Events In Cañon City

Cañon City, Colorado

Welcome to Cañon City, home of the highest suspension bridge in America.

Home of the world-famous Royal Gorge Bridge & Park. The area offers a variety of outdoor activities for the entire family year-round. Hunting, fishing (and the best fly fishing in the nation), boating, rafting. bicycling, golfing, hiking, swimming, camping, horseback riding, ATV trips and mountain climbing are all available in the area. Take a ride along the rim of the Royal Gorge with Colorado Jeep Tours. They also can take you along the Gold Belt Tour through the late 1800’s mining districts of Cripple Creek and Victor. All of their tours are breathtakingly scenic and accommodate most ages and abilities.

Cañon City also offers shopping in its Historic Downtown, award-winning wine tasting at the Winery at Holy Cross Abbey, and you can experience the history of the Pikes Peak area by touring the Gold Belt Byway which includes two exciting and very scenic routes from Cañon City to Cripple Creek, our local gaming town some 9,000+ feet in the mountains. There's plenty of fun, excitement, beauty and spirit in the Cañon City area.

With lots of room to roam, you can leave all your 'big-city' hassles and worries behind as you bask in the warmth of the sunshine abundant to the region; Cañon City boasts 325 days of sunshine per year.

Cañon City was founded in 1860 to excavate possible mineral deposits in the area.

Cañon City is the home of the Royal Gorge, a 10-mile long steep canyon carved in granite by the Arkansas River.

An orange train rides along the Royal Gorge Railroad

The Royal Gorge Railroad follows a route through the 10-mile Royal Gorge.

A History Built by Trains

No gold or minerals were found in the history of Cañon City but the discovery of silver and lead in Leadville, CO in 1877 prompted a race to build rail access to the area. In the 1890s, the Royal Gorge region was used as a passenger route for transcontinental rail travel. As many as four trains per day went through the gorge, though in time, the establishment of alternate routes through the mountains made the Royal Gorge fall from favor for transcontinental use, and passenger train service on the main line was discontinued in 1967.

The Royal Gorge Route Railroad, a leisure train, now follows the route through the gorge. In 1929, Cañon City authorized the building of the Royal Gorge Bridge, which stands at 1,053 feet above the river and is one of the highest suspension bridges over water in the world. The bridge forms the heart of Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, a theme park owned and run by the city.

Authentic dinosaur tracks on Skyline Drive.

Ancient Dinosaur Bones

Other important elements in the history of Cañon City include the dinosaur bones discovered in the area in the early 1870s. Today you can see the world's most complete Stegosaurus and learn more about the dinosaur discoveries in the history of Cañon City at the Dinosaur Depot Museum.

Experience the history of Cañon City by visiting this historic town. Main Street in Downtown Cañon City, listed on the National Register of Historic Places is a great place to start. Don't forget to save with area discounts & deals on lodging, attractions, dining and more!

Cañon City events and festivals are family-friendly and adventurous! Join in the action at the Whitewater Festival or watch some stellar band performances at the Music & Blossom Festival.