Fire recovery continues at Royal Gorge

The popular Royal Gorge Bridge and Park west of Caon City appears to be bouncing back strongly from a June 2013 wildfire that destroyed most of the park.

Park officials are rebuilding the tourist attraction in phases. The first phase was completed last spring when the park reopened with a new welcome center, cafe and other buildings.

“Last year, attendance was up 20 percent,” said Dona Basham, the park’s sales manager. “This year, we’re up 12 percent so far. We had a few down days last week because of smoke from the Hayden Pass fire but it’s not affecting us any more.”

An addition to the park this year includes an amphitheater hosting concerts for well-known bands. Blue Oyster Cult and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band are among the performers so far.

Basham said the park still is several years away from a full recovery.

“We’re hoping to bring back the incline train that took riders down to the gorge and the Arkansas River,” she said. “It may not be exactly what it was, but something similar.”

Many visitors said they didn’t know about the fire, and that the park looks so nice that it’s hard to tell there ever was a fire.

Mike and Terri Reyes of Chicago said they may move to the area because they’re so impressed by it.

The Johnson family of Pueblo West brought their two granddaughters who were making their first trip to the park.

“I think it’s cool that they rebuilt a lot of the stuff that was damaged,” said oldest granddaughter Sydney Lobato. “I don’t know if I’ll be afraid of heights on the bridge, though. I guess I’ll find out.”

In a related matter, the Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience, an independently owned and operated educational facility, opened last weekend across from the main park entrance on U.S. 50.