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Royal Gorge Railroad
Categories: Hotels & Travel Tours Restaurants American (Traditional) Tours, American (Traditional) [Edit]
Santa Fe Depot401 Water St
Canon City, CO 81212
(719) 276-4000
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
11 reviews for Royal Gorge Railroad
11 reviews in English
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Review from Amanda G.
9/3/2009
I booked two tickets for the evening dinner train as part of my boyfriend's birthday present. I was worried that it might not live up to its hype and $150 dollars would be wasted on bad food. I was so wrong and so very pleasantly surprised.
We arrived a little late, which is funny because we arrived 15 minutes before our departure time and yet 15 minutes later than when they suggested we arrive - 30 minutes prior to departure. Check-in was no problem. We got our picture taken in front of the train and later bought it for $10 as a keepsake.
We were seated at a table with another young couple who was recently married and lovely to talk to. E got a pre-dinner rum and coke and paid extra for it (that's my only gripe - I wish the $75 for dinner included a drink). The we started with dinner rolls and salad before our main entrees: prime rib. I think it is the best prime rib I have had in a loooong time. And it was huge! We got our food on super-sized dinner plates and the slice of prime rib (that was already about 2 inches thick) pretty much covered my plate and smothered my vegetables and delicious mashed potatoes. Yum. Dessert was generic cheesecake but still good.
Service was excellent and the atmosphere was incredible. First of all you are eating on a train, which is pretty special, but there are also fancy table linens and plush carpet and dim lighting, with the spectacular scenery of the Royal Gorge passing by the window. Just how special it was is indescribable.
After dinner, we went to the open air car (the sides of the car are 4 feet tall and there is no roof so you are exposed to the night air) with cups of coffee and stood in the twilight with the soft wind streaming by and the river down below. A couple of kayakers making a night run of the gorge showed of their tricks and provided some entertainment. It was incredibly special, and a damn-good birthday present, if I do say so myself.
Highly recommended. It's totally worth the money, and I'm picky about how I spend my money, seeing as how I don't have a lot of it! -
Review from Tim K.
8/8/2011
I've heard of the Royal Gorge Railroad for years and had even seen it in action upon one of my visits to the gorge. It wasn't until this weekend that I had the privilege to partake.
The ride is quite pricy ($60) and the dinner train is over the top pricy ($109 for the domed car). But it's not every day that you get a 3 course dinner aboard a train and in a spectacular gorge on top of that.
I had the salmon for dinner, which is kind of odd for me to order. I tend to take the safe approach when eating somewhere I've not been before, by ordering chicken. It turned out well for me. The salmon serving was huge and quite delicious. Not the neatest presentation but oh well, it tasted good and that's more important.
So why just 3 stars? I'll explain why:
- For our entire floor on the car there were only two servers. Things would have been a little quicker had there been an assistant or an additional server. We had to wait quite awhile to receive our drinks, and refills were slow to come by as well.
- The MC/ tour guide (not even sure what to call him) was amateurish at best. He seemed more like a drunk passenger talking on the PA system than someone who actually worked for the railroad. He though he was funny when he was not. And his occasional use of mild profanity was unprofessional. During the dinner service he "serenaded" us with his accordion. Kind of reminded me of being in Europe where you're a captive audience to the dreadful accordion players, and of course they want a tip. (No joke, as the train set out he reminded all of us to remember to tip our waiters and the musician). -
Review from Brian G.
9/14/2010
If you're traveling with kids or older family members, the RG Railroad might be worth a layover, but I wouldn't plan your travel itinerary around it.
Here's what I wish I knew before I plunked down over $60 a person per ticket. You spend about 3/4 of the trip traveling through the gorge, but the most scenic portion is only about a short 10-15 minutes stretch. The rest of the gorge is actually quite wide and fairly non-descript. I expected the majority of the line to be traversing narrow canyon walls, but it was such a short stretch. We spent the rest of the trip drinking coffee and barely glancing outside the window. Had I known, I would have either skipped the train experience or taken the trolley down to the base of the gorge.
If you do decide to go on the train, I'd grab coach seats and then take a seat at the bar, which is actually pretty cool with its all wood interior. Plus, it's the next car over to the open air car, which is probably where you'd want to hang out anyway with a beer in hand if the weather is nice. -
Review from Tiffany N.
Denver, CO
6/5/2009 1 photo
I am glad I was able to experience the murder mystery dinner, but I'm not sure I'd rush to do it again. The pros:
We were able to travel about 6 miles through the Royal Gorge, which was breathtakingly pretty, especially since the recent rains caused the water to be high and fast moving.
We stopped under the bridge and we given the opportunity to go outside in an open-air car to take in the scenery.
The food was surprisingly good. We started with a salad topped with goat cheese, walnuts and vinaigrette, then indulged in Prime Rib with mashed potatoes and veggies, and topped off the meal with a chocolate mousse.
