Drive In Two Time Zones At Once On This Bridge In Idaho

Have you ever thought about how strange our time zones are? When you’re traveling long distances, changing time zones can really get confusing. What about folks who have to deal with multiple time zones in a single city?

Idaho is one of about a dozen states that actually has multiple time zones. The time zone changes in a state usually follow a body of water or some other natural boundary.

Nan Palermo/flickr Usually, you have to cross a state line, or at least a county line, to enter a different time zone, but these boundaries don’t always line up perfectly.

In Idaho, a great example of this is in Riggins in Idaho County.

Arkyan/Wikimedia Commons The Pacific and Mountain time zones are divided along the Salmon River. Thus, there’s actually a place where US 95 crosses the river called Time Zone Bridge.

As the signs around the Time Zone Bridge explain, this is where things get weird.

J. Stephen Conn/flickr Crossing from one side sends you over into the Pacific Time Zone. Crossing from the other side, you enter Mountain Time.

I guess that means when you’re in the middle of the bridge, you’re in both time zones at the same time!

Flickr/Nan Palmero There aren’t a lot of places where this is possible, but that’s not the only thing that makes this bridge unique.

The really weird thing is that because of the shape of the river, you actually turn the clock back, even though you’re traveling east.

Flickr/Nan Palmero Traveling over the Time Zone Bridge is like doing a real-life time warp.

Nowadays, our cell phones will probably automatically adjust to all of these changes, but back in the day, places like this could cause a lot of confusion.

Nan Palermo/flickr

Usually, you have to cross a state line, or at least a county line, to enter a different time zone, but these boundaries don’t always line up perfectly.

Arkyan/Wikimedia Commons

The Pacific and Mountain time zones are divided along the Salmon River. Thus, there’s actually a place where US 95 crosses the river called Time Zone Bridge.

J. Stephen Conn/flickr

Crossing from one side sends you over into the Pacific Time Zone. Crossing from the other side, you enter Mountain Time.

Flickr/Nan Palmero

There aren’t a lot of places where this is possible, but that’s not the only thing that makes this bridge unique.

Traveling over the Time Zone Bridge is like doing a real-life time warp.

Have you ever driven over the Time Zone Bridge? Do you know of any other places like this?

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