PrintTicket to Ride
EnlargeSure, you can go to a dude ranch or watch a staged gunfight, but no replicated Old West experience quite compares to that of stepping aboard the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. Formerly part of the historic Rio Grande Railroad’s San Juan extension, the C&TS line was salvaged in the 1970s and now operates authentic steam locomotives daily during its May to October season, running between Antonito, Colorado, and Chama, New Mexico. The mighty grumble of archaic iron beneath you as you roll through the Rio Grande National Forest; sightings of antelopes, hawks, and mountain lions out of the parlor car windows; the hypnotic chug-a-chugs pierced only by the periodic blasts of a steam whistle you’ll soon realize you’re not just traveling through the Rocky Mountains, you’re taking a trip in time.
• Info: 888.286.2737, www.cumbrestoltec.com.
Issue: April 2010
