#glacier bridge

[mountrainiernps]

Mountain Moment Rewind: Winter Light

This Mountain Moment from 2013 captures the light of a winter sunset, filmed from Glacier Bridge looking down the Nisqually River valley.

NPS Video ~kl

[mountrainiernps]

Glacier Bridge, offering wide views of the Nisqually River Valley, is unique in Mount Rainier National Park. Most of the park bridges are low-profile, rustic bridges tucked into the landscape. Glacier Bridge, with its steel and concrete box-girder deck bridge design, was built out of necessity. Completed in 1961, Glacier Bridge is the fifth bridge to cross the Nisqually River in this area. Four previous bridges were destroyed by flooding and debris flows, and damaged remnants of past stone work are visible from the bridge (see bottom photo). Flooding events have continued to occur and will into the future, but the current Glacier Bridge has survived, ensuring the road’s connection to Paradise. 

To enjoy the views from Glacier Bridge, please park in the pullouts on either end of the bridge and do not stop your car on the bridge. 

____________ NPS Photos. Descriptions: (top) Upstream view of a river weaving through a wide rocky river valley. (middle) Downstream view of a river flowing through a wide rocky river valley between forested hillsides. (bottom) A red arrow points out remnants of a rock wall on the edge of a river bed underneath a steel and concrete bridge. ~kl

[mountrainiernps]

Landscape Language Thalweg (n) – the line that traces the lowest points along the length of a riverbed or valley Along the thalweg, a river flows its fastest as it follows its deepest channel.  The thalweg connects the lowest points of a river, and is a natural dividing line in a valley. Thalwegs have been used many times as natural borderlines between properties and even countries. However, the exact geography of a thalweg can change as often as the river changes course. The braided rivers of Mount Rainier fluctuate more than most, making their thalwegs poor borderlines. NPS photo of the Nisqually River and Glacier Bridge, 10/21/2014. A white ribbon of a river weaves through a wide rocky valley floor and underneath a bridge. ~kl

[mountrainiernps]

If you're willing to get a little wet the fall colors are spectacular in the park right now. However due to rainy weather, the colors may not last for long.

This photo was taken today from Ricksecker Point looking down at the Nisqually River and Glacier Bridge. Ricksecker Point is closed to vehicles but is open to hikers. Stevens Canyon is also an excellent road for viewing fall colors, and is open until November 3 (scheduled closure weather dependent).

Road Status: http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/road-status.htm

NPS Photo. ~kl