Rotting wooden planks, held aloft by rusty bits of wire, stretch out in front of you. You reach for a railing to steady yourself but all you find are two threadbare ropes. The howling wind blows the rickety footbridge from side to side. Somewhere below you lies the forest floor — you don’t even know how far.

All bridges serve a purpose, whether utilitarian or inspirational, but some of them, like Musou Tsuribashi — this shaky, 50-year-old crossing in southern Japan — add a distinct element of fear. You don’t have to be in a remote part of the world either; scary bridges exist everywhere, in all shapes, sizes, and heights. And crossing over them can be the ultimate in adventure travel.

Surprisingly, not all of these bridges are old and dilapidated. Take the Mackinac Bridge, which connects Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas and can be so scary in high winds that some people simply won’t go.

Is this an irrational fear? Not necessarily. Gephyrophobia — the fear of bridges — is an accepted psychological diagnosis. Dr. Michael R. Liebowitz, founder of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, told The New York Timesthat the fear of crossing bridges is very common, if not as well known as, say, the fear of flying. It also carries a stigma, says Liebowitz, even though bridges have been known to collapse, like the interstate highway bridge in downtown Minneapolis in 2007.

Unlike those who suffer from gephyrophobia, many courageous (or foolhardy) travelers seek out hair-raising bridges just for the thrill. The bridges along the route to Colombia’sNational Archeological Park of Tierradentro are a good example. Though there are safer routes via bus from La Plata, some thrill-seekers choose to ride motorcycles over slippery bamboo crossings deep in the mountains, where one wrong move could mean plunging into a turbulent river.

Get ready to face your fears — or maybe find your next adventure — with our list of the world’s most petrifying bridges.

Aiguille du Midi Bridge, France

Don’t look down. At this elevation — a whopping 12,605 feet above sea level and 9,209 feet from the floor of the valley — you’ll want to keep your eyes locked on the panorama of the craggy French Alps. Fortunately, the bridge itself is short, making for an easy escape if acrophobia sets in. Those who are truly afraid of heights probably won’t even see the bridge, as getting here requires taking a cable car that climbs 9,200 vertical feet in just 20 minutes.

Where: The summit of Aiguille du Midi in the Mont Blanc massif, near Chamonix.

Stats: 9,209 above the valley floor.

Royal Gorge Bridge, Colorado

America’s highest suspension bridge may be breathtaking for some, but those scared of heights may be left gasping for air as they stare straight down nearly 90 stories at the Arkansas River below. Completed in 1929, the bridge didn’t have stabilizing wind cables until 1982.

Where: Royal Gorge, Colorado, over the Arkansas River.

Stats: 955 feet above the gorge; 1,260 feet long.

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Trift Suspension Bridge, Switzerland

One of the Alps’ longest and highest pedestrian suspension bridges, Trift was built in 2004 to reconnect hikers to a hut made inaccessible by a retreating glacier. A replacement in 2009 gave this bridge higher handrails and stabilizing cables to prevent it from swinging violently in the wind. But it still provides an adrenaline rush.

Where: Trift Glacier, near the town of Gadmen in the Swiss Alps.

Stats: 328 feet high; 560 feet long.

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Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Northern Ireland

First things first: only one person has ever fallen off this bridge and he lived to tell the tale. However, many visitors who walk across simply can’t handle the return and have to go back by boat. It used to be even scarier. Erected by fishermen who went to the island to catch salmon, the original bridge had only a single handrail. The rope bridge eventually became popular with tourists seeking a thrill, and the National Trust replaced it with a sturdier structure with two handrails.

Where: Near Ballintoy in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Stats: 66 feet long; 98 feet above the rocks below.

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Capilano Suspension Bridge, Canada

Originally built in 1889, this simple suspension footbridge surrounded by an evergreen forest is very high, fairly narrow, and extremely shaky — the cedar planks bounce on their steel cables as you walk across them. If the bridge doesn’t scare you, the Cliffwalk attraction, which opened in spring 2011, allows visitors to climb across a series of suspended walkways attached to a cliff.

Where: North Vancouver, British Columbia, across the Capilano River.

Stats: 450 feet long; 230 feet high.

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Mackinac Bridge, Michigan

Some drivers get so nervous about crossing this five-mile-long bridge that they don’t even go — it’s something that happens so often the Mackinac Bridge Authority will drive your car or motorcycle for you (for a $10 fee in addition to the toll, though this service was free in pre-pandemic times). The biggest fear is caused by the wind, which often exceeds 30 miles per hour on the bridge.

Where: Between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas.

Stats: 5 miles long; 155 feet above the water.

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Puente de Ojuela, Mexico

While this particular bridge leads to a ghost town, it’s the squeaky wooden floor that makes it scary. Fortunately, steel cables suspended from two towers bring a greater feeling of safety. Still, the steel is a relatively recent addition: when German engineer Santiago Minguin built this bridge in the 19th century, those towers were made of wood.

Where: The ghost town of Ojuela, an old mining settlement in the northern state of Durango, Mexico.

Stats: 1,030 feet long; 2 feet wide; 327 feet above a gorge.

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William Preston Lane, Jr. Memorial Bridge (Bay Bridge), Maryland

Drivers are notoriously afraid of this bridge, as it’s subjected to frequent — and often violent — storms. When the bad weather hits, forget about visibility: get to the middle of this 4.3-mile-long bridge and you can barely see land.

Where: Spanning Chesapeake Bay to connect Maryland’s eastern and western shores.

Stats: 4.3 miles long; 186 feet high at its highest point.

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Monkey Bridges, Vietnam

It may seem like only monkeys could make it across these traditional monkey bridges — after all, they’re typically made of a single bamboo log and one handrail. The name actually comes from the stooped monkey-like posture you’ll have to maintain when crossing, so as not to plunge into the river below.

Where: Various points across the Mekong Delta at the southern tip of Vietnam.

Stats: These bridges are built by hand by local residents and vary from town to town. Newer ones are made of concrete.

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Hussaini Hanging Bridge, Pakistan

Massive gaps between the planks, a wild side-to-side swing; there are reasons why this is considered to be one of the world’s most harrowing suspension bridges. While rickety cable and wood bridges are common in this area, crossing this bridge over the rapidly flowing Hunza River is particularly frightening, as the tattered remains of the previous bridge hang by threads next to the one currently in use.

Where: In the village of Hussaini in Northern Pakistan, crossing the Hunza River.

Stats: 660 feet long, hanging 100 feet above the raging river.

 

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Seven Mile Bridge, Florida

Besides being seven miles long, the bridge itself doesn’t seem that scary, but its position in the Florida Keys makes it a prime target for the region’s many hurricanes. The newest version of the bridge scrapped the original concept in lieu of a sturdier 65-foot-high arch to allow boats to pass under. While it may be sturdier, we still wouldn’t want to be on it during a storm.

Where: The Florida Keys, connecting the Middle and Lower Keys.

Stats: 7 miles long; 65 feet high.