The road through Phantom Canyon is beautiful. My wife and I lived in Canon City for a few years after we were married (before moving back to the Durango area), and her parents live near there in Williamsburg. I don’t know if you got the chance to take a drive along Hwy 50 going west past the turnoff for the Gorge, but the drive through the canyon along the Arkansas River between Canon City and Salida is amazing. The rock formations are fascinating, and you are along the river almost the entire way.
Carolyn