BOYNE FALLS — Back in fall 2021, Boyne Mountain Resort announced that it would build the longest timber-towered skybridge in the world as part of its decade-long project to expand Boyne Mountain beyond just skiing and snowboarding.

“This is going to be the world's largest timber-tower suspension bridge. Timber-towered is a key message, part of that was to pay homage to the logging history in Michigan. We sourced all of our lumber through Matelski Lumber, which is right next door,” said Boyne Mountain Director of Marketing Kari Roder.

“(The other part was) just creating an attraction that was complimentary to the area. A lot of people talk about the Mackinac Bridge, well this is kind of like Michigan's second bridge.”

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The bridge is modeled after one at Boyne’s sister park, Gatlinburg SkyLift Park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, which was built in 2019. The 700-foot bridge is currently the longest pedestrian cable bridge in North America.

After the success of the bridge in Gatlinburg, Boyne Mountain’s parent company, Boyne USA, decided to do it again in Boyne Falls.

With the help of Experiential Resources, the company behind the design and construction of the Gatlinburg bridge, Boyne designed a similar bridge spanning 1,200 feet across.

Construction began last fall, creating the foundations for the towers. Once winter hit, construction crews moved indoors and built the platforms pedestrians will walk across, including a glass platform for a view below.

The towers on the peaks of Disciples and McLouth were raised last April and construction has been ongoing since then. So far, the project is on track to be completed this upcoming fall.

As a suspension bridge, pedestrians can expect to feel the sway and movements of the structure as they walk. For that reason, those hoping to cross may not be wearing ski or snowboarding boots and must cross on their own feet, not wheels.

“You're literally walking over the valley. You're walking over a chairlift below the bridge,” Roder said. “So you're high up in the air.”

The surface of the platforms are grated metal that allow snow to fall through, so in warmer seasons, pedestrians will be able to see through the platforms to the ground.

On one end of the bridge, on the peak of McLouth, will be the Eagle’s Nest, a dining space with views of the surrounding valley. In the second phase of the project, the resort will be adding additional dining, shops, photo areas and a patio with fire pits.

LED lights have also been built into the structure.

“Everything is going to be lit so a lot of exterior illumination (will be) going all the way across the bridge. It's the cool LED lights too, where we can manually control the colors. So it's almost like a light show at the same time,” Roder said.

“(It’s) neat too because you can do it during the day, but you can also walk at night (and) it's a completely different experience.”

Roder said the bridge will be a year-round attraction and will be a different experience depending on the year because of Michigan’s seasonal landscape. Holidays and special occasions will also affect how the bridge is lit.

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The bridge is built near the ski lifts and will not impede regular ski routes. The bridge is meant to serve as an attraction for everyone, including those who come to the resort with no intention of skiing or snowboarding.

“Skiing is still going to be happening around people when they're up there, it's right in the mix,” Roder said.

“It'll be kind of a cool view of people going through the park and doing tricks and stuff while you're walking across it in the winter. I think every season is going to be so different. Obviously, when there's not skier traffic, it'll be a completely different experience.”

Contact reporter Tess Ware at tware@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter, @Tess_Petoskey 

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: SkyBridge expected to open at Boyne Mountain in fall