Steel Bridge
Steel Bridge
4
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Top ways to experience Steel Bridge
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Pearl
How to get there
- Union Station • 7 min walk
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
1 935 within 5 kms
Attractions
590 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
39 reviews
Excellent
11
Very good
23
Average
5
Poor
0
Terrible
0
BrakiWorldTraveler
Belgrade, Serbia19 452 contributions
Apr 2024 • Family
This truss bridge over Willamette river is imo the true Portland symbol. It's a double decker bridge with cycles/pedestrians on the lower level and cars on the upper one. We drove twice across it.
It's a draw bridge with two independent lifts on its pillars. Best seen from the promenade beneath.
It's a draw bridge with two independent lifts on its pillars. Best seen from the promenade beneath.
Written 31 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pthomas156
Newport, RI1 493 contributions
Jun 2021 • Couples
Our hotel (Kimpton Vintage) had free bikes available so my husband and I borrowed two to do a bridge loop bike ride — we had seen it suggested in a book in Powell’s called 50 Bike Rides in Portland. I suspect a loop around the river could be done using many of the very cool bridges in Portland, but this is a good, flat short and scenic one. We went along the riverfront walk, over the Hawthorne Bridge, down the waterfront on the other side and across the Steele Bridge and back to our hotel. The Steele has great photo possibilities with a protected lane for stopping. It’s a real industrial feel with a ship in port in the distance and a giant bunch of silos or whatever right off the bridge. As it got sunnier, pleasure boats started to appear. Would have loved to see that drawbridge open! Two bridges from the Hawthorne is a pedestrian bridge if you’d like to lengthen the loop.
Written 9 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RandyRoss
Ridgetown, Canada12 749 contributions
Aug 2022
We drove over this historic steel lift bridge (top level) and I also walked over part of the lower level (train, bikes, pedestrians). It is an interesting design and certainly historic.
The Steel Bridge is a through truss, double-deck vertical-lift bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, opened in 1912. Its lower deck carries railroad and bicycle/pedestrian traffic, while the upper deck carries road traffic and light rail (MAX), making the bridge one of the most multimodal in the world. It is the only double-deck bridge with independent lifts in the world and the second oldest vertical-lift bridge in North America.
The Steel Bridge is a through truss, double-deck vertical-lift bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, opened in 1912. Its lower deck carries railroad and bicycle/pedestrian traffic, while the upper deck carries road traffic and light rail (MAX), making the bridge one of the most multimodal in the world. It is the only double-deck bridge with independent lifts in the world and the second oldest vertical-lift bridge in North America.
Written 26 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
512Okie
Dallas, TX131 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
Iconic historic bridge in Portland. Easy to see from many parts of the city. It is worth a quick view. Go by when in Portland.
Written 29 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gavatron07
Tasman, New Zealand460 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
We cycled back across the river on the lower deck of this bridge after crossing over upriver on the Tilikum Crossing bridge. Quite a contrast between the two.
Written 30 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
B.W.
La Pine, OR142 contributions
Aug 2018 • Couples
I have a weird fear of bridges. My husband and I decided I should overcome that fear and walk across the bridge to explore downtown. The walk was scary (especially with traffic speeding by), but the view was pretty great. I'm glad we decided to walk across.
Written 29 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jim R
Bellingham, WA377 contributions
Jul 2017 • Solo
I just like the looks of this funky, very old bridge a lot. Like one of the other reviewers, I missed the convoluted path to get from a street bike path down to the east esplanade and rode across the bridge in the car lane the first time, even after asking a transit employee for directions. Portland drivers are courteous and I made short work of it, but not the way to cross. From either the east or west esplanade, steel decking leads to the LOWER level of the bridge that also carries real train tracks.
Written 16 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tena E
Secaucus, NJ82 contributions
Apr 2017 • Business
We mistakingly biked across the Steel Bridge on the top level with cars and such. We were on a narrow path on the side, however for people who are not frequent bike riders this was a very bad idea.....however on the way back across we discovered the lower level ...where it was suggested we ride our bikes . It is for bikers and pedestrians. The path is much wider and not as steep, very friendly for the occasional bikers. Both ways we're breathtakingly beautiful.
Written 21 April 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RSNN
Portland, OR5 803 contributions
Mar 2017 • Solo
The Steel Bridge in Portland, Oregon was built in 1912. It is the second oldest Vertical-lift bridge in the USA and spans across the Willamette River. The oldest vertical-lift bridge is the Hawthorne Bridge nearby to the south.
The Steel Bridge is used by freight trains, Amtrak, MAX light rail, cars, trucks, pedestrians, and bicyclist.
I was walking the Eastbank Esplanade toward the Steel Bridge in the late morning as a freight train was rolling along the lower deck of the Steel Bridge. There were pedestrian and a few bicycles on the south side moving along in front of the train as they crossed the Willamette River.
I crossed over to the westside and used the stairs on that side to climb up to the upper level of the bridge. While I walked back and forth from west to east and east to west to take photos, two Max light rail commuter trains crossed the bridge. The two inner lanes are used only by MAX light rail. Cars, trucks, and buses are only permitted to drive across the bridge using the two outer lanes.
I have never seen the Steel Bridge raised. But if I wanted to see that I would find the Rose Festival the best time to see that. As the Fleet comes to Portland and docks along the waterfront at that time in June.
The Steel Bridge is a great place to be to take some nice photos of the local area here like the Eastbank Esplanade, the waterfront, and the other bridges spanning the Willamette River.
The Steel Bridge is used by freight trains, Amtrak, MAX light rail, cars, trucks, pedestrians, and bicyclist.
I was walking the Eastbank Esplanade toward the Steel Bridge in the late morning as a freight train was rolling along the lower deck of the Steel Bridge. There were pedestrian and a few bicycles on the south side moving along in front of the train as they crossed the Willamette River.
I crossed over to the westside and used the stairs on that side to climb up to the upper level of the bridge. While I walked back and forth from west to east and east to west to take photos, two Max light rail commuter trains crossed the bridge. The two inner lanes are used only by MAX light rail. Cars, trucks, and buses are only permitted to drive across the bridge using the two outer lanes.
I have never seen the Steel Bridge raised. But if I wanted to see that I would find the Rose Festival the best time to see that. As the Fleet comes to Portland and docks along the waterfront at that time in June.
The Steel Bridge is a great place to be to take some nice photos of the local area here like the Eastbank Esplanade, the waterfront, and the other bridges spanning the Willamette River.
Written 6 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tiredandtravelled
Portland, OR1 159 contributions
Nov 2016 • Couples
So I get this one confused with the Hawthorne bridge. This is the double decker with the bicycles and the runners (many of each) on a separate level beneath the cars. Lots of runners it is part of a jogging trail. And there are cyclists everywhere. The views are great, less confusion with just the cars by themselves. Favorite bridge the newer earthquake proof Ross Island Bridge. There is an island with a nesting pair of eagles near it.
Written 26 November 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing