Things to know about visiting the Royal Gorge:
It is an easy day trip from Colorado Springs.
We visited Royal Gorge Bridge and Park on a day trip out of Colorado Springs. The Royal Gorge is only about one hour and fifteen minutes away from the Springs. It was nice to get out of town and away from the hustle and bustle of the city. If you are like us and find yourself visiting on a cold day in March, you will have this place to yourself! I am sure it gets busy in the summer months, but we enjoyed a quiet morning at the park.
You have to pay admission fees.
Royal Gorge Bridge and Park is a private park so you will have to pay admission fees. We were traveling as a couple so we only had to pay for two adults. Thankfully, ages 0-5 have free admission and I think there may also be some senior discounts. There is a discount for purchasing your tickets online.
I don’t think we would have been as excited to visit if we had to pay for ourselves and our entire crew of five kids. With a big family, admission costs add up quickly. With so much access to other free activities in the area, I am not sure that it would be totally worth it for us if we were paying for the entire fam.We enjoyed all the activities, but it does seem like a bit of a tourist trap.
General admission tickets include walking across the bridge, the theater, the playground, the viewing areas, and a ride on the gondola. Zipline and climbing adventures are an additional fee. There are concession areas onsite for food purchases. All of the rides/activities depend on favorable weather conditions. If it is too windy, the rides will close.
If you are looking for free views of the Royal Gorge Bridge, head over to Elkhorn Loop Overlook and Picnic Area. It was recommended to us by some locals and I would love to check it out if I am in the area again. It is a beautiful place to view a wider section of the Royal Gorge along with some hiking trails, picnic areas, and pit toilets.
Definitely take a ride on the gondola.
Gondola rides are included with your admission. It was super cool to be out over the gorge. Since you can see the bridge from the gondola, I liked the views from the gondola better than those from the bridge.
After crossing the bridge, we enjoyed the short but steep hike up to the gondola loading area as we needed to stretch our sore legs after the Manitou Incline hike from the day before. If you have mobility issues or don’t like trekking up big hills, I would recommend taking a ride in the gondola across first and then walking back as it will be an easier downhill walk to access the playground, theater, and bridge.
The zipline looks super fun and also a little scary.
The zipline is an additional fee, but it did look quite thrilling! It was enjoyable to watch other people gliding across. I think it would be a lot of fun and is likely worth the extra cost on a warm day. It was really cold and super windy when we were there.
They have a massive playground with a carousel.
The playground is huge and fantastic! It has a carousel, climbing areas, slides, splash pad, and more. It is included with general admission and I am sure it would be a blast for every kiddo on a warm day! Read more about it here.
Take the scenic drive through Bighorn Sheep Canyon to nearby Salida.
After visiting the Royal Gorge, be sure to take advantage of other neighboring attractions. In Cañon City take a ride along Skyline Drive, hike the Tunnel Drive Trail, ride The Royal Gorge Route Railroad, or raft the Arkansas River. There is so much to see and do in this area.
The mountains were calling us, so we took a scenic drive towards Salida along the banks of the Arkansas River through Bighorn Sheep Canyon. And, yes, we did see bighorn sheep! Bighorn Sheep Canyon has incredible views and access to some amazing hiking, fishing, picnic areas, and camping. And best of all, it is close to the cute little town of Salida, Colorado.
We enjoyed some delicious pizza at the Moonlight Pizza and Brewpub in Salida, but were in a time crunch as we had to return to Colorado Springs for some evening meetings at the conference we were attending. The views of the Collegiate Peaks along the way were incredible.
We had such a lovely day visiting the Royal Gorge, driving through Bighorn Canyon, and having lunch in Salida. Royal Gorge Bridge is an excellent day trip from Colorado Springs.
