It would be easy to object to the rampant commercialism of Royal Gorge (daily; $20; 719/275-7507), but if you don’t mind seeing impressive works of humankind amidst a stupendous show of nature’s prowess, I heartily recommend a visit. The gorge itself is unforgettable, its sheer, red granite cliffs dropping over 1,000 feet straight down to the Arkansas River, and the experience is enhanced by a barrage of civil engineering feats, including aerial trams, incline railways, and an impossibly delicate suspension bridge, all enabling visitors to experience the area in diverse ways. You can look down from the rim, dangle from a gondola on your way across to the other side, and from there follow a short nature trail that offers good views of Pike’s Peak. Walk back across the wooden planks of the bridge—the highest in the world, feelin uncomfortably like a rickety old seaside pier—then drop down on a funicular to the gorge’s bottom, where you can stand alongside the raging river, listening to the roar or admiring the famous Denver and Rio Grande Railroad line that passes through the gorge, in places suspended out over the river from the solid rock walls.
The only problem with Royal Gorge, apart from the steep admission fees, is that to get there you have to run a gauntlet of some of the tackiest tourist traps in creation, worst of which is the self-proclaimed “Real Historic Buckskin Joe—Gunfights and Hangings Daily.” Similarly hyped outfits line the well-marked, two-mile-long road to Royal Gorge, which cuts south from US-50 eight miles west of Cañon City.
