About this event
GOLD-BELT BYWAY OFF ROAD TOUR
MAY 16TH, 2026
Join us in your "road appropriate" Porsche or off-road vehicle for this scenic tour.
We will meet at Porsche Colorado Springs at 8 a.m. - Driver's Meeting 8:30am - Depart at 9am
Please complete the PCA Off-Road Driving Tour Self-Inspection Safety Checklist (link below) before arriving and bring to check-in
(required to participate in this off-road tour).
PCA Off-Road Self-Checklist_1-17-23.pdf
DETAILS:
The tour will take you through Phantom Canyon, visit to Rita the Rock Planter Troll, ending on Cañon City’s Skyline drive followed by an optional lunch at Pizza Madness in Canon City.
Phantom Canyon Road
This road is one of the most scenic and historic drives in Colorado. The route increases in elevation from 5,500 to 9,500 feet and offers the chance to see a wide range of plants and wildlife in their natural setting. The gravel road follows the route of the Florence & Cripple Creek Railroad built in 1894 as a connection from Florence to the goldfields of Cripple Creek and Victor.
The unique bridges and tunnels offer a visual link to the area’s historic past. The road condition and narrow bridges encourage people to slow down and view the scenery. Twelve stations were established along the F&CC Railroad grade to service the trains hauling coal and supplies upgrade and gold ore downgrade to Florence’s smelters. As you drive the route, interpretive displays and signs designate the historic sites along the Gold Belt Line.
Rita the Rock Planter Troll
"Rita is next to an old gold mine that is like from the mid-late 1800s where people would come with pickaxes and dig holes and try to search for the gold ore in the ground," Sculptor Thomas Dambo explained. "She took a nap back in the late 1800s and when she woke up here again, she noticed a couple of small holes in the mountain," Dambo said with a smile on his face, "and she said 'Oh that's dangerous, maybe a squirrel or a human or somebody would fall into the hole and get hurt' so that is why Rita is now covering up the holes so nobody will get hurt" Dambo famously already created one of his 100% recycled wood troll sculptures for Breckenridge, Colorado, which since its installation in 2017, has had its own legendary tale and even a reggae song dedicated to the difficulties in the placement of the wooden giant.
Event requirements
DETAILS:
The tour will take you through Phantom Canyon, visit to Rita the Rock Planter Troll, ending on Cañon City’s Skyline drive followed by an optional lunch at Pizza Madness in Canon City.
Phantom Canyon Road
This road is one of the most scenic and historic drives in Colorado. The route increases in elevation from 5,500 to 9,500 feet and offers the chance to see a wide range of plants and wildlife in their natural setting. The gravel road follows the route of the Florence & Cripple Creek Railroad built in 1894 as a connection from Florence to the goldfields of Cripple Creek and Victor.
The unique bridges and tunnels offer a visual link to the area’s historic past. The road condition and narrow bridges encourage people to slow down and view the scenery. Twelve stations were established along the F&CC Railroad grade to service the trains hauling coal and supplies upgrade and gold ore downgrade to Florence’s smelters. As you drive the route, interpretive displays and signs designate the historic sites along the Gold Belt Line.
Rita the Rock Planter Troll
"Rita is next to an old gold mine that is like from the mid-late 1800s where people would come with pickaxes and dig holes and try to search for the gold ore in the ground," Sculptor Thomas Dambo explained. "She took a nap back in the late 1800s and when she woke up here again, she noticed a couple of small holes in the mountain," Dambo said with a smile on his face, "and she said 'Oh that's dangerous, maybe a squirrel or a human or somebody would fall into the hole and get hurt' so that is why Rita is now covering up the holes so nobody will get hurt" Dambo famously already created one of his 100% recycled wood troll sculptures for Breckenridge, Colorado, which since its installation in 2017, has had its own legendary tale and even a reggae song dedicated to the difficulties in the placement of the wooden giant.
