One of the country's most panoramic train trips follows the Arkansas River through the Royal Gorge in Colorado.
By JEFF MILLER
Published April 11, 2004
[Photo: Jeff Miller]
The highest suspension bridge in the world spans Royal Gorge in Colorado. It is 1,053 feet high.
In 1879, in a corner of Colorado 115 miles southwest of Denver, at the bottom of a narrow canyon 1,000 feet deep, men swung sledgehammers and rigged dynamite. They shattered rock and moved mountains, a piece at a time.
In one section, the canyon walls were 30 feet apart and filled with a raging river that would sweep away anyone who took a wrong step.
The laborers' mission was to lay railroad tracks through Royal Gorge, also known as the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas River. The objective was to bring a train through the canyon to better move silver ore from Leadville, the town nearest Colorado's rich silver mines.
In 1880, the chore was completed, and train service to Leadville became part of a transcontinental rail system. During the 1890s, four trains a day passed through Royal Gorge, helping to make the canyon one of the tourist must-sees of the West.
Silver mining declined over the decades, and by 1967, cars and planes had eliminated the need for a passenger train. But Royal Gorge has remained one of Colorado's biggest attractions. The area boasts what is said to be the highest suspension rail bridge in the world, plus an aerial tram and an incline tram.
Yet without the train, a vital perspective to the gorge was missing.
Short but exhilarating ride
Today, a train runs through Royal Gorge again. But it's no longer a passenger train passing through on the way to or from destinations; the gorge is the focus of the trip on the Royal Gorge Route Railroad. The 24-mile round-trip ride is one of the most spectacular excursion-train rides travelers can take.
The experience starts at the Santa Fe train depot in Canon City. The picturesque structure was built in 1914 and maintains an authentic charm. Standing behind the station is the train, which consists of a bar car, a cafe car, several refurbished passenger coaches and two observation cars.
The observation cars offer the best views. They have waist-high sides and are open to the wind, the sky and the massive gorge walls that crowd in on the tracks. This provides a more intense experience.
Pulling out of the station, there is no hint of the spectacular scenery to come. The train, which is pushed rather than pulled by its engine, chugs along through the back yards of Canon City, then enters rolling hills west of town. The train quickly picks up the Arkansas River as a bubbling travel companion.
On board, a narrative is broadcast throughout the cars, but soon the history lesson becomes secondary to the changing countryside. The soft hills give way to ever-sharper peaks. The observation cars fill up, and the passengers turn this way and that to take in all the views. Occasionally someone will spot a red-tailed hawk circling on a thermal air current or a big horn sheep easily navigating a steep granite cliff.
And then there is the gorge.
As the walls begin to take shape, then become higher with each turn of the tracks, the craggy rock walls come within a few feet of the right side of the train. On the left side, the Arkansas River has changed from bubbling to boiling. Periodically, rafts full of waving tourists can be seen shooting the rapids.
High above: the bridge
Back on the observation cars, sharp-eyed passengers get the first glimpses of the Royal Gorge suspension bridge high above the tracks and river.
The bridge seems to get larger, and the rock walls seem to grow taller. Coming around a bend, riders can make out the aerial tram as it dangles on wires 1,000 feet up.
In the midst of the rugged beauty, the train slows to a stop. Passengers watch the people standing on a small overlook after they have traveled from the top of the gorge on an incline tram. Both groups start taking pictures of each other.
Meanwhile, the train is resting on a "hanging bridge." This is the section where the gorge walls are 30 feet apart - barely room for the river and the train. When the 19th century engineers came to this spot, they decided the only solution was to suspend a bridge over the river by wedging A-frame support girders between the walls. It's an engineering marvel that has worked for more than 100 years.
Pulling off this hanging bridge, the train continues through Royal Gorge. Passengers watch as the walls begin to grow shorter, until the train breaks out into open countryside again.
The train waits a few minutes at Parkdale before it begins its return journey, this time with the engine pulling the cars. The return trip is still spectacular because the change in direction adds perspective.
- Jeff Miller is a freelance writer living in Denver.
If You Go
GETTING THERE: Canon City is 115 miles southwest of Denver, which has direct air service from the Tampa Bay area. From Denver, rent a car and take Interstate 25 south to Route 115, to Canon City.
THE TRAIN: The Royal Gorge Route Railroad operates year-round, though the best time to go is spring through autumn. The busy season is Memorial Day through Labor Day.
The train operates out of Santa Fe depot (401 Water St.) in Canon City and leaves at 9:30 a.m and 12:30 p.m. from May 22 to Oct. 3 this year. From June 1 to Sept. 6, an additional run leaves at 3:30 p.m.
The rest of the year, the train runs only on weekends, departing at 12:30 p.m. The round trip takes about two hours.
Lunch service is available on some of the winter and spring 12:30 trips. Dinner trips are conducted year-round.
For $95, a passenger can ride in the cab of the diesel locomotive.
Reservations, especially in summer, are recommended.
OTHER ACTIVITIES: The Arkansas River attracts throngs of rafters. The Raft-n-Rail program offers a one-way train ride and one-way rafting experience with two rafting options: on an easy section of the river through nearby Bighorn Canyon and through the more challenging Royal Gorge.
For information on prices and departure times, call Echo Canyon River Expeditions toll-free 1-800-748-2953 or go to www.raftecho.com
In Canon City, the Museum of Colorado Prisons 201 N First is an intriguing place. It's also fun just to wander the town's old main street, with its late 1800s brick buildings that now house craft shops, galleries, restaurants and cafes.
Eight miles west on U.S. 50, then 1 mile south on CR 3A, Buckskin Joe Frontier Town and Railway is a reconstructed mining town, with log buildings dating from the 1850s and a train that takes passengers 3 miles to the edge of the Royal Gorge. Visitors can watch costumed actors stage a gun fight, pan for gold or ride a horse-drawn trolley. For hours and ticket prices, go www.buckskinjoe.com
STAYING THERE: The Canon City area has about 550 hotel and motel rooms and 450 camp sites. Canon City is close enough to Denver that Denver can be used as a base of operations.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For the Canon City area, call toll-free 1-800-876-7922; www.canoncitychamber.com For Denver, call toll-free 1-800-393-8559; www.denver.org
