![]() Armies were recruited, crude forts were built, and there was much brandishing of weapons. ![]() Old photos show these rock forts bristling with men and rifles.Ī war of sorts was fought in this canyon. These are the remains of forts built to defend the canyon. Many little placements of rocks can be seen above on the canyon walls. This bridge still serves today.įurther up the tracks towards Parkdale, the canyon opens up a little. But in 1879 a “hanging bridge” was devised and built to allow the tracks to pass through the narrow space suspended above the rushing water. The river simply must occupy the entire canyon bottom. Most people who visit the Royal Gorge see only this part of the canyon and often just from high above where the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park has been one of Colorado’s most popular tourist destinations for over 75 years.īeneath the suspension bridge, the canyon is so narrow and the walls so steep that a place for railroad tracks seemed impossible. From the train an Alpine like cable car is also visible spanning the canyon near its top. Its tracks descend at a 45 degree angle with two cars balancing each other as one goes up and the other down. From the unobstructed view of an open railroad car, passengers can actually see light between the wooden boards that form the deck of the bridge.Ī funicular railway brings people down from over 1000 feet above. It spans the width of the canyon from north to south. ![]() Soon a fragile looking suspension bridge comes into view high overhead. No highway invades the canyon, and the only people along the line are riding rafts or kayaks down the Arkansas River or enjoying a bit of fly fishing after a long hike.Īs the vintage blue and white train climbs upstream following the banks of the Arkansas, the canyon walls grow ever closer and higher. Except for the river itself, all is quiet. Cholla cactus bloom bright yellow along the tracks. A hawk soars far overhead as the train leaves the little town behind and enters the canyon once known as the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas.
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