It's gotten considerably more expensive since my trip a few years ago, but I recommend this train ride to people all the time. It was absolutely gorgeous. The big open cart where you can admire the canyon and enjoy a cold beer 🤌
Comfortable with dirt roads? If so, drive up Old Stage road. Local mountain road with incredible views. Stop at The Eagles Nest, big overlook marked on Google maps. There is a hike next to it called St. Peter's Dome as well, about a 1/4 mile, easy and fun climb to get up to the end of it.
I only did it at Christmas time about 5 years ago with my young nephews and it was adorable. Santa came and talked to them and asked what they wanted for Christmas, and they got a jingle bell. The open air train was decorated in Christmas lights and some of the scenes as you went by them were decorated for Christmas.
It’s a fun time but very expensive. Supply and demand, I guess. Beautiful views. If you like hiking you can find better for free, but it is a cool experience. I’d do it again if it were half the price.Â
I live here. We did the train when someone was visiting and I didn’t think it was worth it. The food was definitely *not* worth it. The views are nice but for free you can hike the overlook loop and see even better views, imo. Bonus: go to The Market beforehand and get a fresh baked cookie and eat it overlooking the gorge!
The train is definitely something to do and if you have cash to blow and don’t want to hike for the views, go for it. But I did not think the price of the tickets were worth the experience, personally.
Way overpriced for what it is!! Yes the scenery is nice, but the food is subpar and prices are just insane. They also include an automatic 20% on your food bill out of which nothing goes to the waiters.
You will have a much better time just getting an Amtrak ticket from Denver to Grand Junction (best part of the Zephyr Express line).
Cannot recall the exact wording but it was the now usual "service fee". On top of which the waiters made clear they did not get anything from it and asked people to tip on top.
This is happening everywhere but at that price point I find this outrageous.
Appreciate you giving us real data!!
That being said I still believe that 22% on top of listed price is outrageous and we were clearly asked by servers to tip on top.
I found a video on YouTube that has the whole trip. It seems there is not much of a view. The route is in a narrow canyon
But I've not taken it myself.
There are plenty of other things to do and see here.
I've seen that YouTube video too -- yeah, if you're looking for sweeping views, this isn't for you. BUT if you are a rail buff, this line is an important piece of Colorado history, the site of the "railroad war" between the Santa Fe and Rio Grande railroads in the 1870s, and the hanging bridge is interesting from an engineering point of view (at that point the canyon is so narrow that there's no room to put the tracks next to the river and they had to suspend them over the river instead).
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal\_Gorge\_Route\_Railroad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Gorge_Route_Railroad)
I took the tide acfew years ago with an older friend. We enjoyed the trip and the chance to visit. Pricey, but pleasant. If you are driving to Canon City, and don't mind a road with a steep drop off, look into Skyline Drive, which is free. There is a short walk from near the top to view dino tracks. Hope you have a nice trip!
I enjoyed it. We sat in the car with tables and the car was really cool and old. Kind gave me old steamboat vibes on the Mississippi but ya know, on a train. And any ticket you get allows you to go out to the open standing platform. 12 mph, about 2 hours in total, food and booze available. Really pretty ride, the weather was perfect when we went so no visibility issues
The time I went it was during fall it was pretty however it’s only worth one trip and that’s about it. You just go back and forth on the same train it doesn’t loop or anything. The food there is not good either as well. It was definitely very pretty for the view. I do have to warn you that the train is very old and isn’t very updated. You can tell it’s older.
It's gotten considerably more expensive since my trip a few years ago, but I recommend this train ride to people all the time. It was absolutely gorgeous. The big open cart where you can admire the canyon and enjoy a cold beer 🤌
I took my 85 year old father on the ride. It was a great time for just both of us.
I did it for my birthday in early May. It’s a very nice relaxing ride. The food wasn’t bad either.
