Fall Sunday: Cruising at Gateway Canyons Resort

14 Sep Fall Sunday: Cruising at Gateway Canyons Resort

We pulled up at Gateway Canyons Resort for our romantic weekend getaway, and the car next to us snagged our attention. It was a gorgeous, sleek Corvette ZR1, slowly pulling out of the space. I cocked my head to see who was driving this beautiful automobile, and was surprised to see a couple of senior citizens in the front seat. The white-haired man caught my glance, and a sly grin spread across his face. He and his white-haired wife smiled at each other conspiratorially and then peeled out of the parking lot.

What was that? I wondered.

What I discovered is that Gateway has become a playground for adults. The Corvette was just one member of the fleet of special automobiles that you can rent by the afternoon, the day, or overnight at Gateway: they also have cars like the Viper, Mercedes, convertible Bentleys, even a Tesla Roadster. It’s not cheap to take them for a spin—prices range from $150-$1,000 for the afternoon, depending on the car, and from $400-$2,000 overnight; but resort guests get a discount on the rentals. And if there is a more beautiful road to cruise with the top down in the Southwest than Highway 141, then I have not seen it. The crimson rocks, sandstone cliff formations, graceful cottonwoods, and the pristine stretch of river that ambles next to the road make it one of the most scenic drives around—and with enough curves to make it fun to negotiate in a race car.

Race cars and classic automobiles are not the only kind of cruising they offer at Gateway. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to catch 60 feet of air in a truck that’s been tricked out for dirt-track races like the Baja 1,000? Hop in, adrenaline junkie. Gateway built its own desert track, and has a fleet of custom trucks and professional drivers who will give you instructions on how to navigate them. They’ll even let you take the wheel at the end of the how-to session, or put you in the passenger seat for the ride of a lifetime.

There are adventure packages for people of every speed at Gateway—helicopter rides, climbing trips, ATV tours, horseback riding, rafting and fishing adventures. We opted for two wheels instead of four, taking our mountain bikes out on the trails behind the resort, trails that were just technical enough to keep my husband happy and just short enough to keep me happy by getting us back to the pool in time to rinse away the dry desert dust.

The resort has all of the standard accoutrements of modern, high-end resorts: fine-dining restaurants, spa services, hot-tubs and a pool-side bar, and great rooms (the outdoor electric fireplace on the porch was a great touch). But what is truly special about Gateway is the cruising: guests can borrow cruiser bikes to pedal the manicured sidewalks between the accommodations, the pools, the restaurants, the car museum and the buildings that house the adventure activities; even the resort workers pedal around on bikes or navigate the sidewalks on skateboards. The resort is situated in the perfect micro-climate, with dry, warm and breezy sub-alpine desert weather nearly year-round. The conditions are sublime for taking a joy ride, whether you are just taking your cruiser bike to the pool, exploring the trails, hauling yourself up the giant peach-colored Palisade butte rock, bumping around in a Baja truck, or surprising your friends in Telluride when you show up cruising around in a Bentley with the top down.