A Brief History of Rafting Trips in the Royal Gorge of Colorado, Part 1

Part 1 - 2

Experience the best white water rafting trip in Colorado in the Spectacular Royal Gorge.

In the early days of rafting on Colorado's Arkansas River the Royal Gorge section was considered unrunnable by rafting enthusiasts, and for good reason! In the 1970's there were the remnants of an old retention dam from the Canon City water supply system blocking passage just upstream of a rapid now known as Sunshine Falls. There were also plenty of other obstructions preventing rafting from taking place, mainly debris left in the river from the construction of the railroad line that still passes through the Royal Gorge and is used for the scenic tourist train, the Royal Gorge Route railway to this day.

Those who ventured into the Royal Gorge to scout the river for signs of passage did so on foot, mostly by trespassing on railroad property. At this point in time, even if there were no dam or other large obstructions, the extreme gradient loss and resulting fast water coupled with the steep drops and very narrow canyon walls, was convincing enough for most that this should not be attempted for fear of severe injury or death. Once into the Royal Gorge it was clear that there were no good rescue eddy's below most rapids and there was absolutely no shore, only 1100 foot cliff walls on either side. Rafts would certainly become swamped or full of water making maneuvering next to impossible and result in complete loss of any control, long before getting downstream into the Royal Gorge itself, where all the biggest rapids waited. Nope, no way to run this section.

Then in the late 1970's the dam was blown up, washing concrete and huge boulders downstream and creating a fearsome, yet still unnamed rapid below the old dam and pumphouse. A few years later a first descent was planned by some local river rats in strange looking little boats called kayaks. The plan was to kayak down to an impassable spot, pull the boats up onto the railroad tracks, watching and listening closely for any freight trains that might come along, and they did several times a day back then. After as much walking as boating the rag-tag team (all river boaters were considered rag-tag back then) eventually found themselves in the very middle of the Royal Gorge, standing on the platform at the bottom of the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park property with a bunch of tourists who had ridden to the bottom on the incline railway. A long freight train was coming and shadows had taken over the river from the steep canyon walls. It was either wait for the train to pass and risk being in there in the dark, or get back on the water and take their chances with the river.

Continue to Part 2