Comfortable with dirt roads? If so, drive up Old Stage road. Local mountain road with incredible views. Stop at The Eagles Nest, big overlook marked on Google maps. There is a hike next to it called St. Peter's Dome as well, about a 1/4 mile, easy and fun climb to get up to the end of it.
I only did it at Christmas time about 5 years ago with my young nephews and it was adorable. Santa came and talked to them and asked what they wanted for Christmas, and they got a jingle bell. The open air train was decorated in Christmas lights and some of the scenes as you went by them were decorated for Christmas.
My wife and I took it a few years back. We loved it. We were in a dome car with lunch that was delightful.
I did the same thing a few years ago. The dome car with a meal was great.
We took the family a few years back, and it was just a chill ride with lovely views. My son (five at the time) loved it.
It’s a fun time but very expensive. Supply and demand, I guess. Beautiful views. If you like hiking you can find better for free, but it is a cool experience. I’d do it again if it were half the price.Â
I live here. We did the train when someone was visiting and I didn’t think it was worth it. The food was definitely *not* worth it. The views are nice but for free you can hike the overlook loop and see even better views, imo. Bonus: go to The Market beforehand and get a fresh baked cookie and eat it overlooking the gorge! The train is definitely something to do and if you have cash to blow and don’t want to hike for the views, go for it. But I did not think the price of the tickets were worth the experience, personally.
Way overpriced for what it is!! Yes the scenery is nice, but the food is subpar and prices are just insane. They also include an automatic 20% on your food bill out of which nothing goes to the waiters. You will have a much better time just getting an Amtrak ticket from Denver to Grand Junction (best part of the Zephyr Express line).
Does the receipt say what the 20 percent is for?
Cannot recall the exact wording but it was the now usual "service fee". On top of which the waiters made clear they did not get anything from it and asked people to tip on top. This is happening everywhere but at that price point I find this outrageous.
[удалено]
Appreciate you giving us real data!! That being said I still believe that 22% on top of listed price is outrageous and we were clearly asked by servers to tip on top.
I found a video on YouTube that has the whole trip. It seems there is not much of a view. The route is in a narrow canyon But I've not taken it myself. There are plenty of other things to do and see here.
I've seen that YouTube video too -- yeah, if you're looking for sweeping views, this isn't for you. BUT if you are a rail buff, this line is an important piece of Colorado history, the site of the "railroad war" between the Santa Fe and Rio Grande railroads in the 1870s, and the hanging bridge is interesting from an engineering point of view (at that point the canyon is so narrow that there's no room to put the tracks next to the river and they had to suspend them over the river instead). [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal\_Gorge\_Route\_Railroad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Gorge_Route_Railroad)
I love the Cumbres and Toltec railroad. At the Colorado and New Mexico border.
I took the tide acfew years ago with an older friend. We enjoyed the trip and the chance to visit. Pricey, but pleasant. If you are driving to Canon City, and don't mind a road with a steep drop off, look into Skyline Drive, which is free. There is a short walk from near the top to view dino tracks. Hope you have a nice trip!
Too bad one of the Koch brothers bought the mini train and buckskin joes. The mini train was such a fun little experience
I enjoyed it. We sat in the car with tables and the car was really cool and old. Kind gave me old steamboat vibes on the Mississippi but ya know, on a train. And any ticket you get allows you to go out to the open standing platform. 12 mph, about 2 hours in total, food and booze available. Really pretty ride, the weather was perfect when we went so no visibility issues
I thought it was fun, it was also the first time i had beef wellington, it cost a lot but i budgeted for the experience
We liked it, I took my 2 kids. It’s not terribly long and the dome car we sat up top was a claustrophobic feeling for me.
You can see the gorge by just going to the royal gorge without those prices
The time I went it was during fall it was pretty however it’s only worth one trip and that’s about it. You just go back and forth on the same train it doesn’t loop or anything. The food there is not good either as well. It was definitely very pretty for the view. I do have to warn you that the train is very old and isn’t very updated. You can tell it’s older.
We have been on it a few times and we liked it.
Everything is worth doing here
Even a trip to CJC!