Alcohol was pretty affordable. Nick and I split a bottle of wine that cost $23. The most expensive was around $30. They weren't the highest class, but they were decent.
The actors are funny. They dress in period costumes and talk to you like they're from that time.
The storyline was engaging and you're put on teams so you don't have to guess all by your lonesome.
The cons:
You don't get to choose your other seatmates if you're a party of 2. Which means you could end up with 2 80-year-old ladies that are dead certain the murderer is some passenger 6 rows back, even though she isn't even listed as a suspect. They'll also ask the most ridiculous questions of the actors when they come around that have nothing to do with solving the mystery such as, "what did you have for dinner last night?"
The train moves very, very slowly and takes off rather abruptly. Hold on to those wine glasses!
While you're eating, you're just eating. There isn't any story time or helpful hints. It's basically a meal on a train.
It's a pretty expensive meal considering the simplicity of it because you're paying for the actors, too.
It's definitely an experience, but I would maybe suggest taking the wine and cheese car or just the dinner alone if you're interested in riding a train through the Gorge. -
Review from Chris M.
12/3/2008
This was SO much fun!
We went with two other couples for the dinner train ride on a Saturday evening. It was 2 for 1 through the end of November so that made it an amazing experience for the price $85 per couple.
As you wait in line for the train people in period costume (the old west) and in character greet you individually. Then you have a choice of either the interior cars or the vista dome (not as quaint but a 360 view.
We were shown to our tables with place cards, the wait staff immediately came around to take our drink orders. The only wine they serve is from the local winery at the Abbey.
To start they brought a shrimp on toast appetizer. It was yummy according to my companions but I am allergic to shrimp. I told my waiter and he said he'd see what he could do for me. He returned a short time later with a gorgeous plate of fresh fruit that had everyone else wishing THEY were allergic too, next was fresh baked bread and a Caesar salad. The ladies all enjoyed a huge portion of salmon with fresh basil roasted potatoes & veggies. The gentlemen loved their huge slab of meat otherwise known as Prime Rib and then for dessert a chocolate cake w/ coffee or tea. The food was simply wonderful! Not the type you get at the local dinner theater's.
The ride itself was very enjoyable as well. The train is equipped with lights that shine all across the canon walls and we even spied several herds of deer. The train stopped 3 times so that you could go out on the flat cars and take pictures and stretch your legs. One of the stops was directly under the suspension bridge. Quite a different view than when you are walking on the bridge.
This is a must do if you are in that part of Colorado vacationing. We plan on going back in the spring to see the scenery during the daylight hours! -
Review from Linda M.
9/10/2007
An easy drive from Colorado Springs and a beautiful train ride. We loved going through the gorge in the open-air car and watching rafters go down the river next to us. The interior cars were more luxury than you usually find on these type of train rides. Bring your own food.
They do have a rafting/train combo package where you can raft down and ride back on the train. It looked like it would be fun for families with older kids...although I'm not sure of the difficulty level.
Afterwards we partook of the local crafts fair going on in the park and strolled down the street where we truly enjoyed our visit to the tiny dinosaur museum.Listed in: Chugga Chugga, Denver & Vicinity
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Review from Mary L.
Peoria, AZ
10/4/2010
We loved this train ride!! The scenery was spectacular and the train fun to ride. We booked seats in the Vista Dome which would have worked great if we had also purchased lunch. We had decided to skip the food and eat breakfast 1st and lunch after, which worked well as their food is expensive. Now we realize we would have been better off just booking a regular coach seat ($20 cheaper) and sitting in the club car. The view from this car is good and you're right next to the open air car which is where we ended up spending all of our time any way. But all in all, this ride was well worth it.
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Review from Charles R.
Orlando, FL
11/9/2010 1 Check-in Here
We booked 4 tickets in the Vista Dome and enjoyed the views of the canyon from the large windows. There is a beverage car and an outside viewing car. My girlfriend and I spend most of the time on the outside car taking in the sights and capturing pictures. We went in mid-September and the weather was fantastic - probably about 65 degrees.
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Review from Steve O.
Boulder, CO
9/3/2009
Seems like a hundred years ago, but enjoyed the ride very much.
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Review from Glen B.
Denver, CO
3/26/2009
A very enjoyable ride through the canyon with an unsurpassed view from the open car. I found it impossible to leave that car and go inside where the view was far less.
Much more abut the railroad is posted in my article at: http://railroadgloryda... -
Review from GiGi R.
Denver, CO
9/2/2009
My children and I loved this trip. We took the Vista Dome car for a gourmet lunch on a beautiful Sunday afternoon this summer and savored every moment. My son loved this excursion so much he said repeatedly "Mom, this is the best day of my life!" Thus, I highly recommend riding the rails through the Royal Gorge!
