Scanning the rack full of travel brochures in the lobby of my Colorado Springs hotel the one catching my eyes was for the nearby Royal Gorge. From the description I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect at the Royal Gorge- there was a suspension bridge across a deep chasm, that much was clear but what else was there to see? Was it a near a town? Was it just another one of those spectacular highway bridges across a canyon so common in the great American West? And what made this gorge “royal”? My copilot and I had the day free, we had a rental car, and it was a sunny summer day so curiosity and wanderlust got the better of us. Off we headed towards Cañon City and the Royal Gorge.
An hour later we left the main highway for the winding road that led to the Royal Gorge Park (so, it was a park!). After securing the car we walked toward the entrance, catching a glimpse of the towers of the suspension bridge- but wait, weren’t we going to drive across that bridge? Was it an unused bridge on a now obsolete highway? What kind of a place was Royal Gorge Park? The mystery deepened as we walked on. Reaching the entrance and spotting a ticket booth it finally dawned on us- the Royal Gorge was a tourist trap! We’d been hoodwinked by slick advertising! The suspension bridge that had loomed large in the brochure is actually only a foot bridge! (But what a footbridge- read on.)
Deciding we’d traveled too far to go back to COS unfulfilled we opted to pay the $20 entrance fee and see what this place was about. Well it turns out the Royal Gorge Park actually is nothing more than a tourist attraction and it’s been in operation since 1929 when the bridge was erected. After spending a day roaming we found the place well-run, clean, and refreshingly unpretentious with impressive sights- not at all cheap and tinny as we’d half expected upon arrival. The bridge, it turns out, actually is a foot bridge spanning a narrow thousand-foot deep gorge cut by the Arkansas River. Only eighteen feet wide and twelve-hundred feet long the bridge itself is a work of art and engineering.
While the structure is all steel the deck is all wood, specifically individual thick fir planks about eight inches wide and three inches thick. I mention this because across the span of the bridge there are small gaps between the boards, meaning one can look down and see the floor of the gorge below! For people like me who are afraid of heights (don’t snicker- most pilots have a fear of heights), a walk across this bridge is therefore a leap of faith. I was sure at any moment the plank I was standing on would snap in half or I would slip through one of those monster-sized gaps and fall to my death! Irrational thinking, I agree, but no more so than being certain if I leaned against the bridge handrail it, too, would collapse from my weight and well, a plunge to my death would follow.
At one end of the bridge is an incline railway that takes riders to the bottom of the Royal Gorge. The gorge itself is relatively narrow with shear walls from bottom to top and the railway inclines at forty-five degrees. It’s a five minute ride to reach the bottom of the thousand foot deep cut. There one gets a close up view of the Arkansas River and if the timing is good you’ll see the sight-seeing train roll through. The train is another area attraction and probably worth the time and expense should you ever visit the Royal Gorge Park. You may also see some river rafters floating by on the river’s white water.
Transiting the bridge there’s a small theater, a music venue, a petting zoo, an overlook, and a Sky Coaster on the opposite side. The coaster is one of those cable-and-sling affairs allowing riders to swing out and over the gorge- you can’t be faint-of-heart for this thrill ride. (No doubt if I rode on it the cables would snap and throw me to the bottom of the canyon and to an instant death.) We attended a short presentation about the area and the park at the theater. The area itself is not especially significant historically but the presentation was informative.
A cable car traverses the gorge as well but opted to walk back across the bridge. A quick stop at the lodge for souvenirs- I buy whiskey glasses from the places I visit for my son- and we were done for the day. We agreed that our day spent at the Royal Gorge had been a good one, worth our time and the expense. It was $20 very well spent. The value of visiting is in the spectacular scenery and if you go Pike’s Peak is not too far away. The bridge, funicular, and cable car do give you access to this beautiful spot and views that will stay with you for a long time.
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