Colorado Springs Loop - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 425

One of America's highest suspension bridges, the bridge over Royal Gorge sits more than 1,000 feet above the churning
Arkansas River rapids.
12. Royal Gorge
Thisgorge,carvedovereonsbytheArkansasRiver,haswalls—regally coloredinanarray
ofreds—thatplummetmorethan1,000feettotheriverbank.Anaerialtramwayandoneof
America's highest suspension bridges both span the abyss, offering vertigo-inducing views
deep into the chasm. For yet another perspective, ride the incline railway to the gorge's
faraway floor. In a thrilling descent the cars inch down a 45-degree slope to the swirling
rapids of the Arkansas River. As you look up from the bottom, the towering walls obscure
all but a sliver of sky.
13. Cañon City
Farther east the drive snakes over the crest of the Dakota Hogback via Skyline Drive, then
descends to Cañon City. One of its first mayors, a poet named Joaquin Miller, wanted to
dub the rowdy mining camp Oreodelphia, a highfalutin' name that the miners insisted they
couldneitherspellnorpronounce.''Theplaceisacanyon,''theysaid,''andit'sgoin'tobe
called Cañon City.”
The town is host to one of Colorado's major penitentiaries, besides other attractions
better worth stopping for. A hint of its past still exists in the town's historic district, com-
plete with museums, and visitors can also drive by the ornate mansions built by early min-
ing magnates.
Take time to ride the scenic railroad through Royal Gorge. Its trestles span clefts, and
its tracks cling to ledges with a view of the Arkansas River far below.
THE MANSIONS OF CAÑON CITY
Between1899and1910,goldandsilverbaronsinCañonCitywerequicklybecoming
wealthy from the nearby mining camps of Leadville and Cripple Creek. Realizing the
area was an ideal gateway for interstate commerce because of its proximity to three
major railroads—Denver & Rio Grande, the Santa Fe, and the Florence and Cripple