TripHip - Travel Tips and Advice for Traveling on a Budget

I love riding on trains - they're comfortable, you pass through a lot of beautiful scenery, and you don't need to worry about traffic.

I was not able to take The Rio Grande Scenic Railway during my time in Wyoming a few monhs ago (Wyoming is right next to Colorado, and if I could have persuaded my sister and my nephew to go, we could have gone, but it was not to be.

However, I picked up their brochure, and I'm going to quote from it below because it sounds great and I am sure it is great!

The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad has four routes, each one using 1950s-era Pullman Coaches and Dome cars, plus a Calumet Club car and an Open Air Car.

San Luis Express (La Veta to Alamosa) traverses the legendary La Veta Pass that marks the highest point that any active standard guage rail lines crosses in the Colorado Rockies, while providing impressive scenic views of mountain terrain, meadows and wildlife.

Great Sand Dunes National Park Optional Express leaves from La Veta with weekend-only excursions via a motorcoach connection, you'll have two hours to explore the dunes, take pictures and play in the sand before reboarding.

Toltec Gorge Limited (Alamosa to Antonito/Chama) passes through some of the San Luis Valley's most hidtorically significant countryside, including ranching and agricultural centers and Spanish selltlements.

Potato Valley Explorer (Alamosa to Monte Vista) takes both passengers and freight cars from Alamosa to Monte Vista and back, on two short, daily round trips. A staple of many small towns across America centuries ago, this mixed freight and passenger train provides a railtoading experience like no other.

Their website is http://www.RioGrandeScenicRailroad.com. At the time of this writing, cost to ride in the Dome Car is $49. The coach, calumet and open cars top out at $48. Children, $33.

What's a calumet car, anyway? Check out this page to see descriptions of all the cars they use: http://www.riograndescenicrailroad.com/Our-Cars.html