penobscot narrows bridge

We found this observation bridge while still looking for things to do and places to visit on Google in the UK. It is next to Fort Knox and as you get to the car park kiosk you given the choice of if you want to visit the observation bridge, Fort Knox or both. We chose and paid for both.You can drive from the kiosk through the car park for Fort Knox and on down the hill into the car park for the observation bridge after parking you make your way down to the entrance to the bridge observation platform and after having your tickets checked and going through security you are shown into the lift. As you reach the platform first level and the doors open you immediately see how high up you are as the glass is directly in front of you and by seeing the river and the views there is no mistaking the height you have reached. We continued up another set of stairs taking you up above the lift and onto a large platform with glass all around so views can be seen from any angle. There is also a small disabled lift in the corner allowing any wheel chairs or people not able to do stairs to reach the upper level as well. This is something we have not done before so to be that high up and be able to see so much we found great. we watched an oil tanker coming down the river passing underneath us, appear the other side and continue with its tugs taking it onward towards the oil tanks and the dock where it will be unloaded. There was a paper mill behind the dock area and the man on duty in the observation area was telling us it will close at Christmas and over 700 local people will lose their jobs. We can;t help thinking as we are now in 2015 if they found other employment or not? We will be uploading our photos so hopefully you will see why we say this is well worth doing and again there was no rushing or telling you to go down now! When we were ready to leave we left? Outside you can still see evidence there was an old bridge by the two support pillars which can be seen on either side of the river bank although the actual bridge has gone now.Thank you for reading this John & Sue Eastbourne UK

My wife and I went to New England to see the foliage and were driving from New Hampshire to Maine and passed by the Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Observatory. This is part of a bridge built over the Penobscot River that has two large supporting columns holding up the bridge and in one of the columns is an elevator that takes you up 400 or so feet to an observatory which has three different levels with a 360 degree view through the glass. The cost for two adults was about fourteen dollar. Just make sure you get there an hour before closing time as they cut off entry around an hour early. The view is the 360°and it's incredible how looking out over the river and the surrounding country and city side is amazing. This is certainly a family attraction as well as very safe for all the kids as it is 100% enclosed and if you haven't been there it is a great family trip. We were in and out in less than 30 minutes and this is a neat site not to be missed. Very easy to get to as well

Unparalleled views of the Penobscot river. A beautiful bridge with interesting history. Certainly worth the stop if you happen to be traveling the lovely Maine coast line.

Beautifully engineered and designed. Great views from tower. Right next to Fort Knox. Not to be missed

We definitely recommend visiting the bridge and observatory- the views are amazing, the prices are reasonable, there's no time limit, there's an elevator, and a lot of photo ops! It's really neat to go up so high and look at everything- it's a great idea to bring binoculars! We couldn't stop looking along the shoreline of the Narrows, and down into the water!

We were driving from Bar Harbor to Portland sticking to the coast. All of a sudden we went over this great bridge so stopped to take a view and then noticed that the bridge was open to the public and had an observatory at the top. Once you get up there the views are amazing and it's such a unique experience. I've been over lots of bridges but never up the top of one.

We’d never heard of this, but stopped on the recommendation of our innkeeper in Camden. Many people pulled off for the scenic view prior to the bridge, but most seemed unsure (as we were) how to get to the observation tower, said to be tallest public bridge observatory in the world. We also could not tell what admission prices were. We stopped again at the parking area north of the bridge, but still no information. There was a display about the construction and the bridge this replaced. It’s a striking attraction, but I think the observatory would draw more visitors if some appropriate signs were installed.

A great and unusual bridge with an observatory way up in the sky. Paid just $4 each for us old 'uns and $7 for our son which was pretty good value as it included the nearby Fort Knox where we could have spent another hour but, sadly, we didn't have the time. My wife doesn't much like heights so was a little scared at the thought of going up the tower but the lift was so smooth you hardly knew it was moving and the guide gave some advice about not looking down as you exited the elevator!Great views all round from the top although it was a bit of a grey day. Certainly worth the experience.

I had not been in this area for 25 years and was surprised to come around a corner and see this thoroughly modern bridge. I was surprised to learn that there was an observatory at the top of one of the bridge towers. The charge was $4.00 for Seniors and we enjoyed the view from the top which made the fall scenery even more beautiful. If you are traveling north on Rte 1 along the Penobscot Bay, do yourself a favor and stop there.

Great views and photo ops. Kids will like this and a trip to nearby Fort Knox. Elevator ride makes it easy for everyone.

Was a nice stop on our way to Canada. Was worth the hour or so we spent there. We did not go see the fort or anything nearby.

This is worth a stop if you have the time, the cost is low and you get the Narrows Bridge Observatory and Fort Knox Historical Site for the low cost of admission, $7. Great views from the observatory.

We made an unscheduled stop on our way to Arcadia National Park and decided to check it out. Took the trip up the elevator to the top of the observatory. The view from the top offered some amazing vantage points of the surrounding area.

Brilliant fall color, huge river, charming bay neighborhoods, what a delightful find. The architecture of the bridge and the view from the observatory are those special kinds of surprises when you are trying to get from Point A to Point B, but just have to detour for a spontaneously wonderful experience. Taking time for this and Fort Know (on the same grounds) really enriched our US-1 experience and gave us another wonderful perspective on life in beautiful Maine.

Well that was a nice treat! We crossed the very cool bridge and decided to take a short detour and view the bridge from the lookout area. Worth doing. Then found out that the bridge has an observatory at the top. So we headed there. $7 gets you the ride up and awesome views. Money well spent!