GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WATE) – Performers will walk alongside North America’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge on a two-inch-wide line to celebrate the newest addition to Gatlinburg SkyLift Park.
Gatlinburg SkyLift Park will celebrate the opening of its new SkyTrail this weekend. The newly-completed Phase 1 of the new trail will give visitors who would prefer not to traverse North America’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge the option of walking a quarter-mile, elevated boardwalk around to the other side of the bridge.
The celebration will feature performances by professional highline team, Rucksack Circus. Performers will walk on a two-inch line running alongside the SkyBridge suspended 150 feet in the air.
The performances will take place every two hours on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Performances on Sunday will take place at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
The boardwalk features interactive signage with information on the park and the overall history of Gatlinburg. Phase 2 of the SkyTrail will be complete in the spring of next year, featuring elevated viewing platforms, rope bridges, and more walking paths.
The park recently doubled the length of glass panels at the center of the SkyBridge. The bridge had to be temporarily closed in June after park officials said the upper layer on one of its glass panels cracked when a guest attempted a baseball-style slide across the glass.
SkyLift Park is a longtime Gatlinburg attraction that opened in 1954. It carries guests from downtown up 500 vertical feet to the top of Crockett Mountain. The SkyBridge opened in 2019. At 680 feet long, it is the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in all of North America.