The Royal Gorge RailroadBy the time most tourists drive the Colorado state line, they have already gathered a stack of travel brochures from those kiosks that seem to be in every motel, gas station, and restaurant in neighboring states. A good number of them are devoted to Colorado historic railroads. If you've only got time for one train ride, and your travels take you near the area, the Royal Gorge Railroad might be worth considering. The train takes you on a twelve mile trip (twenty-four miles round trip) through the Royal Gorge. The scenery is spectacular, and though there are dinner tours and "six levels of service," "coach class" is what we chose. It was very warm on the day of our trip, and coach allowed us to relax in comfort in an air conditioned compartment, but we could also walk out into into the open air for better views. There was also a conveniently located bar and concession car that provided us with speedy service.  One option to consider is a combination train and rafting trip. Take the Royal Gorge Railroad up the Gorge and raft the Arkansas River on the way back.
 If scenery is what you came to Colorado for, you've come to the right place. In some places along the route the train travels through narrow passes, straight up on both sides. The train runs parallel to the Arkansas River. In some places the river is smooth and wide, others it is very fast moving white water. On the day that we took the train there were dozens of rafters, and they all looked like they were having a great time. Had I known beforehand that a rafting trip could have been combined with the train ride, I might have had enough time to convince my wife Kathy to take the fast way back to Canon City. If you want to have a better chance to see wildlife, earlier or later in the day is the better than mid-day. Some of the wildlife that you could see are bighorn sheep, mule deer, elk, bobcats, coyotes, wild turkeys and eagles.  For most people a high point of the trip is traveling under the Royal Gorge Bridge.
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The Royal Gorge train departs from Canon City. We phoned the Royal Gorge Railroad before we left on our road trip and were told that we would have no problem getting tickets at the station. We found the station as soon as we got into town "just in case." I'd rather be early than too late. No doubt there are busier times than others, so make sure you phone ahead. The maximum capacity of the train is 730 passengers.