Gatlinburg SkyBridge

Gatlinburg SkyBridge cost: The historic attraction of the park and everything 2023

One of the most discussed attractions in North America is the Gatlinburg SkyBridge. It is a part of the Gatlinburg SkyLift Park and is the largest suspension bridge in the USA. Visitors from every corner of the USA come to enjoy the scenic beauty of the Smoky Mountains and the natural view of Gatlinburg.

What about the expenses of traveling through the mountains? How much would it cost to visit the largest pedestrian cable bridge in the USA?  

Gatlinburg Park tickets start from $18.95 for a junior and $32.95 for an adult. $25.95 is the starting price of the tickets for seniors. There is a great deal of combo at $61.94 with Ripley’s Believe It or Not package. SkyBridge is included in the tickets with others.

There’s more to know about the greater public attractions in SkyLift Park Tennessee. For updates on tickets, projects, and attractions study our article entirely. 

All about Gatlinburg SkyLift Park

The Gatlinburg SkyLift Park is the last edition of its maker. The idea of sky lifting came from Rel Maples, a local innkeeper in 1953. He contacted and leased the area to Everett Kircher. Kircher purchased a ski lift and started engineering and rebuilding the lift in Michigan at his father’s.

His father scouted the site and started putting those hard, long pillars on the uneven surface of the Smoky Mountains. It took a year of hardship. Finally, the first chairlift in Dixieland opened in public in 1954.

With the chairlift being surprisingly popular, the SkyLift Park became a must-go destination in Gatlinburg for visitors from near and far. Now, the park offers more than a single attraction in the valley of mountains. The SkyBridge was introduced in May 2019. At SkyLift Park, you can enjoy attractions like Sky Lift, Sky Bridge, Sky Deck, Sky Center, and Sky Trail.

After a severe burn in 2016, the park was reassembled and got a completely new and eye catchy look as well as updated with all other measures. Today it is one of the most unbeatable and scenic structures in the United States. 

Gatlinburg gait

Price of tickets

Tickets are available both online and offline. Online tickets are easy to purchase and nowadays you can pick up your ticket just right before your leave. 

Prices may vary depending on the availability and types of tickets you purchase. The Sky Pass lets you purchase the ticket online and an early purchase can save you a few bucks for instance.

For example, the Sky Pass is $36.95 per head. When booked online, you will be saving $2 for each ticket. The online price of the ticket is $34.95. We have discussed the ticket prices broadly in the section below.

SkyLift Park Tickets are found in 3 categories offering different availabilities at the park. They are,

  1. The SkyPass
  2. Single Visit Ticket
  3. Unlimited Visits Ticket

Now, since the ticket packages are offering different categories, we will be elaborating on each of the categories one by one.

The SkyPass

Let you buy an online ticket at a discounted price. Prices are given in the box below.

 1+ Days in AdvanceDay of Visit
Adult (12-64)$34.95$36.95
Senior (65+)$27.95$29.95
Junior (4-11)$20.95$22.95
  • Childs under 3 years of age get free of cost entry to the park
  • This ticket is available online only and offers you unlimited visits on the day of the visit
  • Buy tickets at least 1 day prior to the day of the visit to save your bucks

Single Visit Ticket

This one is available only at the park ticket window. Gives you a single ride only for each ticket. Prices are given in the box below.

Ticket typePrice
Adult (12-64)$32.95
Senior (65+)$25.95
Junior (4-11)$18.95
Kids (Under 3)Free
  • Allows a single visit only
  • Available only at the park ticket window on the day of the visit

Unlimited Visits Ticket

Unlimited Ticket allows you to visit multiple times on the day of your visit. Since the park has a greater view and a larger facility, usually it takes longer to tour the whole area. These tickets help complete your trip at the Gatlinburg SkyLift Park. 

Ticket typePrice
Adult (12-64)$34.95
Senior (65+)$27.95
Junior (4-11)$20.95
Kids (Under 3)Free
  • Children under 3 years of age get free of cost entry
  • Allows multiple visits on the day of the visit
  • Tickets are available only at the park window

Combo, coupons, and discounts

There is a combo ticket titled ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not + SkyLift Park’ costing $61.94 for adults (12+) and $35.94 for children (4-11).  This is a great deal for the money. Offering you access to the award-winning Aquarium of the Smokies and up to 7 other Ripley’s attractions.

The best and selected options for Gatlinburg Coupons are available through discounted tickets and combos. You can still find discounts on the official site of the park.

Discounts for the military, nurses, and locals are available as usual. Military and residents of Sevier County are offered discounted tickets. They can save a couple of dollars each.

What is included in the tickets?

Tickets will provide you the chance to visit the park and the attractions for a limited time, depending on the condition of the tickets. Sky Pass lets you visit almost all the attractions at the park with unlimited time on the day of the visit. Thus, we consider it the greatest deal for a person or more. Tickets usually include a visit to the legendary SkyBridge, SkyLift, Deck, Center, and occasionally the Tulip Tower.

A single visit ticket only allows you to enjoy each ride once a day. unlimited Visits Tickets offer multiple visits to the attraction included in the tickets.

Address of the park

The bridge is a part of the SkyLift Park which is at the center of Gatlinburg in Tennessee. More specifically, the address is 765 Parkway, Gatlinburg, Tennessee 37738.

Offering a great view of Smoky Mountain, the bridge will also allow you to blast your adrenaline with the ultimate thrill of floating on top of the mountains. The iconic yellow lift chairs will take you to the SkyBridge in no time.

A breathtaking view of downtown Gatlinburg and the wide look of the park is all that matter for the sake of your pennies.

Operating hours of the park

This is a top-of-the-mountain walking bridge station. Due to weather and environmental condition, operating hours may change with prior notice being given. Otherwise, the park has its regular schedule of ruling over the day.

