Denver to the Georgetown Loop

About this experience

This is a newer listing on GetYourGuide from Adventure Scenic Tours Colorado, and it is private: just your group, up to 4 people, with a live guide in English, French or Spanish, per the listing. The day runs about 8 hours and starts at Denver Union Station, the renovated Beaux-Arts station downtown. On the way west you stop at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, which the listing says gives a view of Denver from 6,400 feet.

Next is the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, an hour or more among about 100 locomotives, passenger cars and cabooses on 15 acres, with a replica 1880s depot, per the listing. From mid-May to October the museum adds a 15-minute train ride round the grounds, Thursday to Saturday. Then it is up I-70 to Georgetown for lunch and a walk, and onto the Georgetown Loop Railroad, the narrow-gauge line that loops over the Devil's Gate High Bridge to Silver Plume, a town only 2 miles away. The railroad says the ride takes about 1 hour 15 minutes in the main season and about 55 minutes from mid-October to early January. You come home through the old mining town of Idaho Springs.

Included, per the listing: Union Station, Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, the Colorado Railroad Museum and its grounds train, the Georgetown Loop Railroad, a tour of Georgetown and the drive through Idaho Springs. Not included: food and drinks, and souvenirs. A friendly tip: the Loop's open-air coaches are unassigned and first-come in spring to fall, per the railroad, so step up early if you want a seat on the outside.

• The Georgetown Loop narrow-gauge train over the Devil's Gate High Bridge
• About 100 locomotives and cars at the Colorado Railroad Museum
• A train ride round the museum grounds, mid-May to October
• Denver Union Station and Red Rocks Park on the way
• Lunch and a walk in Georgetown
• A private guide for up to 4 people

How the day runs

1. StartDenver Union Station

   Meet your guide at the Beaux-Arts station downtown. Check the start time and pickup details for your date.

2. On the wayRed Rocks Park

   A stop at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater for the view back over Denver.

3. About 1 hourColorado Railroad Museum

   About 100 locomotives, passenger cars and cabooses in Golden, plus the grounds train mid-May to October, Thursday to Saturday.

4. About 1.5 hoursUp to Georgetown

   The scenic drive west into the mountains along I-70.

5. About 1 hourGeorgetown

   Lunch at your own expense and a tour of the old silver town, then the Georgetown Loop Railroad ride.

6. About 30 minutesIdaho Springs and home

   A drive through the old mining town of Idaho Springs on the way back to Denver.

What's included

Who it suits

Tips before you book

• The museum's grounds train runs mid-May to October, Thursday to Saturday, per the listing. Pick one of those days if the extra ride matters to you.
• The Georgetown Loop says steam usually runs from Memorial Day weekend to early October, with diesels at other times, and steam is never guaranteed.
• There are no restrooms on the Georgetown Loop trains, per the railroad. Use the ones at the station before you board.
• Georgetown sits high in the mountains, so bring a warm layer even on a sunny day in Denver.
• Comparing Colorado's railways? Our guide to the best train rides in Colorado sets the Georgetown Loop next to the others.

Read next:

• Best train rides in Colorado
• Rocky Mountaineer alternatives

Frequently asked questions

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