With train expert, and Colorado enthusiast, Mark Warther as featured in "Home & Away" Magazine
Dates:
July 10th - 18th, 2021; July 9th - 17th, 2022;
July 16th - 24th, 2022; August 6th - 14th, 2022;
August 13th - 21st, 2022; August 27th - Sept 4th, 2022
Travel Colorado with train expert Mark Warther on this personally designed adventure featuring amazing trains, breathtaking scenery, fantastic hotels and great food! Discover what inspired Katherine Bates to write “America the Beautiful” and indulge in the thrill of riding vintage trains through the mountains, as our grandparents did a century ago.
This tour will start by gathering at an Embassy Suites in Denver. Meet your fellow travelers at a get-acquainted dinner hosted by tour guide Mark Warther.
The first train ride is on the Georgetown Loop Railroad. The thriving mining towns of Georgetown and Silver Plume lie two miles apart in a steep, narrow mountain canyon. To connect them, the railroad's builders designed a "corkscrewe" route that traveled twice the distance, slowly gaining more than 600 feet in elevation. It included horseshoe curves, grades of up to 4%, and four bridges across Clear Creek, including the massive Devil's Gate High Bridge.
Nestled in the rugged and spectacular Clear Creek Canyon, Georgetown’s historic business district is a walkable and will be the stop for you to have lunch, on your own.
On our way to Col-orado’s wine country we will visit Glenwood Canyon and even dip our toes in the Colorado River. Glenwood Canyon is one of the most scenic sections of roadway in the country, and one of the last sections of Interstate Highway to be built.
For two evenings you'll experience the romance of the vineyards at Colorado's first wine-themed hotel. Stroll through the working vineyards that surround the inn, an 80-room Victorian style hotel, which sits in the middle of 21 acres of vines. One dinner is a special one, as we pair wine with food - a "Wine Makers Dinner".
One of the grand landscapes of the American West! This morning we will take in breath taking views of deep, sheer-sided canyons and high rock towers as we enjoy a day of touring. Culminate our visit to this National Monument with a sunset dinner served on the canyon rim.
This is a rugged mountain range in southwestern Colorado, and to get there we will traverse the famous million dollar highway, which Charles Kuralt called, "The most Beautiful in all of the United States."
This railroad has been voted one of the “Top Ten Most Exciting Train Journeys in the World” by the Society of American Travel Writers. This amazing train winds through spectacular and breathtaking canyons in the remote wilderness of the two-million acre San Juan National Forest for an UNFORGETTABLE ADVENTURE.
From local history to railroad museums, historic downtown Durango has it all. This will be you home for two-nights.
You'll spend two-nights at the Historic Strater Hotel, filled with grandeur and the largest collection of American Victorian era furniture IN THE WORLD. You'll have dinner one night at the hotel.
See the ancient cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park, where you may even climb into the dwellings.
A Four Diamonds Historic Country Inn at the base of Pikes Peak. Travel and Leisure Magazine ranked #80 on the Top 100 list of Worldwide places to stay and you'll experience it for one night.
You'll enjoy lunch on the mountain as we chug along Americas highest and longest narrow gauge railroad the Cumbres & Toltec. The scenic journey unfolds as soon as the train, pulled by its powerful locomotive, leaves the Chama, New Mexico station. In just moments, the gradual climb into the mountains begins and another day of memories is born.
A 1300 acre park where flora and fauna reflect the rich diversity of the terrain, and red sandstone formations tell a unique geological story.
Manitou Springs, Colorado is a quaint mountain town. The Historic Downtown Manitou Springs is an artist’s enclave featuring time-honored art galleries, street performers, creek-side restaurants and boutique stores. The afternoon is yours to enjoy and also shop.
"Ride to the Clouds!" aboard the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, the highest cog railroad in the U.S. which stretches nine miles long as it vertically climbs to almost 8,000 feet.
A military academy for officer cadets of the United States Air Force. Visit the famous Cadet Chapel (when available).
The final evening we assemble for a farewell dinner at an old fashioned railroad depot, sharing memories of this unforgettable journey of Colorado. As a parting gift each couple or guest will receive a 10x10 bound picture book of their tour with all photos taken throughout our journey together.
5270 Day Road, Cincinnati OH 45252
Tel: (800) 582-5997
(513) 923-9112
Email: dms@ohiotraveltreasures.com