The clock was ticking, and the plan was already set. The second I got off work, I headed straight home to grab my camera gear. I’d been planning a trip out to the Royal Gorge Bridge to find some unique vantage points for a landscape shoot, and the light was looking promising. When I walked through the door, I saw my oldest son sitting there, off from work for the day and deep into some video games. I asked him if he wanted to leave the screen behind and join me for an adventure. One of the things I am incredibly proud of with my two boys is that whenever I offer to take them out on a shoot, there is easily a 75% chance they’ll say yes. He was instantly excited, so we quickly packed up the rest of our gear, loaded up the truck, and hit the road. Before making the two-and-a-half-hour drive down to the Gorge, we made a quick pit stop at 7-Eleven to top off the fuel tank and grab a Slurpee for the ride. To make the trip a little more collaborative, I put my son on research duty. Even though I had already done some homework on the area, I wanted to see what he could unearth and let him navigate us to a spot of his choosing.
How to Access Royal Gorge Bridge Trailheads
Our first destination brought a bit of a surprise. He navigated us toward the south side of the Royal Gorge, which I didn’t realize has been closed to vehicles for several years. We were able to drive down the road for a few miles until the signs made it clear the south entrance was a no-go. Determined to see if we could find a trailhead to hike in from the backside, we kept pushing until the road ended abruptly at a heavy barricade covered in surveillance signs. Message received. We turned the truck around and reset our sights on the north side.
My son pulled out his phone, did some more research on where to find an open trailhead, and got us back on track for the north side. When we arrived, we decided to bypass the main park entrance entirely. Instead of getting the standard, over-photographed tourist perspective, we wanted to explore the surrounding trails to find something truly unique. Even right from the parking lot, the view of the Royal Gorge and the bridge spanning across the sheer drop was absolutely phenomenal. But we wanted a more dramatic angle, so we started hiking down.
If you decide to explore this area, please use extreme caution. The terrain here features incredibly steep drop-offs and loose, shifting rock. People have tragically fallen into the canyon in the past. If you lose your footing on these edges, there is no forgiveness. Know your physical limits, stay on established trails, and prioritize making it home safe at the end of the day.
How to Photograph Royal Gorge Bridge
We hiked down to a promising rock ledge to set up. I checked my composition, but a lower ledge in front of me was cutting into the frame. I wanted a true drop shot—a completely clean, unobstructed view that captured the sheer, dizzying depth and immense mass of the canyon using my wide-angle lens.
We moved to a second ledge, but the angle still wasn’t quite hitting the mark. Finally, we crept out to a third ledge. If you see the photo my son took of me working out there, I am literally a foot away from a vertical drop-off. But the composition was exactly what I envisioned.
While we waited for the sun to drop, we got a spectacular show from the local wildlife. A bighorn sheep took a serious interest in us. He kept wandering down the rocks, getting closer and closer to scope us out. He ended up coming down three or four separate times just to see what we were up to, which was an incredible highlight for both of us.
The only downside? The bugs. The gnats were absolutely relentless out on the rocks—maybe because the sheep frequent the area—and we didn’t bring bug spray. We had to grit our teeth, bear it, and push through the swarms to stay out there until the sun finally dipped below the horizon. Despite the bugs, sharing that sunset and a wild ridge with my son made every single bite worth it.
Want the exact technical breakdown? If you’re a Premium Member, head over to the photography field guide section. I’ve uploaded the exact GPS coordinates for the parking lot we used, the precise ledge we hiked down to, along with the full gear breakdown—including the specific lenses, F-stops, polarizer filters, framing techniques, and the optimal time of day to capture this shot yourself of the Royal Gorge Bridge, Colorado.
