge Day each year when controlled descents are permitted from the deck. For ordinary visitors, the pullouts on either side deliver vertiginous views down into the Sierra Nevada gorge and along the turquoise ribbon of the American River far below.