Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Reviews

Great views from the train to Silverton and back. Dress for the mountain weather especially if you're booked a gondola or on air car. Also remember this is a 100 year year old coal fired steam engine, there is a lot of soot toward the front cars. Still a great experience that I would do again.

Train ride was beautiful and interesting (ride in a car with a character actor narrator - it was worth it) - train was great too. Museum is a bit eclectic but was interesting (and free).

A nice small museum and railway very professional and friendly staff

Love Silverton! Beautiful town with great shopping and restaurants!

What a great trip on a steam train. Wonderful for all the RR buffs.

So much interesting stuff not enough time to explore, a must visit.

Historic visit for any train lover. The museum is absolutely jam packed with artifacts and it's free!

My son just loves this place! And the train town as he calls it!

We like most every thing about it only we were very annoyed about how they insisted that we keep our masks on!

Great train trip between Durango and Silverton on a steam engine locomotive! The narrated tour is a delightful ride taking you back in time and history!!

Very nice. Wish we would have gotten tickets during the day to see the sight.

My trip was cancelled half way due to tracks obstruction. They refunded the tickets, etc but rebooking was hard because mostly everything was sold out. I don t know how hard it is for them to run trips up there, but perhaps a second train for people left out with no rebooked tickets would ve been nice. Next day my trip was cancelled again due to weather. I understand these situations, out of anyone s control but being more proactive could help like having a backup plan/trip for those whose trips were cancelled.

Interesting but kind of expensive for what you get.

Amazing, one in a lifetime picturesque views. Our car attendant Aaron kept us entertained. I recommend taking the shuttle back from Silverton. Even though the ride was fun and amazing, constantly sweeping off soot gets old. Overall, I cant recommend the experience enough!

Very scenic ride. The open car was the best as long as it's not raining. The small mining town of Silverton was cute. It had restaurants and shops.

Long ride back to station. Seems overrated for price.

Amazing collection in the roundhouse of the Durango & Silverton train yard. Free and well worth the time to visit.

We liked it so much, we are going back to ride the summer one. A wonderful train ride with incredible mountain views! We drove two days to do this, with NO regrets!

The railway is a National Historic Landmark between Durango and Silverton Colorado. This railway was built to transport silver and gold ore that was mined from the San Juan Mountains. This train ride is a very scenic route since it has about 45 miles of track and lots of turns. Since 1881 this train been traveling the tracks from Durango to Silverton. If you want to go one way it will take about 3.5 hours and there is a big delay in Silverton, because they need to examine the train to make sure it is in good running condition. While the delay you can go eat,visit shops,take pictures and more. Go jump on the train now; you will not turn back!!

We road this train up 2 hours and back 2 hours to a zip line facility. Great views, particularly the second hour. Try the open air car. That was a great way to go. We even stayed dry in a late afternoon shower.

I recommend a visit to the museum and trip on the train to ALL my visitors. The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is a treasure for everyone in Durango and our visitors. The staff were friendly and helpful. The views were amazing!! My husband took the train up to Silverton and then went backpacking. What an awesome experience. The excellent museum is free - don't miss it!

This was the most awesome train ride! Beautiful, scenic, mountains and river views. We rode the general admission closed train in early September. The window opens so you can get plenty of great pictures, plus the train makes 2 or 3 stops for water fill ups. When the train is stopped, you can go to the rear, outside platform and take pictures too. We rode the train from Durango to Silverton, then took the bus back. When we arrived in Silverton and stepped off the train, it was like stepping back in time to an old western. The town is small with dirt roads. There are plenty of places to eat and shop. The prices aren't any more expensive than the National Parks prices. We found some really good deals on T-Shirts. The fudge was delicious. We ate our lunch at Natalia's Restaurant. All the food we had was delicious. We also tried the chili....yummy! We heard that people will come there just for the Chicken and Wild Rice soup. We didn't try it. By then we were too full. Children to Adults will LOVE this train ride! I would do it again!

Second time I've ridden and still was absolutely floored by the incredible views from the train. We opted for the narrated car and it was SO worth it. Got to hear the story of Caroline Romney on our ride and we loved it. We only got to go to Cascade Canyon on our trip, but let me say, that stop alone is worth the ride!

Went for the Polar Express ride and my 4 year old had a blast! Very fun staff and a great ride.

Took the train to Cascade Canyon and back and wow! It did snow on our ride which made it an even better experience for us. The 21+ parlor car is well worth the money.

This is a great thing to do any time of the year. The staff are genuinely friendly and go out of their way to make sure you have a special time. The Polar Express special event is an amazing experience for the little ones.

Awesome stop if you are in Durango! Nice museum of military items, old cars, trains, models of planes trains automobiles and military equipment! Many taxidermy displays!

The train is amazing, scenery is spectacular and varied as you climb to Silverton, Be sure to check out the museum as well, fascinating displays of a bygone era.

Our family rode the Polar Express last night and it was fabulous. We had a magical time. Chef Jingle on The Yankee Girl car was so wonderful and sweet. They provide such an authentic experience, from the magical arrival of the train at the station, to the very animated hot chocolate delivery. Thank you for a wonderful experience.

