Royal Gorge & Bighorn Sheep Canyon

The 6.6-mile Royal Gorge Rim Trail follows the south canyon wall with continuous views 1,053 feet straight down to the Arkansas River. The trail is part of the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park property — the park admission includes trail access. The canyon was carved by the Arkansas River over 3 million years through Precambrian granite 1.8 billion years old. The trail passes through pinon-juniper woodland with views of the 1929 suspension bridge below and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the southwest on clear days.

The 1929 suspension bridge spans the gorge 1,260 feet long and 18 feet wide, 1,053 feet above the water — worth crossing on foot for the vertigo-inducing views through the steel mesh floor down to the river. The Arkansas River far below runs Class IV-V whitewater through the gorge; commercial rafting outfitters run it from May through August. The aerial gondola across the gorge gives the best view of both the bridge and canyon walls simultaneously.

A Cañon City institution since 1938 — Italian-American comfort food on Elm Avenue that has fed Royal Gorge visitors through eight decades without changing its formula. House-made pasta, chicken parmesan, and a minestrone that's been on the menu since the Depression. Dark wood, white tablecloths, unhurried pace. One of the oldest continuously operating restaurants in Colorado.

A 2-mile paved trail through three hand-carved railroad tunnels in the Royal Gorge walls, cut by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad in 1877. The tunnels are now a pedestrian and cycling path following the Arkansas River through the gorge mouth. The granite walls narrow above the trail as you enter the canyon; the path is flat and completely accessible. One of the most unusual rail-trail conversions in Colorado.

The Class I-II section of the Arkansas River through Bighorn Sheep Canyon west of the Royal Gorge offers a 6-mile float through a 1,000-foot volcanic canyon where 400-600 bighorn sheep winter on the canyon walls. The Bighorn Sheep Canyon section is less technical than the Royal Gorge proper but more wildlife-rich; licensed raft outfitters in Cañon City offer 2-3 hour trips.

A 10-mile limestone canyon north of Cañon City with 850 bolted sport climbing routes in the 5.6-5.13 range on Ordovician limestone, considered one of the finest sport climbing areas in Colorado and the most extensive bolt-protected sport climbing in the state. Even non-climbers can walk the canyon road to watch climbers and see the geological formations.