Canon City, CO
On day 3, we arrived in Canon (pronounced like Canyon) City, Colorado. We were on a time crunch, and after a 5ish hour drive, we headed straight to the Royal Gorge railroad. I bought our tickets online, and with our confirmation number, I was able to pick up our official train tickets from the counter.
Originally we had a 1 hour wait, so we browsed the cute gift shop. We bought a bottle of water, and waited. But that hour quickly turned into 2, and people were getting UPSET. A lot of the workers were saying they were short staffed. Who knows. We lucked out by finding a bench under the shade, and we just waited until it was time to board.
All Aboard
Once on the train, we were able to order food and drinks. The waitstaff did a great job of getting everybody waters, because it was HOT waiting for the train ride to commence. I ordered the grilled cheese and it was honestly so good, one my top 5 grilled cheeses. Others in the group ordered nachos, burgers, and chocolate cake (also yummy!)
We did make some stops along the way and the crew pointed out some fun facts during the ride. But, I have to tell you, the views were spectacular. I could see the Royal Gorge Bridge way up above as the train went under it. It was scary to think that the next day we’d be walking over it, 1000 feet in the air!
Royal Gorge Bridge & Park
After partaking on the train ride which lasted a total of 2 hours, we headed to the hotel to blow off some steam. We picked up dinner on the way. After a restful sleep, we woke up early to visit the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park. Tickets cost about $32 dollars per person, but it included access to the entire park. It also included the tram ride across the gorge.
I don’t think I realized how scared of heights both my daughter and I are, until we peeked through the cracks of the wood planks while crossing the bridge. But we pushed through and made it all the way across! The views are hard to beat. It is truly one of my top 3 this trip. There was a flag to represent every state on the bridge. We even got to see water rafters below!
FYI – The Tram
Ok, I’m going to give you the heads up so you don’t make the same mistake we did. When you first go into the park, I HIGHLY recommend taking the TRAM across (since it’s right by the door) and then walking over the bridge back to the entrance. WHY? Because when you walk the bridge first, you then have to walk a HIGH INCLINE to the tram station. I mean it was ROUGH. It was hard to breathe, and we took a lot of little breaks, because we almost didn’t think we could make it. Even the attendants said we did it backwards. Oh well. I will tell you that once we were inside, we didn’t care how high we were. It was such a nice break from walking!!
Final Thoughts
Canon City, Colorado, with its Royal Gorge Train and Bridge; offers a one-of-a-kind experience that combines natural beauty, adventure, and a touch of nostalgia. So, if you’re looking for an easygoing adventure, this is your next stop!
Don’t forget to check out our other adventures on this roadtrip:
Until next time…
