Are you looking for a weekend (or week) getaway packed with adreneline-pumping adventure? How about delicious food and comfy accommodations? Or hiking and good beer? Look no further than The Royal Gorge Rafting and Zipline Tours located in Colorado in Cañon City.
About an hour south of Colorado Springs and 2 hours south of Denver, Cañon City sits at an elevation of 5300′ (nearly the same as Denver) and is nestled in the valley between the Sangre de Cristo Mountain range and the Wet Mountains. The mighty Arkansas River flows alongside this small town of around 17,000 people. Many westerns starring John Wayne were filmed in the area, lending a cowboy aura to the place.
I spent a wild western weekend with some girlfriends in Cañon City, and we whitewater rafted, did the extreme zipline, threw hatchets, drank margaritas, and relaxed in brightly colored gumdrop yurts plopped along the riverbanks. All of our activities, food and accommodations were with Royal Gorge Rafting & Zipline, owned by the friendly and personable Seufer family. Ty and Anna – and their 4 grown kids – own and run the Whitewater Bar and Grill, the yurts and Airstreams, the zipline and raft company – and have recently acquired 800 acres in town where they are planning a forward thinking, zero-net tiny home community with disc golf, a via ferrata, mountain bike trails outside each “mini-mansion”, a clubhouse and more! These people don’t sit still! They’ve been working in town for almost 20 years, and have built a stellar company filled with fun, professional, happy employees who love working there.
We stayed for three nights in the brand new hot pink and lime green yurts on the Arkansas. 
With two pillow-top queen beds in each yurt, a top-of-the-line outdoor kitchen, Yeti cooler, private firepit, matching jewel-tone Adirondack chairs and hightop tables, and a pair of vintage metal lawn chairs that reminded me of the ones my grandparents had, these lofted yurts were truly glamping at its finest! We enjoyed our morning coffee while sitting along the river, waving to the Rio Grande train as it chugged by.
If you’d like to try something different, retro and top-notch, Ty and Anna just purchased three brand-spanking new 30′ “Flying Cloud” Airstreams and they’re available to rent! 
These trailers are deeeee-luxe, folks! Queen bed, plus a bunk and bed on the other end, full bathroom with shower,full-size refrigerator, cooktop, dining area upholstered in butter-like leather, 3 flat-screen TVs, private patio and firepit – all overlooking the river. These babies cost $100,000 apiece and I can see why! They are truly gorgeous – no offense to my li’l VW Eurovan, Tilly, but I could see myself chilling out in one of these for sure!
And if you’ve got a big group of friends or family, there are also 4 or 5 vacation homes, each one sleeping 10, 12, 16 or 20 guests that can be rented nightly as well. Whatever your needs, this place has ya covered. You’ll sleep well and comfortably and be ready for fun in the morning.
Each day we tried a new adventure – first, we went whitewater rafting. Andrew was our guide, and he had worked as a rafting guide in Africa, South America, Europe and now here in Cañon City for the past few seasons. He was funny and skilled, shouting out “Give me two on the right!!” and “one more forward on the left!”, directing us as we paddled our way through the chilly waters of the Arkansas, around boulders, eddys, Class III and Class IV rapids.
We rushed down the river in some sections, floated calmly and casually in others, and shrieked in delight as we rode the rapids. Of course there was a photographer following us on another raft, and he floated along taking great pix of us as we rode the rapids and enjoyed the brilliant sunshine of a perfect Colorado day.
Our second day was spent on the extreme zip line. There are two courses – there’s the “classic”, which is billed as “family friendly”. But did we do that one? Nope. We are way too crazy/idiotic/insane – we chose to do the Extreme course. Because we’re nuts. Reaching speeds of 60 mph -that’s 90 km/hour! – on over 2 miles of zip line cables spanning 11 separate lines, each platform is reached by hiking in the high alpine desert among cacti, brush and sparkling mica and boulders. 
Thoughtfully placed water stations are found for staying hydrated (please stay hydrated! Colorado is a very very dry state and you NEED to stay hydrated. Thank you. That’s all.) 
The longest line is the death-defying high-speed ridiculously long 1700’ (518 meter) zip line. And oh by the way – 1700′ is like, 1/3 of a mile. Over a huge freaking canyon about a million feet off the ground. The final zip line is a dual side by side 1200’ racing line – which means you can race your friend to the finish line – that lands you on a massive 7-story tower. A tower which is only exited in two ways – a “QuickJump” free-fall: the world’s first device of its kind which allows you (allows you???) to leap off the tower and free fall up to 30 feet! (um, no thank you!!) or the infinitely more tame (but actually, not really more tame, since you still have to step off the tower into the abyss) True Blue Belay system used by firefighters and military. Not for the faint of heart – you can bail out on the 10th zip line and meet at the tower by car or foot. It was unreal – exhausting, exhilarating, adrenaline-y and extremely fun!!! Really!
Dinner each night was spent at the Whitewater Bar & Grill. A hugely popular restaurant in town, there’s indoor and outdoor seating, a stage for live music, a playground for kids, sand volleyball court, and dogs are welcome and plentiful. On the menu you’ll find crunchy fried pickles, huge beautiful salads barely contained on the plate, juicy burgers with hand-spun curly fries, wraps and sandwiches made of BBQ brisket, southwestern chicken, grilled steak and more. You’ve got to try the poke nachos! Made with wonton chips, sriracha aioli and fresh ahi tuna, I’m pretty sure we had it every time we were there! The margaritas are the bomb – we ordered the mango margs and loved every sip.
On the last night, we tried axe throwing in the cages at the back of the restaurant. It sounded silly (but is all the rage right now!) but it was oddly satisfying. I guess it depends on whose face you’re picturing on the target, right?? It was a blast.
What a weekend! The weather was perfect.
The whitewater rapids were um, rapid.
The zipline was exxxxtreme, to say the least!
The food was fabulous.
The axes, gratifying.
The yurts were incredible.
The company of women, sublime.
All in all, I’d say it was a stellar time! And if you decide to check it out, tell Anna and Ty that Cindy sent ya!
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See you there! 😉
If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It is lethal. ~Paulo Coelho
What a fabulous location and amazing friends! Thanks for sharing!
Sounds like a blast!
So fun meeting you and Molly! I sure hope I get to hang out with you ladies again sometime! Glad you enjoyed our little paradise!
More goodness!! Thanks, Cindy.
Such a highlight for us Seufer’s meeting new friends and hanging out with you, Molly, Tonya and Ingrid. Thank you for the beautiful blog about our little piece of paradise. Can’t wait for y’all to come back.