Fitness
Best Lookout Points in the World for Unbeatable Views
Scene stealer: Did you say glass floor? Don’t fret—the Hualapai tribe, which owns this swath of land, made sure its design can support the equivalent of 70 fully loaded jumbo jets.
The platform’s UFO vibe is accentuated by a central hub that’s a dead ringer for a 1950s B-movie flying saucer. Courtesy Image
Shilinxia Platform
Pinggu District, China
China was a bit late to the platform-building party, so overcompensated not just by building the largest one in the world in 2016, but by making it resemble a futuristic spaceship about to zip back to the cosmos. The 1,350-square-foot structure, appropriately constructed of aerospace-grade titanium alloys (and a lot of glass), hangs off one of the highest peaks of rugged Stone Forest Gorge, known for forested, odd-shaped rock formations. When the sun sets, the view includes the lights of Beijing, 70 miles to the southwest.
Scene stealer: Undertake the two-hour hike up to the platform and you also pass a dramatic waterfall and mineral-tinted pools not visible from the cable car.
The platform delivers a stunning view of the north face of Alpspitze, a limestone peak that’s part of the range that separates southern Germany from Austria. Courtesy Image
Alpspix
Bavaria, Germany
Getting to this platform is half the freak-out, as it is accessed by a long, steep ascent on a cable car from the Garmisch-Partenkirchen ski resort to the Osterfelderkopf mountain summit. Walk the short distance from the top station onto two curving platforms that overlap to create a soaring “X” extending over the panoramic abyss. (Pro tip: The Alps are pretty.) A semi-transparent bottom adds to the sensation of flying 3,200 feet above a rocky gorge—especially if a wind is whipping up through the steel mesh.