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Royal Gorge Tour

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
 4.4 (37)
  1. Areas
  2. CO
  3. …Front Range
  4. …Cañon City
  5. Royal Gorge Park
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“A nice tour of the trail network north of the Royal Gorge with awesome flow and some tech. ”

Michael Silver
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Map Key

11.6

Miles

18.6

KM

100%

Singletrack

7,108' 2,167 m

High

6,527' 1,989 m

Low

1,161' 354 m

Up

1,160' 354 m

Down

4%

Avg Grade (2°)

15%

Max Grade (9°)

Dogs Unknown

E-Bikes Unknown

Overview

On this ride you'll get views of the Royal Gorge and Sangre de Cristo Mountains, as well as views of Pikes Peak to the north.

Need to Know

These trails are open to foot traffic as well as bikes. Please ride with caution and be respectful of other users.

Description

The ride starts off County Road 3a at a picnic area. There is a bathroom to change in and ample room at the parking area to stage your start.

Take the Canyon Rim Trail heading east. This is a steady easy climb with a few sandstone features to ride over. Turn right on Far Out then a right onto Le View. You can take in the view of the gorge and Sangre de Cristo Range from here. Continue on FAR Out to Summit Trail, an out-and-back climb to the top of Fremont Peak followed by a nice descent.

You'll rejoin FAR Out, staying to the right this will take you to Cañon Vista and eventually S'mores. S'mores loops around the campground. When you reach County Rd F30 at the northwest side of the campground, cross it to take Dark Side of the Moon. There is a slot drop over a granite rock which is technical and fun; stay to the right coming off the drop to flow onto the trail. This is one of the most fun trails in the park with awesome downhill flow through a recent burn area.
Loop back to the campground on TBD and then S'mores with a climb. When you reach the parking area for the campground head west on Canyon Rim Trail to head back to your car. This is a gradual down hill with intermediate tech; it's a nice way to round out the ride.

Contacts

Land Manager: City of Canon City

Shared By:

Michael Silver with improvements by David Andrus
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.4 from 37 votes

#1

in Royal Gorge Park

#462

Overall
  4.4 from 37 votes
5 Star
54%
4 Star
35%
3 Star
8%
2 Star
3%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Royal Gorge Park

#120

in Colorado

#462

Overall
120 Views Last Month
10,955 Since Mar 14, 2018
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
0%
0%
39%
39%
21%
0%
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Photos

MTB'ing Royal Gorge @ Cañon City // Hot Mess Express
Feb 14, 2021 near Cañon C…, CO
Cacti in bloom along Far Out.
Jun 5, 2022 near Cañon C…, CO
Snowy peaks
Nov 10, 2017 near Cañon C…, CO
Just the beginning
Nov 10, 2017 near Cañon C…, CO
Lots of spiky cholla, barrel and prickly pear along the trails! Keep focused and don't wander off the singletrack…
Jun 5, 2022 near Cañon C…, CO
Lookout point
Apr 12, 2020 near Cañon C…, CO

1 Comment

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Weather

Current Trail Conditions

Bad / Closed 34 days ago
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Check-Ins

May 27, 2023
Chris Adams
13.6mi — 2h 30m
Apr 11, 2023
Scott Rumpf
Feb 12, 2023
jen kammerer
Good to go. Some icy spots that got mushy later in the day but short bits only except Summit Trail, which looked very ice covered so we skipped it. 11.8mi
Sep 18, 2022
Molly Harris
Great loop to explore what's on offer. The views are second to none. Trails well built and offer challenge and flow. — 2h 00m
Jun 4, 2022
Chris JD
I took a slightly different route as I was camping at east ridge. Dream weaver, twisted cistern. overlook loop, canyon rim, FAR, canyon vista, s'mores 10.5mi — 1h 00m
Apr 22, 2022
Atsuko Ohtake
Feb 7, 2022
Aidan Jenkins
hard gorge! 10.9mi — 1h 48m
Jul 11, 2021
Stephanie Powell

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