The Royal Gorge

Leaving Canon City the train winds its way along the river to the entrance of the Royal Gorge, which is a gigantic chasm in the heart of the mountains, cut from the summits of the lofty peaks to the very foundation stones. At the bottom flows the Arkansas River, "the mother of the Royal Gorge." Along this river follows the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, an engineering feat once looked upon as well-nigh impossible. Farther and farther as we penetrate this canon, it becomes narrower and the massive walls become higher; in the center of the Gorge it is 30 feet wide at the base, while the walls rise 2,627 feet above the track. At this point there was not sufficient room for the railroad and the river to run side by side, hence it was necessary to build the famous Hanging Bridge, which is suspended parallel with the river by immense steel supporters burried in the granite walls on either side. For ten miles wonder after wonder of Nature's mysterious grandeur is presented to the tourist on the trip through the grand old Canon of the Arkansas.
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All text and images Copyright 1995 by Darryl Van Nort