Riding the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad

History, scenery, great food and an informed guide make for a memorable experience on America’s longest and highest narrow gauge railroad.

A trip to New Mexico should definitely include a ride on this narrow gauge train, a National Historic Site. Whether you are a train buff, an amateur historian or geologist, or mainly interested in spectacular scenery and informed commentary, this ride is one to remember.

Located in the mountainous terrain of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, the historic train ride offers passengers a chance to see landscapes not easily available to most travelers any other way. The ride provides a full day of ever-changing scenery and entertaining stories of early days, facts about the train, geology and the natural features of this wild and scenic area. Old telegraph poles and wires still line the tracks.

There are several options available for riders.  A passenger may choose the full ride between Chama and Antonito and return by bus. Another choice is to begin at either departure point, stop halfway at Osier for lunch then return by train from the starting point. The options for different trip lengths, departure locations and schedules make it easy for most travelers to fit this into other plans.  It is best to check the web site for specific times and options.

We started our day from the lovely Antonito train station and took the half-route. The train quickly leaves the town behind and travels through the valley heading for the mountains. This provides a fine view of Mt. San Antonio, a dormant volcano. One can still see the lava boulders it spewed over many miles when it erupted. In the valley passengers also get a good look at the herds of prong horn antelope and the legendary “Hangman’s Trestle.”  Around the first bend, the scenery changes quickly from sage to small pines, and just as quickly to high alpine.

Soon passengers are enjoying views of deep, wide valleys, golden aspen, evergreen forests and rocky cliffs. (While the ride is dramatic along the cliff edges, it shouldn’t cause apprehension.  It seems quite tame, actually, considering just how high one is.)  For much of the trip, passengers get a fine view of the Rio de Los Pinos and its gorgeous valley. The open observation car is a good place to experience it all. Petroglyphs are faintly visible at one point and the guide is careful to point these out.

At Toltec Gorge the view passes quickly, but is incredible.  The Rio de Los Pinos is 600 feet below and the opposite rim of the gorge is 800 feet away.  Though one only gets a quick glimpse of the Gorge before the next curve, it is fine.

The train crosses the New Mexico-Colorado border several times on its route before reaching the mid-way point of Osier and lunch. At Osier, passengers are 9,637 feet above sea level and seemingly a world away from their starting point and, indeed, the rest of the world.  The lunch hall is the only inhabited structure the entire length of the ride, although some carefully preserved historic buildings still exist at Sublette, the home of rail building crews.

Lunch orders are taken in advance and the meal is included in the price of the ticket.  Everything has been done to get lunch served quickly to a large number of people who arrive at once and it worked well. The food was tasty and the portions generous. There is a gift shop, though little time for shopping before we boarded the train for the return trip. 

And the scenery on the return was just as impressive. Light had changed, angles were different, the early morning snow had melted, and the aspens were a bit more vivid in the afternoon sun.

It is a photographer’s perfect trip, moving slowly through a variety of spectacular views.  And if the photographer is also a train buff, there are plenty of opportunities to catch the front of the train as it rounds sharp curves!

Whether looking for stories, views, railroad history, geology, natural wonders, or just a one-day escape, this ride has something for everyone.  The comfortable enclosed cars (all original though restored) provide a glimpse into travel a century ago and make it a good choice for those who might not see this kind of wilderness other wise.

Source:  Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.  Chama, NM.