Colorado's Scenic Trains

Royal Gorge Route photo east of Suspension Bridge Photo Credit: Royal Gorge Route Railroad. Photo by: Ron Ruhoff.

This subject heading is, by its very definition, redundant. Any train that travels through the Colorado mountains immediately becomes scenic unless, of course, the rider is trapped inside a boxcar or has fallen asleep. Perhaps the best example of this is the regular AMTRAK route connecting Denver to the West Coast. The track climbs steeply through the foothills, burrows beneath the Continental Divide through the Moffatt Tunnel, then follows the Colorado River Valley down two spectacular canyons before entering the Utah desert.

So much for the present. When the subject is scenic trains, it’s what used to be that captures the imagination of most visitors. Two special tourists trains trace historic routes along narrow-gauge tracks deep in the southern mountains. The most famous is the authentic steam-powered Durango and Silverton train that operates year-round out of Durango, with service along a 50-mile route to Silverton May through October. The track follows the spectacular Animas River Canyon beneath some of the state’s most spectacular mountains along a route pioneered in 1881, phone 888-872-4607, www.durangotrain.com.

The nation’s longest and highest narrow-gauge railway travels a 64-mile track from Antonito, south of Alamosa, to Chama, N.M., crossing 10,022-foot Cumbres Pass along the way. This Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad dates back to 1880 and ranks among the top attractions of the summer, phone 888-286-2737, www.cumbrestoltec.com.

There are two ways to view the spectacular Royal Gorge on the Arkansas River, just upstream from Canon City. One is looking down from a dramatic suspension bridge. The other is looking up from the Royal Gorge Route, a 24-mile, two-hour journey from Canon City to Parkdale that passes directly through this remarkable canyon. Open daily in summer, weekends in winter, 888-724-5748, www.royalgorgeroute.com.

Since 1891, the Pike's Peak Cog Railway has taken millions of people on an unforgettable trip to the 14,110-foot summit of America's mountain. The world's highest Cog railway takes riders in comfort and safety past panoramas that inspired "AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL". Wildlife abounds and views extend from the Great Plains to the Continental Divide. Trains run daily from April 10th through December. 719-685-5401 www.cograilway.com.

Other routes are shorter, but no less dramatic. Among these are the Leadville, CO and Southern Railroad Company, which takes excursions from the famed mining town to a point near timberline. The Georgetown Loop Railroad, just off I-70 50 miles west of Denver, operates from Memorial Weekend through Oct. 7. Then there’s the Royal Gorge Route, which departs from Canon City for a 24-mile journey into the depths of Royal Gorge.