Train returns as alternative way from Denver to ski slopes
A route dodging Interstate 70 traffic is returning to Colorado’s ski slopes this winter.
That’s via train from Denver’s Union Station to the foot of Winter Park Resort. Starting this weekend, the Winter Park Express will run Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through March 26 — offering Front Range passengers a free place to tuck their skis onboard in the overall effort to cut hassles from the highway and base parking lots.
With panoramic views along the two-hour way over the Continental Divide, the resort calls the train “a one-of-a-kind journey.”
The tradition dates to 1940, when the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad ran the “Ski Train” to the new resort. Several years after the route went offline, Amtrak revived it in 2015 in celebration of Winter Park’s 75th anniversary. The popularity led the company to permanently restore the ride in 2017.
The popularity continues, judging from a glance at bookings for the train’s first weekends this month. Amtrak’s website showed seats filling up fast and sold out in some cases, with adult fares starting at $54. Amtrak lists those tickets starting at $34 later in the season, with kids (ages 2-12) starting at $17.
The Winter Park Express leaves Denver at 7 a.m. and leaves the resort at 4:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets can be customized for day trips and full weekends.
More information at amtrak.com/winter-park-express.
Train returns as alternative way from Denver to ski slopes
A route dodging Interstate 70 traffic is returning to Colorado’s ski slopes this winter.
That’s via train from Denver’s Union Station to the foot of Winter Park Resort. Starting this weekend, the Winter Park Express will run Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through March 26 — offering Front Range passengers a free place to tuck their skis onboard in the overall effort to cut hassles from the highway and base parking lots.
With panoramic views along the two-hour way over the Continental Divide, the resort calls the train “a one-of-a-kind journey.”
The tradition dates to 1940, when the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad ran the “Ski Train” to the new resort. Several years after the route went offline, Amtrak revived it in 2015 in celebration of Winter Park’s 75th anniversary. The popularity led the company to permanently restore the ride in 2017.
The popularity continues, judging from a glance at bookings for the train’s first weekends this month. Amtrak’s website showed seats filling up fast and sold out in some cases, with adult fares starting at $54. Amtrak lists those tickets starting at $34 later in the season, with kids (ages 2-12) starting at $17.
The Winter Park Express leaves Denver at 7 a.m. and leaves the resort at 4:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets can be customized for day trips and full weekends.
More information at amtrak.com/winter-park-express.
