Royal Gorge Route Railroad

A heritage train along the Arkansas River through Colorado's Royal Gorge, a canyon over 300 m deep, crossing the famous 1879 Hanging Bridge on the way.

The route

The Royal Gorge Route follows the Arkansas River west from Cañon City, Colorado, through the Royal Gorge to Parkdale. The gorge itself is about 10 km long and more than 300 m deep, with walls so close together that at one point there is barely room for the river, let alone a railway. Getting track through it was one of the hardest problems faced by the railways racing to reach the silver mines around Leadville.

That race became the Royal Gorge War of 1878 to 1880, a fight between the Santa Fe and the Denver & Rio Grande over who had the right to build through the canyon, carried on with lawsuits, rival grading crews and armed men. It ended with the Treaty of Boston in 1880, which gave the line to the Rio Grande. The Santa Fe's most lasting contribution was the Hanging Bridge of 1879, a plate girder hung from A-frame girders braced against the canyon walls where the gorge narrows to about 9 m.

Passenger trains ran through the gorge on the Rio Grande main line until 1967 and freight until 1989. After freight ended, the track through the canyon could easily have been lifted. Instead, since 1999 the line has been run as a heritage excursion railway from Cañon City, using 1950s-era cars including a dome car. It has become one of Colorado's best-known tourist trains, and the 1879 Hanging Bridge is still in daily use.

What you will see

The scenery is defined by the river. At the Cañon City end the valley is still open; toward the middle it tightens into a canyon of steep, broken rock, with the track on a narrow shelf just above the water. Watch for the stretch where the walls close in and the sky becomes a strip overhead; in summer you may also see rafters on the whitewater beside the line.

Near the deepest part of the canyon the Royal Gorge suspension bridge crosses high above the track, a thin line far overhead that shows how deep the gorge really is. Close by is the Hanging Bridge, where the rails run along the river under the A-frame girders braced against the rock. It is a short structure, so look for the steel framework passing just above the cab.

Toward Parkdale, at the western end, the canyon opens out again, with more sky, gentler slopes and dry, scrubby hills. Excursion trains reverse at the end of the line, so a full trip covers the gorge twice, once in each direction.

Riding it for real

The Royal Gorge Route Railroad runs excursions from the Santa Fe Depot in Cañon City throughout the year, with several departures a day in the main season. Passengers can choose between coach, vista dome, open-air cars and first-class dining, and there is also an option to ride in the locomotive with the engineer, which gives you the same forward view as this video.

The open-air car is the best place for photos in the canyon, while the dome car is more comfortable on cooler days. Seats on popular departures and the engineer rides are limited, so book ahead, and check the railroad's website for current timetables and fares.

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