Hit the trails and check out some dinosaur fossils and other great geological wonders in the Royal Gorge Region.
Donate food to the Pantry of Fremont, a 100 percent volunteer and donation-based pantry providing food for those in need in Fremont County. Call ahead for donations.
Some of the United States' biggest dinosaur bones were first discovered in Garden Park, a few miles north of Cañon City. This entire region is filled with geological wonders, including easily accessible fossils near some of the region's most popular attractions.
Discover the rich geological history of the Royal Gorge Region on a rocks and fossils self-guided tour. The Fremont County Heritage Commission has published a booklet that guides you through Fremont County with stops at significant geological locations.
Completed in 2018, this network traverses the gorge’s rim and surrounding hills, giving hikers and mountain bikers more than 17 miles of singletrack to explore and incredible views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Arkansas River as their backdrop.
The Royal Gorge Region is full of historic buildings. Take a drive at dusk and explore them all. This list of Fremont County’s National Register of Historic Places offers addresses, dates added to the register, property names and images. Or, check out our heritage guides for several self-guided tours.
Within Hogsbacks Open Space Park's rocks lies layers of fossils and remnants of an inland sea that covered Colorado millions of years ago. Bikers can ride the Graneros Trail, which winds along the Dakota Ridge formation. It flows and is fun with a couple of technical sections.
Temple Canyon Park, just south of Cañon City, is a treasure for anyone looking to avoid crowds and explore a gorgeous, natural landscape. Follow the Redemption Trail, and you’ll discover the “temple,” which the canyon is named after. This rock alcove was formed by the continual seepage of water into small fissures in the rock and may have been used by the Ute Indian Tribe as a ceremony site.
