Last March, in celebration of Winter Park’s 75th anniversary, the resort revived the Denver ski train as a one-weekend experiment with Amtrak (see the March-April 2015 issue of Skiing History, page 7). Tickets sold out quickly, so for the coming season, Amtrak has scheduled regular weekend service, from January 7, 2017 to March 26.
The train will leave Denver’s Union Station at 7 a.m. each Saturday and Sunday (plus Martin Luther King Day and President’s Day), arriving at Winter Park at 9 a.m. The return run will leave Winter Park at 4:30 p.m., arriving Denver at 6:40 p.m. Adult fare begins at $39, with half-price tickets for two kids kids 12 and under riding with an adult. One-way tickets are available to skiers planning a multi-day Winter Park vacation.
The train ran between Denver and Winter Park every ski season from 1940 to 2009 (see “Rails to Trails” in the December 2008 issue of Skiing History, or skiinghistory.org/history/ski-trains-history).
The Colorado Transportation Commission has provided a $1.5 million grant to help build an ADA-compliant boarding platform and rail improvements at Winter Park.
For more information, and to book tickets, see amtrak.com/winterparkexpress.