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All aboard! Festivities planned around Glenwood Springs overnight on Rocky Mountaineer’s maiden voyage

Guests disembark the Rocky Mountaineer during an earlier trial run to Glenwood Springs. The new Rockies to the Red Rocks route launches for real on Sunday.
Salvador Lopez

Glenwood Springs is pulling out the stops for a special train arrival Sunday evening.

The Rocky Mountaineer celebrates its inaugural “Rockies to the Red Rocks” route launch Sunday and Monday as the luxury train journeys between Denver and Moab, Utah, including an overnight stay in Glenwood Springs.

The maiden voyage marks the preview season for the new luxury train tour, which is scheduled to run through Nov. 19. A full seven-month season is planned for 2022.



To mark the event and the arrival of passengers, Glenwood Springs is set to host a celebration from 4-8 p.m. Sunday along Seventh Street and under the Grand Avenue Bridge, including market vendors and entertainment.

Live entertainment on Bethel Plaza will be provided by the guitar duo of Larry and Patti Herd, according to event organizers. There will also be performances by Legacy Dance Company and face painting and balloon art by Noemi and Kristoff Kosmowski.



The Mountaineer is scheduled to arrive between 5-6 p.m. Mayor Jonathan Godes and other state and regional dignitaries are slated to give the formal welcome.

Rockies to the Red Rocks is a two-day rail journey on the glass-domed Rocky Mountaineer train coaches, following the route along the Union Pacific line through the Rocky Mountains and eastern Utah’s high desert slick rock country.

The first day of the journey takes guests alongside the Colorado River and through Gore Canyon and Glenwood Canyon, arriving in Glenwood Springs for an overnight stay. The next day, it’s on to Moab.

The trip is complete with an onboard culinary experience, featuring cuisine prepared from ingredients local to the southwestern U.S.

“The inaugural U.S. route is just one step in Rocky Mountaineer’s long-term vision of expanding its journeys to diverse destinations, a monumental addition to the three rail routes in Western Canada that run between Vancouver and the towns of Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper in the Canadian Rockies,” according to a news release.

“This new Rockies to the Red Rocks route is a celebration that has been several years in the making as we continuously seek unique locations with incredible scenery and iconic destinations that are best experienced by train,” Peter Armstrong, founder and interim CEO of Rocky Mountaineer, said in the release. “We look forward to welcoming guests for a train journey that delivers the incredible experience and award-winning service that Rocky Mountaineer is well known for while they enjoy the epic scenery, flavours and hospitality of the Southwest United States.”

The  two-day rail journey, including a one-night hotel stay in  Glenwood Springs, starts from $1,250 per person.

Senior Reporter/Managing Editor John Stroud can be reached at 970-384-9160 or jstroud@postindependent.com.


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