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10 Beautiful Elevated Walkways Through Nature

Planning to travel soon and love nature? Make sure to add these 10 spots surrounded by nature to your bucket list!

By: THURSD. | 31-07-2024 | 5 min read
Travel
Strolling through a nature walkway

Whether you're strolling through cityscapes or wandering around natural landscapes, elevated walkways provide a refreshing escape from the hustle and bustle. The High Line in New York City, which opened in 2009, set the trend for these elevated pathways, and cities worldwide have followed suit. Offering bird's-eye views and tranquility, these 10 options are a must-visit for urban dwellers and adventurous travelers alike.

10 Elevated Walkways Through Nature You Must Visit

If you're traveling to any of these countries in the coming months, you can easily pay a visit to these elevated walkways through nature. Discover these 10 fascinating ones as you travel from Northern California to the Bavarian Forest. Nature walks reach new heights along this route.

1. Tres Birds in Denver, Colorado, USA

Designed by a local firm, 'Tres Birds' features an elevated promenade at Denver's RiNo ArtPark offers a 121-meter (400-foot) stretch of outdoor space along the riverside. With its steel-based structure supported by telephone poles, the walkway reaches a height of 8.5 meters (28 feet) at its peak, extending into a 9-meter (30-foot) deck that showcases great views of the park and the adjacent South Platte River. Sustainably sourced lumber is used throughout the promenade, adding to its eco-friendly appeal.

 

Tres Birds elevated walkway
Photo: @tresbirdsworkshop

 

2. God's Window Skywalk in Mpumalanga, South Africa

The God's Window Skywalk project in eastern South Africa, led by Dewar van Antwerpen of Boogertman + Partners, has become a remarkable destination for visitors. Located within the protected Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, the project provides panoramic views and draws inspiration from the form of a praying mantis. The design team, including Dimpho Selepe, Silindzile Shongwe, Charles de Jager, Siphiwe Semelane, and Sarah Tuke, brings their expertise and creativity to this exciting endeavor.

 

Gods window in South Africa
God's Window Skywalk
Photo: @olahspandora

 

3. Redwood Sky Walk in Eureka, California, USA

The Redwood Sky Walk, a self-guided quarter-mile walking experience 30 meters (100 feet) above ground level among the area's spectacular redwood trees, opened in the summer of 2022 in Eureka, California. When you're submerged in woodland, the already-fresh air of the port city between San Francisco and the Oregon border is heightened.

 

Eureka Sequoia Park California
Eureka Sequoia Park Zoo. Photo by @visiteureka.

 

4. Treetop Walk Bavarian Forest in Neuschönau, Germany

The Treetop Walk Bavarian Forest's elevated pathway in nature leads to its incredible 44-meter (144-foot) egg-shaped timber building with 360-degree views of the flora all around, which is located within the Bavarian Forest National Park.

 

Treetop Walk Bavarian Forest
Treetop Walk, Bavarian Forest

 

This renowned tourist site, designed by Schönberg-based architect Josef Stöger, received its first climbers in September 2009. This is one of the must-visit elevated walkways through nature to add to your travel list for 2024.

 

Children running around Treetop elevated walkway
Photo: @baumwipfelpfadbayerischerwald

 

5. Columbia Icefield Skywalk in Alberta, Canada

The glass-floored Columbia Icefield Skywalk in Western Canada hangs more than 275 meters (900 feet) over the Sunwapta Valley, providing vistas of mountaintops, rivers, and valleys.

 

Columbia Skywalk in nature
Columbia Skywalk
Photo: @glacierviewlodge

 

The superb setting within Jasper National Park, surrounded by mountains, delivers an adrenaline boost coupled with the abundance of fresh, clean air.

 

The views of the Columbia Skywalk
Photo: @akhilkrishnans

 

6. Grand Canyon West Skywalk in Peach Springs, Arizona, USA

The Grand Canyon West Skywalk, which is celebrating its 16th anniversary this year, offers an amazing perspective of the canyon from 1,220 meters (4,000 feet) below its famed glass panel floor. The horseshoe-shaped cantilever bridge spans the Grand Canyon and the view in this place are insane!

 

Arizona elevated walkway through nature
Grand Canyon West Skywalk in Arizona
Photo: @themartastory

 

7. High Line in NYC, New York, USA

The AD100 firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, James Corner Field Operations (project lead), and Piet Oudolf's High Line elevated park in Manhattan set the tone for what a nature sanctuary in an urban landscape may be. The former elevated railroad's abandoned tracks are incorporated into the architecture, paying homage to the city's history. Beginning in 2009, areas of the now-iconic gathering place for locals and visitors were opened to the public.

 

The highline walkway in NYC
High Line, New York
Photo: @jvely_06

 

8. Gardens by the Bay in Singapore

Gardens by the Bay in downtown Singapore, with its unusual vertical garden 'trees' has drawn international notice since its inception a decade ago. The solar-powered supertrees were created by Grant Associates of the United Kingdom. Elevated pathways featuring spots filled with nature crisscross amongst the treetops, offering eye-striking views of Marina Bay.

 

Singapore Garden by the bays
Gardens by the Bay in Singapore
Photo: @gardensbythebay

 

9. Noisette Creek Pedestrian Bridge in North Charleston, South Carolina, USA

The Noisette Creek Pedestrian Bridge, also known as the Battery Park Pedestrian Bridge, connects an existing park to the creek's north shore. The 244-meter (800-foot-long) structure will have an event space over the river, as well as two distinguishing tall steel arches. The Thomas & Hutton project is currently completed and visitors can now enjoy a stroll through nature.

 

Noisette Creek Pedestrian Bridge
Noisette Creek Pedestrian Bridge in South Carolina
Photo: Thomas Hutton

 

10. Eden Project Foyle in Londonderry, Northern Ireland

The Eden Project Foyle in the United Kingdom will connect two historic estates, each with walled gardens while altering the banks of the River Foyle with an eye-catching, low-carbon timber-and-thatch 'Acorn' centerpiece inspired by Neolithic architecture. The proposals, which are still in the concept stage, by global architecture company Grimshaw include performance and play zones, as well as zip lines to transport daring guests down to the walkways.

 

Eden Project Foyle on Thursd
Eden Project Foyle in Northern Ireland
Photo: Eden Project

 

Get your travel list ready because if you're a fan of traveling and being around natural environments, these walkways through nature are waiting for you.

 

Header image by Photo by @visiteureka.

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