Scene Thief: Did you say glass floor? Don’t worry – the Hualapai, who own this patch of land, have made sure their design can support the equivalent of 70 fully loaded jumbo jets.
The platform’s UFO atmosphere is accentuated by a central axis representing a dead bell of a 1950s flying saucer. photo courtesy
Chileancia platform
Pinghu District, China
China is a bit late to the platform-building party, so it has compensated for not only by building the world’s largest platform in 2016, but by making it look like a futuristic spacecraft about to return to the universe. The 1,350-square-foot structure, appropriately constructed of aerospace-grade titanium alloy (and plenty of glass), hangs atop the peaks of Stone Forest, known for its strangely shaped rock formations. When the sun goes down, the view includes the lights of Beijing, 70 miles to the southwest.
Scene Thief: Take a two-hour walk to the platform and you’ll also pass a thrilling waterfall and mineral-shaded pools invisible from the cable car.
The platform offers a stunning view of the northern face of the Alps, a limestone peak that forms part of the range that separates southern Germany from Austria. photo courtesy
Alpspex
Bavaria, Germany
Getting to this platform is half a dread, as it can be reached by a long, steep climb on the cable car from the ski resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen to the summit of the Osterfelderkopf mountain. Walk a short distance from the upper station on two curved platforms that overlap to create a raised “X” that stretches over the panoramic cliff. (Pro tip: The Alps are beautiful.) The translucent bottom adds to the feel of flying 3,200 feet over a rocky trail—especially if the wind is blowing through the steel grille.
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