St. Johns Bridge

Continuing along I-5, I had the opportunity to cross this behemoth bridge that has a 1207 foot center span. The Saint Johns Bridge is the tallest bridge in Portland with 205 feet of clearance below.

Built in 1931, it was the longest suspension bridge west of the Mississippi at the time of construction as well as having the highest clearance in the country. Today, it's not even close to longest as it is well behind the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Tacoma Narrows Bridges in Washington and the Carquinez Bridge and the Oakland Bay bridges in San Francisco. But that's okay!

The bridge has two lanes in each direction with only a double-yellow line between them. There is a sidewalk/bicycle path on each side of the traffic that has no railing or barrier - just the curb. There is no toll to cross the bridge.

[Review 20925 overall - 15 in Oregon - 1909 of 2023.]

Did you know there are a total of 12 bridges entirely within the Portland city limits?

St. Johns Bridge is by far my favorite. It is a suspension bridge over the Willamette River. It is built in the Gothic design, sea foam green in color which is just beautiful as it is often a featured picture with the season of colors of Portland in the background. It is the tallest bridge in Portland, with two 400-foot-tall towers.

I am a San Francisco, CA native and I am sure that my attraction to the design and beauty of this bridge is rooted in my childhood and early adulthood from visits and walks across the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge.

I hope to travel up to the Cathedral Park neighborhood or St. John's neighborhood a bit more just to capture the grandeur of the beauty of this man-made structure in other photos.

To learn more about the bridges in Portland, OR, check out this site:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bridges_in_Portland,_Oregon

Seattle has its Space Needle.
San Francisco has its Golden Gate Bridge.
NYC has its Rockefeller Center and Chrysler Building, and Chicago has its Sears Tower.
Every city has its pivotal landmark which makes the city instantly recognizable. The iconic landmark that is depicted on its souvenirs. The landmark which, without any doubt, proclaims which city it hails from.

Portland has its St. Johns Bridge. (Also known as the Cathedral Bridge, due to the cathedral-like arches).

This bridge is on nearly every city souvenir from Portland, and with good reason: it is incredibly picturesque, with its seafood green patina and distinctive arches, towering majestically over the Willamette River, connecting the St. Johns neighborhood with the Portland mainland.

My kid lives in St. John's, so we crossed over this bridge many multiple times.

I admit, I was a bit taken aback when I realized that this bridge's railings aren't that high and there is no safety netting or other barrier to prevent people from jumping over the guardrail. (I used to be a paramedic, so this is where my mind automatically goes). There also is no barrier between bicycle riders riding across the bridge and vehicular traffic; they have to share the far right lane. So, this bridge, as gorgeous as it is, really doesn't pass the modern safety checklist for bikers or pedestrians (or potential jumpers). But yeah, it sure is pretty.

(Perhaps Portland doesn't have a big problem with bike accidents or suicidal jumpers. I don't know the stats here).

There is a beautiful park under the bridge called Cathedral Park, and it's the venue for many festivals and gatherings. I was told that lots of wedding photos take place here, and actual wedding ceremonies. It really is super picturesque. (There's a popular jazz festival on the grands this coming weekend I believe).

The only feature I think this bridge needs is illumination at night. When you go over this bridge in the dark, you can't see the arches at all. This bridge is so beautiful, it really would be enhanced by some uplights so one could see the arches at night.

This is the most beautiful bridge I've ever seen. And if you visit Cathedral Park, located directly under the bridge, you can get some amazing photos.

Original Practice Shakespeare Festival 2023 - evening of Richard II. Beautiful night for some Shakespeare in the park!

Are you up for an adventure? Take a hike to the center (or all the way) on this historic bridge in St Johns. Take a moment to look at the architecture and the beauty of the bridge as you gaze up and down the river.

Don't forget to look down!

This Gothic designed suspension bridge, with it's sea foam green metal and gothic arches illuminating against the lush hills of Forest Park on the west and creating an arched entry into St. John's on the east, is truly iconic due to it's unique grandeur and beauty.

During the Pandemic when gyms were closed, I set a goal of walking across the various Portland bridges as a form of exercise and to maintain sanity. While walking across the Cathedral Bridge isn't as peaceful as let's say the Burnside bridge, with so many trucks wizzing by and a very, very narrow sidewalk, it is still an exceptional experience not to be missed. The sheer beauty is memorizing.

There are sidewalks on both sides so you can enjoy the views north and south. At two spots along the way, on both sides, there are vestibules that jet out and allow one to take in the panoramic vistas without fear of the traffic. Stop, pause, take it in. Even the vestibules have a series of arches making for great selfies and photo ops.

As you are driving to Cathedral Bridge coming from Portland on the west side, about 100 yards before the bridge entrance, there is a small area to the left where about 7 cars can park. I drove across the bridge and parked on the St. John's side in one of the many side streets. Then walked across and back.

Afterwards, either walk or drive down to Cathedral Park situated under this magnificent bridge for the most incredible views of the bridge and it's amazing metalwork and series of cascading arches. Have a picnic on the grass, by the beach area near the river, or on one of the many picnic tables available. Make sure to walk up the stairs under the Far East side of park to central point for more awesome views and photo ops. Often you will see wedding shoots and other professional photo shoots happening.

In the summer during non-pandemic years, there are movies and concerts in the park and the fabulous 3 day Portland Jazz Festival. All of these are must do activities that are fun and enhanced in this spectacular setting.

The town of St. John's is small and cute, lots of restaurants, home of one of the the historic McMenamin's theatres, a farmers market on Saturdays from 9-2pm, and cute little shops & boutiques. Totally worth a drive, and then a walk, over this magnificent bridge, through the park and the town. Enjoy!

Spectacular landmark, so vastly recognizable and admired by so many. What a memorable sight to connect to a great town.

The St Johns Bridge is one of those landmarks that has the design and the scale and the location just right - making it the defining spot in Portland for me, even though I don't live anywhere near it.
I've made an earnest attempt at crossing on foot, but my fear of heights won out - not making it all the way across remains a major disappointment, because I'd love to explore this bridge from every possible angle.
Fortunately, the park below and the St Johns neighborhood provide countless viewpoints of their own. Exploration of the neighborhood on foot is something of a consolation for those of us who can't make it all the way across the span.

What a beauty! This bridge gave me the tingles going over. If you're headed from Sauvie Island towards the city you can see Mt Saint helens to the left, Mt adams straight ahead and then Mt Hood to the right! Such a beautiful piece of Portland art!