Canon City, Colorado has been on our radar for a while. We’d even had a trip there planned and reserved a couple of times before having to cancel. This time we weren’t cancelling, period. Then that darn virus reared it’s ugly head. Would we have to cancel yet again or would Royal View cancel? We checked Colorado’s situation frequently and hoped for the best.
Home base for our Canon City stay was Royal View Campground. We could see the Royal Gorge Bridge right from our campsite! It’s a well laid out campground. There is a mix of 30 amp and 30/50 amp so you’ll want to specify your requirements when making a reservation. Almost all sites are pull-through, which is great for coaches and trailers. All but a few sites are long and wide with enough room to park your vehicle next to or behind your coach. Each site has a picnic table and a fire pit.
They’ve altered normal operations for our not normal times. They parked campers in every other space, leaving one empty space in between. Sadly, all activities were closed. When it’s fully open the pool, mini golf course, basketball court, horseshoe pits and bocce ball courts would be a fun way to spend an afternoon after exploring. There is also a huge lawn area at the front of the park for exercise and Frisbee golf.
The dog park is huge, giving our four legged friends lots of room to move about.
There is a nice walk that winds up the hill just past the clubhouse that gives a great view of the bridge. Standing close to the bridge, you know it’s long but seeing it from the hill, it’s really long!
The campground is on Highway 50, six miles north of downtown but didn’t feel that far. It’s only a one mile from the turn-off to the Royal Gorge Bridge and nine miles to the Royal Gorge Railway station.
There is much to do in the area besides the bridge and train. In addition to bridge and train ride, we filled three days with hikes, trail rides in our Jeep and exploring downtown. The prison tour is fascinating. If you’re over a certain age, don’t forget your reading glasses for the 6-point font that explains what you’re looking at on the tour. As always, we leave things to go back to. We are looking forward to seeing the area without masks and closed storefronts.
The owners and campground staff did a wonderful job pivoting their business during this mess. It’s surely a place we will happily stay again.