Editor’s note: Welcome to the 14th installment of our 15-week series Colorado 150, marking 150 years of statehood with our favorite Colorado things.
Steel tracks stitched Colorado together long before interstates carved through its mountains. Those rail lines carried ore, timber and people into places that once felt impossibly far away.
Over decades, those same routes, and a few reinvented ones, have evolved from industry lifelines into something a little more recreational. Colorado’s trains and trams offer a way for us to slow down and see the state not just as a destination, but as a journey in itself.
From the slow climb of a historic cog railway to the airy glide of a high-alpine tram, Colorado’s rails offer an intimate view of the state’s unique landscapes. You can trace the roar of the Arkansas River through the Royal Gorge, cling to canyon walls above the Animas, or pedal your own way across an idled track in Erie.
Some rides lean into nostalgia, with steam engines, metallic screeches and the rhythmic clattering of wheels on the track. Others feel more modern, powered by electricity or human legs, but no less rooted in the state’s long relationship with the rail.
And sometimes, they become part of your own story. On a ride aboard the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, I once stepped off in the middle of the San Juan backcountry with a 50-liter pack, bound for a string of remote 14,000-foot peaks. Days later, caked with dirt and sweat, I stood beside the tracks and flagged the train down, hoisting myself aboard and trading the rugged wilderness for a cold margarita on the ride back to civilization.
Whether you’re a lifelong resident who has somehow never boarded or a visitor seeing it all for the first time, these trains and trams offer a chance to see Colorado from a historic vantage point — one that’s easy to miss from the road.
Olivia Prentzel | Reporter
Georgetown Loop
This railroad experience is one of those fun excursions that sometimes hide in plain sight: long a Colorado institution, easily accessible (at least when Interstate 70 is functioning), reasonably priced and just mainstream touristy enough to be overlooked by longtime residents.
It’s one of those day trips that gets you immersed in mountain scenery while soaking up a little local history and enjoying lunch and ice cream dessert in town afterward.
Along with the sights, there are the sounds (plenty of train whistles augmented by a witty but not-too-intrusive historical narration, plus a soundtrack of every old-timey train song ever recorded) and that evocative locomotive aroma.
Monarch Crest Tram
Any time you get above 11,000 feet, it can be hard to catch your breath. But atop Monarch Pass, a breath of fresh air has been pumped into a longtime outpost with the 2023 revival of the revamped Monarch at the Crest visitor center next to a decades-old tramway.
Nearby Monarch ski area bought the property 2 miles up the pass in 2022, transformed the main building and are operating the gondola, which has six old-school buckets that can each hold four people. The electric-powered tram — a slow ride to 12,012 feet on the Continental Divide — has been turning every year since 1966 (minus the 2020 pandemic summer).
Amtrak: Denver to Glenwood Springs
The Amtrak route between Denver and Glenwood Springs is a great way to get a taste of the rails while getting in some incredible scenery. And during the winter, it also serves as part of the Winter Park Express, which leaves Union Station and stops just past the historic Moffat Tunnel at the base of Winter Park ski area.
There are hopes and dreams that some day in the next 150 years perhaps we’ll have train service from Denver and on to Steamboat Springs. But for now, the rails that run through the mountains and along the Colorado River will have to do.
Leadville Railroad
The train oozes Colorado history, as the town at 10,000 feet boomed with silver in the 1880s. It brought hundreds of thousands of people from Denver and gave them incredible views of the Upper Arkansas Valley and the towering 14,000-foot peaks.
Now, visitors to Leadville can get a taste of that history as the well-loved train leaves town and heads up river toward Fremont Pass. Open-air cars give riders a full immersion in nature any time of year. The out-and-back ride takes a few hours, but gives spectacular views of some of Colorado’s tallest peaks.
Erie Railbikes
Evidence that northern Colorado communities once were served by a robust network of rail lines is visible in many of the places that have not yet been covered with houses. In fast-growing Erie, Colorado Railbike Adventures has taken over a few miles of idled track near the historic Boulder Valley Mine to create a pedal-powered journey.
The route starts above Old Town Erie, and drops down into town, crossing Coal Creek on a 130-foot long timber trestle. Participants move as fast as four people can pedal the modern version of a cart designed for track maintenance crews. Tip: Try it around sunset.
Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge
Easily one of the most heart-pounding rail trips in Colorado, the ride from Durango to Silverton has sheer drop-offs that will send some pointlessly clutching for anything around you. Any time of year is a wonderful time to take the trip. Surrounded by blue skies, the open car is a great way to waterfalls, cliffs, the glacier-blue and free-flowing Animas River.
With steam puffing, there’s a stretch where the railcar clutches the canyon walls like a mountain goat. It can send you leaning toward the mountain. But as the train chugs on, it delivers riders safely to Silverton. Plan on a full-day adventure.
Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway
There are a few ways to make it to the top of Pikes Peak — hiking or driving are the most popular — but perhaps the one most steeped in history is the Cog Railway. The train opened in 1891, and the 9-mile trip starts at 6,320 feet in Manitou Springs and tops out at the 14,115-foot summit of America’s Mountain.
The train runs year-round, but no matter when you go, there’s always a chance for snow so pack a coat (even in July). This is also one one of those “plan ahead” Colorado adventures. Reservations might book a few months out.
Cumbres & Toltec Railroad
The 64-mile trip crosses the Colorado-New Mexico stateline 11 times along the Rio Grande corridor leaving from both Antonito, which is southwest of Durango, and Chama, N.M. The line connects the San Juan Mountains to the Conejos Valley. Like many of the rugged rail lines carved into the hills, the trip includes tunnels, trestles, steep mountain canyons and high deserts.
Opened in 1880 and now owned by the states, the steam train is a National Historic Landmark known as the longest, the highest and most authentic steam railroad in North America. It navigates landmarks with names like Whiplash Canyon, Tanglefoot Curve, Windy Point and Toltec Gorge.
Colorado Railroad Museum
Train tracks crisscross Golden as the lines get ready to head into the mountains, and there’s a place where you can learn and get hands-on with the history of rail in the Centennial State.
The museum hosts plenty of events throughout the year (Thomas the Tank Engine, Polar Express, train rides in the spring and fall). The outdoor railyard is a great place for the youngest train enthusiast to get the choo-choo fix as they can climb and explore a large variety of railcars spanning from the 1880s to the 1980s. And don’t forget to check out the enormous model train layout sprawls across the lower level.
Royal Gorge Train
There are more than a few ways to experience this jaw-dropping stretch of the Arkansas River, but riding along the banks of the roaring rapids from the comfort of a railcar is pretty Colorado. It’s one of the more sophisticated train rides in the state.
The Royal Gorge and nearby Cañon City are like an amusement park for the outdoor adventurer. In addition to the train, Royal Gorge Bridge and Park includes biking, hiking, a zipline, “skycoaster,” gondola, via ferrata and suspension bridge.
Just downstream, in Cañon City, you can add swim, boat and surf to the list.