We have the latest operating hour list maintained by SkyLift Park, the host of SkyBridge. The park is about to open at 9 am in the morning all season. The closure time is announced before one hour of shutting the top down. We have included the complete timetable of the opening and hours of operation in the box below.

SeasonDate and OccasionTime
SummerMay 27 – September 119 am – 10 pm
Winter, Spring, FallSeptember 11 – May 9 am – 9 pm
HolidaysThanksgiving, New Year9 am – 9 pm
Christmas Eve and DayDecember 24 December 259 am – 5 pm Closed

Then, there is the maintenance week from January 30 to February 3 when the park remains closed to visitors. Since it takes great care to be in the perfect shape and condition, frequent operations and checks are required. You can check the updates and changing schedules here.

How long and tall is the bridge?

Gatlinburg Bridge is one of the few glass-floored bridges and is the largest on the continent. This is 680 feet stretched bridge and almost 700 feet with the sky deck and the sky station.

The bridge is 500 feet high on Gatlinburg and 1,800 feet above sea level. A panoramic view of Gatlinburg and Smoky Mountain will enchant you. The bridge is 5 feet wide which is good enough to overpass people at the same time. In the midst of the bridge (the highest point as well), there are the 30 feet glass walkway that acts to thrill your adrenaline. The midpoint is 140 feet high and gives an overlook of Gatlinburg.

It is the largest suspension bridge in the USA and is made not to sway with the movement of people. No need to worry about swinging around. 500 people can board the bridge at a time.

Is it safe on the bridge?

In an interview Todd Domeck, the co-founder of the company said, “We are going to see our grandchildren and our grandchildren standing out on this bridge and enjoying this view, and we have never built anything like that as a company, and that’s huge.”

The efforts of various engineers finally did complete the construction of the largest pedestrian bridge in America. The company exclaimed with the hope that this will be the long-lasting construction out of all they made.

After the fire in 2016, they revived all the possibilities and upgraded the safety measurement. Now, the Gatlinburg SkyLift Park is more than just a SkyLifting option for visitors.   

More attractions on the go

Alongside the Gatlinburg SkyBridge at the park, there are a few more attractions worth mentioning.

  1. SkyLift, the chair lift  
  2. SkyDeck, and outdoor amphitheater  
  3. SkyCenter, a restaurant and gift shop  
  4. SkyTrail, a walking trail
  5. Tulip Tower, an observation tower

These are the rest of the attractions at the park. I am going to describe them briefly here in this article. Let’s start.

SkyLift

The first chairlift was added in 1954 in the SkyLift. Today we see the latest three-seat chairlifts that are more comfortable and smooth. They transport guests to 1,800 feet above sea level, to the top of Crockett Mountain.  

SkyLift allows you to roam over the scenic beauty of the land and the mountaintop. This is more like a fun flying majestic tour hanging on the table chairs. Safety measures are upgraded to ensure a relentless tour on top of the ground.

Gatlinburg SkyDeck

Whether you are about to spend 5 minutes or 2 hours, the SkyDeck is the perfect spot for experiencing the Great Smokies. The amphitheater at the Deck expands the view of the Smoky Mountains and the park. The availability of food and resting places make it a greater option for relaxation.

SkyCenter 

This is a cafeteria and restaurant at the Deck. The park is full of amusement. Take a break at the Sky Center and ask for your delights. They are delicious and offer numeral options.  

A number of items are available at this moment. Items like pizza, cheese bread, wraps, garden salad, chili bowl, hot dogs, nachos, beverages, draft beer, etc. are in plenty here.

Gatlinburg SkyTrail

The SkyTrail is set to extend your thrill further on your adventure. This 70 feet steel Tulip Tower holds a great history. It is a decent walking trail for adults, kids even pets.

The SkyTrail is open day and night time except for the Tulip Tower which is only available in the daytime only at this moment.

Tulip Tower

An observation tower mostly with a historical statement at the front now opens only for the daytime.

What about the crack on the bridge?

Gatlinburg SkyBridge had faced an accidental crack on the upper surface of the planted glasses. Yes, it is true. The 30 feet glass floor in the middle of the bridge got cracked by accident. According to CNN, one of the visitors tried a ‘baseball-style slide’ over the glass panels. Something metal chipped the glass causing cracks on the top layer.

They also said, this happened on Monday at 8:30 pm and the bridge was announced closed immediately after the accident and reopened the next morning.

The park authority ensured that no one was hurt or injured during the incident, and no structural damages occurred either.

Gatlinburg SkyLift Park VS Others

SkyLift Park is not the only touring spot that offers chair lifting on top of the hills. There are a few more parks and attractions offering this thrilling adventure ride. The competitive ones are

  • The Anakeesta and
  • The Ober Gatlinburg.

Anakeesta chairlift starts at 576 Parkway, downtown Gatlinburg. With three options_ Chairlift, Chondola, and Ridge Rambler, Anakeesta takes you on top.

Ober Gatlinburg is another option for your experience. It starts at 1001 Parkway, downtown Gatlinburg. Ober offers two options with the Tram (enclosed) and the zdrive Up and Park.

Both of them share similar services of cable chair lift on top of the mountains. They feature the scenic beauty of the town of Gatlinburg as well.

Gatlinburg SkyBridge: A good destination or not?

Visiting the Gatlinburg SkyLift Park is a considerably good option for the holidays and vacations. The park itself is a natural beauty. People are coming from distant to enjoy the natural beauty of the Smoky Mountains.

Tickets are also affordable and since there are coupons and discounts available you can bang the buck with your smart act of purchasing by looking out for them.

This place is a nice family touring spot including kids and seniors. The combo is a good deal indeed. So, yes, it is one recommended spot for anyone.

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