Canon City is a small city in south-central Colorado best known as the gateway to the Royal Gorge, the dramatic canyon spanned by one of the highest bridges in the country, and a rental car is the most practical way to explore both the gorge and the surrounding foothills. Canon City has a small municipal airfield that handles general aviation traffic rather than scheduled commercial flights or on-site rental counters, so most visitors flying in pick up a rental car at a larger airport and drive in, or arrange a rental through a local agency in town for shorter regional trips.
Colorado Springs Airport (COS), roughly an hour to ninety minutes northeast depending on route and season, is the nearest major commercial airport with a full range of rental companies, while Pueblo Memorial Airport, a smaller commercial field about forty-five minutes to an hour southeast, offers another option with fewer choices but shorter lines. From either airport, the drive into Canon City passes through open high-plains and foothill terrain before climbing gently toward the canyon country, with Royal Gorge Bridge and its surrounding park sitting just a few minutes west of downtown Canon City itself.
Driving is on the right throughout Colorado, and the roads around Canon City are generally well maintained, though routes climbing toward the Gorge and into the foothills add grades and curves that call for a bit more attention than flat highway driving. Winter can bring snow and icy patches at higher elevations, particularly on routes west toward the mountains, so winter tires or at least all-season tires with good tread are worth checking before a cold-season visit. A standard sedan handles the main routes into town comfortably, with extra caution recommended on the Gorge-area roads after storms and heavy rain, and a bit more planning around fuel stops on the longer approach legs from either airport.