We arrived at Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, in Canon City, Colorado just after 8PM. Too late to go out on the bridge but the security guard told us of a scenic lookout that had a great view of the bridge.

Hanging 1,053 feet above Colorado’s wild Arkansas River, the Royal Gorge Bridge is the world’s highest suspension bridge and a legendary feat of engineering renowned the world over. Built in 1929 for $350,000, the cost today would easily exceed $15 million.

One of the most massive gorges in the world, the gorge was created some three million years ago when a trickle of water first began to slowly carve a canyon out of the solid granite bedrock. Today that trickle is the raging Arkansas, one of America’s longest rivers. And the masterpiece it continues to carve at a rate of one foot every 2,500 years is the Royal Gorge.

The Royal Gorge is considered a world wonder often referred to as the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas River. Yet it’s unlike any other canyon. The width at the canyon bottom is no more than 40 to 50 feet, while the top measures only a few hundred feet. Photos don’t do this justice, this is a BIG hole in the ground. The views down from the area we were standing was just awesome.