Royal Gorge Bridge spans the Arkansas River.
The Royal Rush Skycoaster.
The Soaring Eagle Zipline.
Story & Photos By Stan Wawer
Royal Gorge Bridge is not on my A bucket list. However, it has been filed away in the longterm memory portion of my brain as a must see. It no longer is a must see. It’s now a must go back.
After visiting this engineering marvel with my family — wife, daughter and two granddaughters — I find it hard to believe, I never had it on my bucket list.
Royal Gorge Bridge is in Cañon City, Colorado, about two and a half hours from Denver. It was built in five months in 1929 without a death or serious injury. It is 976 feet (our trolley driver said 1,200 feet) above the Arkansas River and spans 1,270 feet. It was built at a cost of $300,000 (about $18 million today).
Today, it is more than a suspension bridge; it is Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. Two of its ride are as adrenaline pumping as any found in our country’s great amusement parks.
“I’m a coaster freak,” said a man in his early 60s as he was being harnessed up for a ride on the Royal Rush Skycoaster.
OK, thrill seekers; this ride is the ultimate adrenaline rush. The skycoaster takes you up 100 feet and then lets you fly through the air with the greatest of ease. It is 1,300 feet above the river and reaches speeds up to 50 mph that take you over the gorge. The scariest part is the winching that takes you to that 100-foot tower and then the release that fires you out over the gorge like a slingshot.
I opted for the Soaring Eagle Zipline, another adrenaline-seeking experience. The zipline is 700 feet long, 1,122 feet above the Arkansas River and goes at a speed of 30 mph. The only thing holding you into the seat is a seatbelt tightened around your waist. You go backward and then forward and you do it twice. My 6-year-old granddaughter went on it twice and had her hands up in the air. Kids!
With two riders secured side-by-side, the zipline is family friendly, reads the description on the brochure.
“We started construction in March and opened in May,” said Troy, the ride’s operator and one of the builders. “We had more than 500 flyers on Labor Day. It was interesting that he used the term “flyers.”
The oldest rider to date is 87 and the youngest was a big 2-year-old boy.
“We have made over $300,000 since May,” Troy said. “We hope to recoup our construction costs by next summer.”
The Incline Railway, one of the world’s steepest incline railways, takes you down 1,550 feet at a 100 percent grade and 45-degree angle. It descends at a speed of 3 mph and the travel time is five and a half minutes each way.
Other activities include trail rides (must be 6 years or older to ride), Wapiti Western Wildlife Park, antique replica carousel (I went on with my granddaughters and it is the fastest carousel I’ve ever been on and there are no straps holding you on), aerial tram, Plaza Theatre, burro rides, Silver Rock Railroad and Mountain Man Trading Post.
The aerial tram is one of the world’s longest single-span aerial tram and 2,200 feet and 1,178 feet above the Arkansas River. It was built in 1968 at a cost of $350,000.
The park opens at 10 a.m. and closes at different times, depending on the time of the year. During October it is open until 4 p.m. Admission is $26 for adults, $20 for children and $22 for seniors. Children under 4 years of age are free. There are coupon and other special pricing offers.
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