The museum was awesome we had so much fun going into all the little trains and looking at the cabooses and the engine rooms and we're the guys worked and slept and where they did their paperwork it was really neat it was very informative a lot of old antiques in there a lot of guns if it's your gun enthusiasts they have all kinds of guns knives a civil war it probably has one of the largest miniature Soldier Battalion figurines that I've ever seen French army blah blah it's really cool and it's free it's just a love donation and if you're lucky enough to catch the Durango Silverton train coming in you can get some great pictures with your family with the steam engine blowing black smoke in the background really neat place I would go back again

Great train! We rode the train during the Polar Express event. The staff does such a good job staying in character, the lights at the North Pole are very well done, and we even got to meet Santa as he walked through each train car! We boarded about 6:30pm and got back to the station close to 8:00pm. This was our first time and the kids loved it. We rode in the "Prospector" car which was a little more expensive. We all had tables and hot chocolate, a cookie, and a mug. The whole way back they played Christmas songs and gave out songbooks so we could all sing along together. I was very impressed at the amount of effort that went in to making this happen.

A superb train ride with a steam locomotive. We start from Durango to reach Silverton, a former mining village. Over 3 hours cruising the Colorado mountains with magnificent views of the forest, waterfalls and river ...
The return can be done by bus and takes about an hour.

My husband and I surprised our littles with a ride on the Polar Express and had the absolute best experience. They truly have outdone themselves and created something special here. The staff was so kind and especially after our 5 year old got cinder in her eye from the train. She was beside herself in pain and the staff jumped in and immediately knew what to do to help her. They calmed and removed the cinder from her eye and were so patient in the process. Even the actors came to check on her and were so caring. Before this happened we were all so giddy and excited and their care and kindness helped us to continue in this amazing experience. We truly had the best time and made such sweet memories. Thank you again to all who checked on and helped our sweet girl!

This was cool, kids loved it. Ride in the open air car, its awesome.

Trip of a lifetime! To celebrate our 40th Anniversary Year my husband and I booked the Alamosa Parlor Car, the last car on our train! We had our own personal car Attendant - J. Leigh - who was a superb tour guide and attended to everyone's needs throughout the entire trip. We had a private bar and they provided souvenir gifts, homebaked goodies and all the non-alc beverages we wanted. Being the last car, we had access to the private observation platform, and the MOST beautiful views of the route to Silverton and back to Durango! Priceless adventure we will always cherish.

This is a very interesting place to visit.... The museum is real neat.... Rode the train halfway up and back one time many years ago....

I think it's a great way to see up close the countryside and nature of the area that you wouldn't see otherwise. The open gondola car is a great way to see the most, but it might be the most uncomfortable too... You're kinda stuck in place for the trip... Fun to see a working steam locomotive too!

Beautiful vistas along the route. Fun ride. Took bus back to Durango and the driver was very informative and gave a great talk about the history of the railroad.

It is a fun experience. The staff is friendly and attentive. The scenery on this trip is over the top! Just Do It!

An absolute blast for the whole family. Staff was amazingly courteous and the train was right on time. Parking can get a little hectic on the weekends so plan an extra 10+ minutes in case you need to track down the attendant for the parking lot across the street. We took the open air gondola car to the Dinosaur Train event and my 3 year old son loved it. Had an amazing time on the train and the attendants made the extra effort to make my son's day! The event itself was a lot of fun for the kids. There was plenty of things to do and kept everyone entertained during the 90 minute stay between train rides. Thank you!

Super cool! I'd even donit again on my next trip to Durango. Incredible views. Get the open car....it makes it so much more impactful.

This was a Great way to see the canyon. We rode the bus up and the train down which is a long enough ride on the train. It's worth it to spend the extra $ for the car with seats. Some of the cheaper cars require you to sit on a bench.

This is a working railroad. The engines are not displays but living, breathing beasts. It is a history students dream to stand next to one as it pulls out of the depot. The museum is full an eclectic and facinating collection.

Unbelievable ride. Train staff were extremely friendly and answered our questions.

I have dreamed about this for years. It was great, and staff was very informative . There was river activity along the way and hiking too.

Neat price of history you actually get to ride. Highly recommend the Cinco Animas car. This is a Presidential Class car constructed in 1883. You do have to be 21 years of age cause they do serve alcohol.

Losing a star here for not allowing pets :(
The train did look awesome.

We rode the parlor car on July 24, 2014, with Ellie. She was knowledgeable about the geology of the area, the great spots to get photos, and the history of the area and the train. She was funny and made the ride up there lots of fun. This was my fourth time to ride the train and was, by far, the best trip yet. I wanted to ride back on the train, but due to an appointment in Telluride, had to ride the bus back (I was disappointed that I could not ride the train back, but our bus driver was great as well --- only drawback was a screaming child who was totally uncontrolled by his parents).

The train is absolutely a must for everyone --- for those who appreciate history, who appreciate the amazing scenery, and for those who appreciate trains and old mining towns. I highly recommend the parlor car if you can afford it.

Loved it! We like trains so riding round trip was the best. Views of the gorge were fantastic from the train windows.

Now this is worth your while! We went with our school for a field trip. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The ride is amazing! The scenery, the cliffs, the river winding through the back country, everything is beautiful! Feels like you go back in time with the old steam locomotive. Highly recommended!

It's a great tourist spot and very busy place
We love it.

Awesome trip and we just went halfway, can't imagine how cool the full trip is

Great ride, but you really only need to go one way on the train. The bus ride back was very informative and the train had many neat sites to see.

It was amazing seeing the views from the train. Will definitely visit again.

Great time for the entire family. Exhibits were outstanding.

I spend more than 6 hours on the round trip and the scenes really worth to go.

A step back into the 19th century. Especially if you ride with a narrator.

We would highly recommend this train excursion . This was our 2nd time and was just as memorable as the 1st. It is a rather dirty ride because of coal so dress accordingly. The scenery is spectacular. May be a little too long for some kids. Silverton is nice but not much time to shop and eat. All the people who work the train are very professional and willing to answer questions.