THE HISTORIC DURANGO-SILVERTON TRAIN OF COLORADO

Today we're going to be riding the historic Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Good morning. Today we are doing the Durango to Silverton train. It is fall right now but we're not necessarily in peak fall foliage so hopefully we get to see some yellow aspens on the ride. Bree has done this train ride before but this will be my first time. Really excited. We did the Railroad Gauge train a few years ago and then I think two summers ago we did a train through the Black Hills of South Dakota. They're always fun. They're always nice and a nice chill day on the road. So super excited to take you guys along with us. We just got to the parking lot. We prepaid $10 when we booked our tickets just for the convenience of the morning since we had to be here super early and we had a big drive. Not big but like 40 minutes from our hotel. So here we are. Welcome to the train station. So if you're going to take the same train that we did, which is just the classic round trip between Durango and Silverton, you're going to be paying roughly $100. However, I have noticed that each year it does look like they raise their prices. So this is referring to when we did it which was in summer of 2023. I'm trying to find a will call station because I love having paper tickets for everything. I hate having the e-tickets but I'm trying to find one and then I saw people with them so... Good morning ladies and gentlemen! This is a beautiful scenic train ride. We're going to be riding at round trip so it's going to be three hours and 45 minutes each way. So when you take this train, one thing that you do not need worry about is that there are bathrooms on the train, which is nice because this is such a long ride. And there also is a bar where you can get drinks, you can get snacks, you can get food, and you can even get alcohol. Bloody Mary's, they have chai, they have hot chocolate. It's really nice especially if you're sitting on the side of the train where it's in the shade because temperatures can vary by 20 degrees whether you're in the sun or not. Good morning! So they have a concession stand on the train which is super awesome because everyone knows me, knows that I love my snacks. So we got this this morning. It's a reusable souvenir mug for $10 and you can refill it for free, which gives you hot chocolate, chai, coffee, all of this cider. So it's really awesome. And then I also got a Bloody Mary for $9. Very well spent. As we continue to make our way through the San Juan Mountains on the train, you'll notice that the landscapes will start to change. Now you're outside of Durango in town and then you're passing the river. Once you reach about halfway point on the train, you're going to be surrounded by mountains and it's just going to be breathtaking. You're also going to be passing a few curves in the railroad, so make sure to keep an eye out for that and to look out the window when you do because it's beautiful and you can see the entire expansive train ahead of you as it makes its way around the curve. And if you miss it, don't worry because there are a few different curves that you can see and you also have the opportunity to see this on the way back. All right, so we are currently stopped about an hour and 45 minutes into the train ride. We're in this wonderful, beautiful canyon. There's green water all around here. There's rapids. So I think it's just so everyone can get a chance to take in the view, but have your cameras ready and be ready to look at the view at an hour and 45 minutes into the ride. There are a handful of ways to experience this famous train ride. During the winter, you can take their Polar Express train ride, which is a special experience during the winter that you can book or you can take the classic Cascade Canyon winter train. Now, some people may actually book this train to get to the Chicago Basin 14ers or to get to some of the hiking trails in the Wemenuchi Wilderness. However, if you like scenic trains, this is worth every single bit to book this just for the scenic ride itself. It's going to take you through the San Juan Mountains of Colorado and it is just breathtaking the entire way. So after a beautiful ride, we finally make our way into Silverton. Silverton is a historic mining town that was established in 1874 in the heart of the San Juan Mountains. If you're driving here, it's going to be along the Million Dollar Highway, which is a scenic drive that's one of the most beautiful things to do during fall foliage if you're visiting Colorado. And once we got off the train, we grabbed food and then we explored town. There's a lot of great options. There's a bunch of awesome boutique shops, some places to get some souvenirs. We were actually really thankful because when we did this train, we ended up seeing some fall foliage and some yellow aspens. We were about a week early for this region of Colorado to see the peak fall foliage, but we were still able to see some. So it was extra beautiful everywhere, especially in town. And then once we were finished exploring Silverton, we got back on the train for the long ride back. And I just want to make a note that later in this video, I am going to let you guys know about an alternative option if you do not want to board the train a second time for another three hour and 45 minute trip back. So I will let you know all of the details for that soon. But for now, let's enjoy this beautiful ride back. We made it back to the car. Guys, that is a long, long train ride. I've done it before and it was just as long now. Yes. Kevin will tell you about your options. Oh my gosh. That was so long that I think it took away from how awesome it was. The way there was incredible. It was long, but every second was amazing on the way there. Bree told me it was three hours and it was more like three hours and 45 minutes. So mentally I wasn't prepared for that. And then we were in town for what felt like one hour. I think it was actually two hours, maybe an hour and a half in town in Silverton, which is nice. There's a bunch of cool shops in Silverton. Then the way back was, it was a lot. I mean, Bree and I are very active as you guys see on the channel. So sitting- Take a look at Kevin's breakfast. It's my banana peel from this morning. We're very active people. So sitting in a chair for 12 hours is not our favorite thing. So very long. There's an option that you can take a bus back from Silverton. So it would be the three and a half hour train ride, hang out in Silverton. And then I think it's a one hour drive back to Durango. Or I guess if you have two cars, you could have a car waiting there. But yeah, one hour ride back, which shaves off three hours to your day. So if we were to do it again, that's definitely what I would do. But I don't want that to take away from how amazing it was because it was beautiful. Probably one of the coolest scenic train rides that I've ever done. Bree's done it more than once. So definitely do it. Definitely do it. It was awesome. So this is a huge bucket list thing for a lot of people and don't let what he said deter you from doing it at all. The whole thing's amazing. Yeah. Anyways, hope you guys liked it. We'll see you guys later. Bye. Please like and subscribe. See ya.