Royal Gorge

Royal Gorge, near Cañon City in south-central Colorado, is the deepest canyon in Colorado — a 10-mile-long gorge where the Arkansas River has cut 1,053 feet into the Precambrian granite core of the Rocky Mountains, creating sheer granite walls rising more than a thousand feet above the river in one of the most dramatic canyon landscapes in the American West.

The Royal Gorge is spanned by the Royal Gorge Bridge — completed in 1929 and for 63 years the world’s highest suspension bridge (1,053 feet above the Arkansas River), now managed as a private park (Royal Gorge Bridge and Park) with the bridge walk, a gondola tramway, and panoramic canyon views. The Arkansas River below is one of the finest commercial whitewater-rafting rivers in the United States. Royal Gorge is a treasured geological and cultural icon of Colorado.

Royal Gorge offers walking the Royal Gorge Bridge (the 1,292-foot-long suspension bridge, 1,053 feet above the Arkansas River, is the signature experience of the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park; the walk across the bridge — watching the river far below through the bridge deck grating — is a vertigo-inducing and exhilarating experience; the park includes a gondola tram across the canyon, a zip line, a sky coaster, and other attractions), whitewater rafting the Arkansas River through the gorge (the Royal Gorge section of the Arkansas has class V rapids — Wall Slammer, Sunshine Falls, and others — and is one of the most challenging and most popular commercial-rafting runs in Colorado; numerous outfitters in Cañon City offer guided trips), the Royal Gorge Route Railroad (a historic excursion railroad that runs through the bottom of the gorge, providing a train-level view of the granite walls and the river; one of the most scenic short-rail excursions in Colorado), hiking in the adjoining Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, and the Buckskin Joe Frontier Town and scenic railway (adjacent to the bridge park). The bridge, the rafting, and the railroad are the singular draws.

Spring (May and June) is the finest season for whitewater rafting (the Arkansas is at its highest and most powerful during snowmelt — the Royal Gorge section class V rapids are at their most exciting; commercial outfitters require prior rafting experience or a guided trip for the gorge section in high water). Summer (July and August) is the peak visitor season for the bridge park (warm, long days; the gondola and zip-line operate at full capacity; the river is at lower but still excellent rafting level). Fall is excellent for the bridge and the gorge views (the cottonwoods in the canyon bottom turn gold in October). The bridge is open year-round. Spring for the river, summer for the park, and fall for the foliage are the highlights.

Royal Gorge has been a significant landscape since the prehistoric era; the Ute people traveled through the gorge along the Arkansas River for generations. The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad engaged in the “Royal Gorge War” of 1878-1879 — a bitter dispute (eventually settled by the US Supreme Court) over which railroad would control the narrow gorge and the route to the Leadville silver mines; the D&RGW won the legal battle and built the line through the gorge. The Royal Gorge Bridge was constructed in 1929 for $350,000 by a private company; it was the world’s highest suspension bridge for 63 years (until the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia surpassed it in height in 1977 but not in dramatic gorge position). The bridge park is privately operated.

Royal Gorge is carved in Precambrian granite — approximately 1.7-billion-year-old Pikes Peak Granite (the same granite exposed at Pikes Peak and throughout the Colorado Front Range core). The Arkansas River’s rapid down-cutting through the granite (made possible by the rapid uplift of the Rocky Mountain core in the Laramide orogeny and subsequent Tertiary periods) created the sheer-walled, narrow gorge. The granite is essentially free of bedding planes (unlike sedimentary rocks), allowing the walls to stand perfectly vertical for more than 1,000 feet without collapsing. The joint system in the granite (vertical fractures in the otherwise massive rock) controls the wall faces. The Precambrian granite, the rapid river incision, the structural uplift and the vertical granite joint system created the gorge.

Royal Gorge’s sheer granite walls and Arkansas River corridor support canyon wildlife — peregrine falcons (nesting on the granite cliff faces), canyon wrens (singing their cascading trill from the granite walls — a classic sound of the gorge), white-throated swifts (screaming in formation above the canyon), osprey (fishing the Arkansas River), belted kingfishers, common mergansers, American dippers (in the river), mule deer and bighorn sheep (on the canyon slopes), and black bears and mountain lions (present in the surrounding national forest). The Arkansas River’s excellent trout fishery (brown and rainbow trout below the gorge, in the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area) supports the osprey and merganser populations.

