Photo Credit: Jennifer Close/Western TravelingMom
Train travel has always seemed glamorous to me. I imagine ladies in their pillbox hats and men in their bow-ties being served from a silver tea set as the world rushes past in a blur of colors.
Unfortunately, this kind of train travel isn’t in the cards anytime soon for my family (a girl can dream, though, right?) so we are satisfying our love of trains by visiting some of the scenic train routes that Colorado has to offer.
The Georgetown Loop Railroad was completed in 1884 and was an active passenger and freight railroad from 1899 to 1938. Years later, it was restored by the Colorado Historical Society and now it takes tourists and locals on a fun train ride.
During part of the year, you can board the train in two places, Devil’s Gate Station in Georgetown or the Silver Plume Depot in Silver Plume. If you have a choice, I recommend boarding at Devil’s Gate Station; there didn’t seem to be much at Silver Plume Depot.
The Train Loop
The train ride is a scenic trip that lasts about an hour and fifteen minutes. You can choose to ride in a covered car or an open car. We chose to ride in an open car for the best views. We sat on the right side of the train but it seemed like much of the views were best seen from the left. About half way through the train ride, you can disembark for the Lebanon Silver Mine tour if you included this in your ticket. We have a couple of folks in the family who don’t like dark, enclosed spaces so we decided to skip this tour.
6 Things to Know Before You Go
- There are restrooms at each station but not on the train.
- Once the First Class Parlor ticket holders enter the train, the open air ticket holders get to board in no particular order. As soon as you see a line begin to form, get in line so that you can choose where you want to sit.
- Dress accordingly and bring a jacket. Even in the summertime, it can get cool in the mountains and you will be glad to have your jacket.
- The train runs more often in the summer time. During the holidays, take a ride to the North Pole on the Santa train!
- Tickets begin around $26. Keep an eye on discount websites before your trip. We bought our tickets half off through a discount website.
- After your train ride, spend a little time visiting Georgetown. Our favorite stop is the Georgetown Candy Company where they make the best homemade root beer barrels ever (in our humble opinion). The fudge and the caramel popcorn is worth the trip, too.
