Train Rides

Leadville Colorado & Southern Railroad … READ MORE HERE

Train Rides in the Rockies

By Marcella S. Meeks

If you’ve read my posts in the past, you know how much I love New Mexico and Colorado. And you may have read about the various train rides I’ve been on with my family throughout the years. If you haven’t, stay tuned. In this article, I want to bring out the best in each of the rain rides I’ve been on in the past (and in the future) and also point out some I have never had the pleasure of riding.

One of my favorite train rides is the Leadville, Colorado and Southern Railroad. I’m not sure when they open or close for the season but you can find their full schedule on their website here. Leadville Railroad. The train depot is located at 326 E. 7th Street in Leadville. (719) 486-3936.(866) 386-3936. Email: conductor@leadville-train.com.

The scenic ride up the mountain makes it all worthwhile. There are a few scary spots along the way on the way up and then on the way down. What we normally do is ride the outside car and sit on the right side of the car going up and move to the left side of the car coming down – that way we don’t miss anything. When we get to the top, the train stops and everyone can get off the train and take a break for a short while and take pictures before starting down again. As I said before, the kids enjoy it and it’s well worth the time.

We’ve been traveling to Colorado every year since the early 1990’s and we always make time to drive over to Leadville just to ride the train. My children grew up vacationing with us and riding the Leadville train every year, and now their children are doing it. We like the afternoon train ride because we’re usually coming from Salida or Canon City – it’s about a 60 mile drive from Salida over to Leadville, and we like taking our time especially when there are little ones traveling with us. The 2 ½ hour train ride is our favorite – I usually bring a few snacks for a simple picnic on the train or we buy hot cocoa in the little restaurant located on the train. Oh yeah, the kids love this! Just make sure you have a few extra dollars to spend! Another thing to remember is to bring a light jacket or sweater because it’s colder up in the higher elevations, depending on the time of year.

When you ride the train on your next vacation, be sure and mention that Marcella with the Family Travel Host USA recommended the train ride. Thanks in advance for the mention.

Several years back when the movie The Lone Ranger just came out in theatres, we lucked up on a little train in Southfork Colorado called SOUTH FORK RAILBIKE TOURS – RIO GRANDE RUN, located at 97 Ponderosa Dr, South Fork, CO. Our conductor showed us points of interest where some of the movie was made between Southfork and Creede. The train consisted of one car, but every inch of the ride was interesting and anything but boring, We stopped off for lunch at a crossroads cafe along the way and had a wonderful time. Had we known earlier, we could of packed a picnic lunch and brought our own food. But the restaurant was clean and the food was very good so there were NO complaints from anyone in our group.

When we finally headed back to South Fork, and made our way to Lake City for the duration of our vacation, we found out they were showing The Lone Ranger at the little Mountaineer Theatre in Lake City, so we all went that Friday evening. I can’t express enough how much that little train ride brought this movie to life for us. I’m not much into western movies but the whole scenerio here just made the movie that much more special. Thanks SOUTH FORK RAILBIKE TOURS – RIO GRANDE RUN for the trip and the information about the movie.

We haven’t rode the train since but it is in our plans for our 2024 New Mexico/Colorado trip. Why not join us in June 2024. We’ll keep you posted!

Several years straight, we’d come to Southfork and stay a few days and while we were there, we’d drive over to Alamosa and ride THE RIO GRANDE SCENIC RAILROAD. We had plans to ride it last year but for reasons beyond our control, we just didn’t get there. I was going to go ahead and book early our trip for June 2024 because we really love the concerts in the open mountain air but I when I was looking for information about the train, this is what I found on one of the websites. CLOSED | Rio Grande Scenic Railroad – Alamosa-La Veta… Unfortunately, the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad is now closed and looking for new ownership, and will remain closed until further notice. We’ll keep you updated on its reopening. The info below is from the past about the train ride.

Some of our group always enjoyed the band that performed there called Trout Fishing of America. Mr. Jimmy Bull was a great fan of that band and went to as many appearances as he could especially when they performed in Louisiana where he was from – he’d drive hundreds of miles just to get to watch them. Unfortunately, Mr. Jimmy has passed on but the fun memories we all shared at Alamosa-La Veta mountain concert will forever be in our minds and hearts. R.I.P. Mr. Jimmy.

What a bummer that this train is closed! This was one of favorite and more comfortable train rides ever. Maybe they’ll find a new owner before June 2024. If anyone finds out, please let us know.

Okay, there are several more train ride experiences we’ve enjoyed and love to share with you all.

CUMBRES & TOLTEC SCENIC RAILROAD. People have said this is one of the best train ride in the United States. I agree – it is right there at the top with all the rest. We’ve always enjoyed this route between Chama in Northern New Mexico, all the way to Antonio in Southern Colorado. We don’t get the chance to ride the train here every year but we do when we can fit it in our schedule and our budget. It’s always in our bucket list of things to do!

If you’re ever in Durango, Colorado, there’s another train you should ride. We’ve rode it severatimes throughout the years. The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, often abbreviated as the D&SNG has also been one of our favorite since we started vacationing in Colorado in the early 90’s. It too remains in our bucket lists of things to do every year.

Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad is another little train we’ve had te pleasure of riding. It’s located in Cripple Creek, Colorado. Unlike the larger trains, it’s more for pleasure than an actual train ride. The kids love it and the conductor lets them check out the control room. One year, my grandson Nicolas got to help steer the train. This excciting ride is made just for families! CC&VGR reopens in May 2024.

THE NEW MEXICO RAIL RUNNER EXPRESS, SKY RAILWAY, previously known as the Santa Fe Southern Railway, Georgetown Loop Railroad, The Royal Gorge Route Railroad and THE BROADMOOR MANITOU AND PIKES PEAK COG RAILWAY are five train rides I haven’t had the liberty of enjoying but they deserve an honorable mention and yes, they are included in my bucket list of things to do on our next vacation. If you have rode any of these and would like to share your experience with our readers, feel free to drop us an email or reply.

That wraps it up for now about our train ride experiences but there will be more to come in future posts!

Happy Rails!

Marcella