Royal Gorge’s Arkansas River corridor is a critical riparian ecosystem in the otherwise arid south-central Colorado landscape — the narrow canyon supports a riparian woodland (cottonwood, box elder, willow) that sustains a disproportionately rich wildlife community and provides a movement corridor for large mammals. The Arkansas River is managed as the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA) below the Royal Gorge; the AHRA manages the river for a combination of recreation and conservation. The gold-medal trout-fishing stretch below the gorge (in Cañon City) is one of the finest fly-fishing rivers in Colorado. Protecting the riparian corridor and the river water quality sustains the ecological value.

Royal Gorge holds a treasured place among the natural and engineering icons of Colorado — Colorado’s deepest canyon (1,053 feet), the site of the historic Royal Gorge War railroad dispute, one of the most dramatic canyon drives and rafting runs in the American West, and the home of the Royal Gorge Bridge — for 63 years the world’s highest suspension bridge, still the definitive dramatic single structure in Colorado. Its combination of geological drama, engineering landmark, whitewater rafting and scenic railroad makes it exceptional. Royal Gorge is a cherished natural and cultural icon of Colorado.

Royal Gorge Bridge and Park is 8 miles west of Cañon City, Colorado, on US-50 west. Cañon City (adjacent) has full services. Pueblo (40 miles east) and Colorado Springs (45 miles northeast) have full resort services. The Royal Gorge Route Railroad departs from the Cañon City depot (1 Royal Gorge Blvd., Cañon City). Commercial whitewater-rafting outfitters are based in Cañon City, Salida, and Buena Vista. The Royal Gorge Bridge and Park charges a significant admission fee (check royalgorgebridge.com for current rates). US-50 provides scenic access to the south rim of the gorge even without entering the bridge park. Check royalgorgebridge.com for hours, prices and any seasonal closures.

Royal Gorge Bridge and Park is privately operated. The surrounding canyon walls and river corridor are managed by the Bureau of Reclamation and USFS. Peregrine falcon nesting areas on the cliff faces may be closed in spring (check with the bridge park or USFS for any closures before rock climbing in the area). The Arkansas River is regulated by the AHRA for combined recreation and conservation; respect all river-use rules (no motorized craft in designated quiet zones; respect the trout fishery and practice catch-and-release in the gold-medal stretch). Pack out all trash from any river access or hiking area. Support the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area conservation programs.

The bridge walk is safe (sturdy suspension bridge with full handrails) but produces vertigo in many visitors; assess your comfort with extreme heights (1,053 feet above the river) before committing to the walk. The Arkansas River Royal Gorge whitewater section (class V in high water) requires prior rafting experience or a guided commercial trip; the drops are serious and the consequences of a swim in the class V gorge are significant. Rock climbing on the gorge walls: the granite is excellent climbing rock but the walls are heavily bolted and managed by the climbing community — check mountain project for current route conditions and any closures. Respect the height of the bridge, the class V rapids and the rock-climbing approach.

Royal Gorge Bridge and Park: admission fee required (check royalgorgebridge.com). Royal Gorge Route Railroad: separate ticket required (check royalgorge.com for schedule and prices). Arkansas River whitewater: licensed outfitters required for commercial trips; check AHRA for private-boater permit requirements. Rock climbing: no permit required for most routes (check AHRA for any restrictions). No collecting of rocks or geological materials in the canyon. Pack out all trash. Check all respective managing agencies for current rules before visiting.

Cañon City, Colorado (adjacent — a full-service small city with a surprisingly excellent downtown, the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility — a 19th-century prison now open for tours, the Colorado Gator Farm, and the Colorado Territorial Correctional Museum), the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (the gold-medal trout stream along US-50 west toward Salida), Salida (40 miles west on US-50 — Colorado’s most charming mountain-town arts community, with outstanding rafting on the Number One Rapid section of the Arkansas), the San Isabel National Forest, and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Crestone Needle, Kit Carson Peak and the 14er complex visible from the gorge rim) define the region. Royal Gorge is the anchor of the Arkansas River Valley outdoor experience.

Take the Royal Gorge Route Railroad in the morning (the first departure is typically 9 AM) and then walk the bridge in the afternoon for the two most iconic Royal Gorge experiences in a single day — the train’s view of the granite walls from 1,000 feet below (literally at river level, in the narrowest part of the gorge) is completely different from the bridge’s view from above. Raft the Royal Gorge section (class V; book with a licensed Cañon City outfitter) in late May or June for the highest water and the most dramatic rapids. Fly-fish the gold-medal stretch of the Arkansas River below the gorge (in the AHRA, accessible from US-50 east of Cañon City) for excellent brown and rainbow trout in the clear, cold tailwater.