Now is the Time to Take a Drive Over Colorado's Royal Gorge

Many Colorado attractions remain closed to the public. The Royal Gorge, however, is open to motorists, and now is the time to take a drive across the bridge. That's right, I said "drive."

Have you visited Colorado's awesome Royal Gorge? It's only a few hours away from Grand Junction. Google Maps puts the drive from GJ to Canon City at 4 hours and 40 minutes. As of Friday, May 1, 2020, the bridge is open, and you're welcome to drive across.

If you've visited in recent years, you've probably walked across the Royal Gorge. It's really something to see. Under normal operating conditions, you can ride the gondola, or even cross the gorge via the zip line.

With the recent crisis, the Royal Gorge has been closed to the public since March (minus a brief period of time when it reopened, and then promptly closed again). As of today, the site is open, and you're invited to visit. According to The Gazette, for the price of $20 per vehicle, motorists with eight or fewer people can visit the park between the hours of 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Take advantage of this opportunity to drive across America’s Bridge! Regular passenger cars, motorcycles, and SUVs & minivans holding 8 persons or less will be permitted to drive across the bridge during this time. - Royal Gorge official webpage

There are a handful of special conditions you'll have to observe. To comply with the State of Colorado’s Safer at Home orders, you'll need to remain in your vehicle with no stopping whatsoever. There will be no access to buildings including restrooms.

Okay, so it won't be quite the same. Then again, even though I've visited the Royal Gorge several times over the years, I've never had the opportunity to DRIVE over it. That would be awesome. Here's a chance to visit an amazing Colorado site while practicing social distancing.