What better combination than Santa Claus, train travel and cutting your family’s Christmas tree? If you love train travel, winter, and holidays, you’re going to become even more festive with this new family tradition, harvesting your Christmas tree while riding the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Train.
All Aboard! Durango Christmas Tree Train
The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Train will offer a new Christmas Tree Train this holiday season! Forget about trekking through snow-packed backcountry for the perfect tree — and then lugging it back. All aboard for a new family tradition in Durango: Riding the train to find your prefect holiday tree!
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The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Train will offer this new service on Friday and Saturday winter train trips in December leading up to Christmas. The nonprofit San Juan Mountains Association (SJMA) will be on board the trains to sell National Forest Christmas tree permits, which passengers will use to tag their own tree. The tree permit will cost $8, in addition to the regular winter train fare. One tree up to 20’ tall can be cut by each family for personal use.
The trees will be removed from an area adjacent to the tracks near the Cascade Wye chosen by the San Juan National Forest. By cutting the small white fir trees growing in the understory, train passengers will help to reduce wildfire danger along the railroad corridor.
How It Works
Passengers will disembark at the Cascade Wye and SJMA volunteers and train staff will help them select and safely cut their own Christmas tree. Trees will be loaded onto a special boxcar for the return ride home. Hand saws will be provided, along with onsite guidance with on how to safely cut and tag your own Christmas tree.
For more information about the Christmas tree train, visit D&SNGRR. Please NOTE: in order to reserve your seat on the Christmas tree train, you must call (888) 872 4607.