Thinking of spending a day at Royal Gorge Bridge and Park in Cañon, Colorado? It features gorgeous views of the gorge, and attractions for the whole family to enjoy!
In 2020, some friends and I traveled 1600+ miles to experience some of Colorado’s finest attractions. Unfortunately, many of the sites out further west were in towns that had been evacuated, due to recent wildfires. Luckily, though, we did get to visit Royal Gorge Bridge and Park!
Royal Gorge Bridge and Park Admission
Park admission is 28$ for adults, and 23$ for children (ages 6-12). The park charges slightly more than this if you do not buy a ticket online, in advance (they have an internet ticket discount!) Children 5 and under can enter the park free of charge.
Last year, park admission prices dropped during the off-season, starting October 1st (whether or not that will happen in 2021 is unclear). Be sure to check their website for the most updated information regarding open times & ticket pricing.
Admission tickets includes a gondola ride across the gorge as well as the ability to walk over the gorge via the bridge. Some days, there is even live music to enjoy at the gorge.
We were warned that lines for the gondola could take up to an hour or longer, and that if we didn’t wait in line for a gondola ride early in the day we might miss our chance to ride one by closing time. We did not wait in line for the gondola as we purchased tickets for their other attractions, that had similarly long lines.
If you aren’t interested in the ziplining, or the skycoaster then I would definitely recommend waiting your turn for a gondola ride across the gorge! The views are immaculate as you make your way across the gorge without the structures of the bridge obstructing your view.
The photos (above) were taken as I walked across the bridge.
The bridge itself was huge, and made of thick pieces of wood. It sits 955 feet above the Arkansas River, and remains the highest bridge in the United States to this day.
The park also offers a few other attractions at an extra cost. These include the parks Cloudscraper Zipline across the gorge, the Royal Rush Skycoaster, and Royal Gorge via Ferrata.
My friends and I chose to do the Cloudscraper Zipline, as well as the Royal Rush Skycoaster. We bought our tickets for these attractions in a package deal that ended up costing 65$ for both rides. This saved us just 5$ in comparison to buying the tickets separately.
Although the Zipline was fun, we agreed the Royal Rush Skycoaster was more thrilling, and way less expensive.
The third activity, Royal Gorge via Ferrata, is a rock climbing adventure that allows you to explore the inner walls of the gorge!
Other activities are offered at the gorge as well, through different companies. For example, we saw a group of white water rafters in the river below us as we walked across the bridge, and we saw a train ride at the bottom of the gorge.
The Royal Rush Skycoaster
Check out Royal Gorge Bridge and Park’s YouTube video about their skycoaster below!
It is definitely an adrenaline rush, and highly recommended by me! It was totally worth the wait, and the money spent.
Cloudscraper Zipline
That first photo there is me all loaded up, and about to be sent over the gorge on the Zipline. The second photo is me standing by the gorge that the zipline ran across. The zipline is very neat, and has awesome views of the gorge.
The zipline only took about 30 seconds to get across, but I felt like was moving rather slow on it. It was also mid afternoon when we went on it, and the wind was beginning to pick up in speed. They almost changed the weight requirements before we got to go across, which would have made us unable to ride.
Call ahead when traveling with children to hear the height or weight requirements for the attractions. Be sure to check the weather in advance too, as strong winds or rain can shut down the gondola, zipline, and skycoaster.
The scenery alone made this trip to Royal Gorge Bridge and Park so worth it, and I would definitely recommend the park to anyone who is interested!
Read more about my road trip to and through Colorado here: Road Trip During COVID-19: PA to CO.
Read more about road trip preparation here: The Ultimate Road Trip Preparation Guide
Edit: This article was edited for clarity (post-pandemic pricing, and requirements) on 07/01/2021. Below is an except of removed text relating to the parks handling of COVID-19.
“In regards to COVID-19, Colorado does not have laws requiring masks to be worn outdoors. Many of the patrons at the park were not wearing their masks. Signs were posted that masks we to be worn at all times when people were inside of the park buildings. I do believe they could have better enforced the masks inside rule, but overall it was a fine experience. They were also enforcing Colorado’s 50% capacity rule throughout the park to adhere to the states COVID-19 guidelines.”
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I am really inspired with your writing skills as well as with the format on your blog. Is that this a paid subject matter or did you customize it your self? Either way keep up the excellent high quality writing, it’s rare to look a great blog like this one today.
Thank you for the kind words! I customized this blog myself, as I just wanted to share my experience with others and highlight all the awesome things about my trip to the park!
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