Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad — Attraction in Durango

This was an amazing experience. We chose to do the round trip on the train, and booked our tickets a few hours before departure, for a Friday morning ride. We chose to do the steam engine version of the ride. At the time of booking there were only two seats left together in a coach class car, and the rest of the train was pretty much sold out, So I don't recommend waiting until the last minute if you really want to do this... It seems like we just got lucky. Also, confusingly, the website said they had something like 20 seats available in coach class, when I went to buy the tickets; but when I got to the "train car" view to actually pick my seats, I only counted about 11 seats, and only two of them were together. (Just sharing this as a heads up).

Kyle, the brakeman who visited our car throughout the trip to talk, answer questions, and give some insight about the train, was super friendly and very engaging.

After we left Durango, we stopped about 20 minutes down the track and Kyle came into announce there was a bit of a pause that was unplanned. Apparently the earlier train that morning had an issue with one of their locomotives and they had to switch some things around. It seems the train actually needs more than one locomotive to get up to Silverton, and that was part of the issue for the other train, because a locomotive had a problem (unclear). Anyway, he advised we were waiting for one of the diesel locomotives come join us to assist us up the mountain. After about 30 minutes, we were good-to-go, and headed up to Silverton. Kyle let us know that our time in Silverton would be impacted a bit, as we weren't pushing our Silverton departure any later than normal, but that still gave us about 90 minutes in town, and that was fine for me.

The train ride itself was super fun and relaxing. The weather was beautiful, so there was plenty to see on the trip. There wasn't much wildlife to speak of, but that is only ever a bonus anyway, so no expectation.

Silverton was cute and quaint. It reminded me a lot of Skagway, if you've ever been there. Rustic and small.

If you are going to do lunch in Silverton after you get off the train, I highly recommend going to wherever you choose, right when you get off the train, because the restaurant can get very busy and have a wait, if you wait to eat. I would recommend researching the restaurant options before you get up there, either before the train, or shortly after you're on the train, but before it gets up into the mountains where you'll lose signal. This will help set you up to know where you want to go when you get off the train in Silverton.

A lot of people got off the train when we arrived and had opted to ride the bus back (this is something you choose when booking), so our train car was probably 50% full on the way back.

Things I loved about the train: Ability to open windows and take in the air. Kyle. The historic steam locomotive. Our car had two toilets. The views. There is a concession car (we didn't use it, but other people did).

I highly recommend this trip to anyone interested. Yes, it's a long day, but it's...

This is a 19th century narrow gauge railroad, traveling between Silverton↔Durango in the San Juan National Forest, alongside of Animas River, a 126-mile-long (203 km) creek/river in the west, a tributary of the San Juan River, part of the Colorado River System.

The D&SNG was founded by Charles E. Bradshaw Jr. (1930-2013), of Florida, owned by AHR (American Heritage Railways) since 1998.

The 40+ miles long rail takes nearly 4 hour to cho cho. For context, 50 mile record: Charlie Lawrence set run record at 4:48:21 in 2019; and Marcin Bialoblocki set bike time at 1:30 in 2018. Granted, this isn't about speed but for nostalgia.

The slow mo has enclosed compartments which is where we’re, and gondola, without windows, side seating. There is a bar toward the end, and at least a bathroom is in the front of the train, spacious and clean.

The five-man staff on board consists an elder conductor who has been on the job, on this line for 29 years; a driver, an engineer and two brakemen. A few more at the concession selling drinks and snacks.

Ryan is the new kid on the block, who begins his job today (May 22, 2025) as brakeman. He has been in training for the past three weeks. Growing up around railroads, he feels this would be a good fit. "The owner happens to be in Silverton today to see him off ..." what a welcoming gesture and wonderful start. Best of luck kid!

Population wise, Durango has 19k and Silverton 622. The ride is mostly for the tourists, if not entirely.

The train runs year around. The winter doesn’t do much damage, except rarely the snow block the switches. If an engine breaks down, all they have to do is to get a new one from the near by station: not a big deal.

The scenery is beautiful, at times, can be a little hairy: cliffs, and trees & rocks are at arm length. Although both sides of the train are good but I feel the left for south bound train has better views.

The aqua green water color is from sediment composition: The San Juan River, which flows through parts of the San Juan National Forest, travels through sedimentary rock like sandstone, siltstone, and shale. These can be easily eroded, and the fine particles released into the water can influence its color. Sunlight reflection may adds to the vivid color as well.

Two hours into the ride at Tacoma Flagstop, the train stopped to pick up six youngster who were white water rafting near by. They just waved, like hailing a taxi, pay the fare and sit in the dinning car.

The tour manager bought us a drink ... after an hour, everyone seems to have enough. I love train but yes, 4 hours is bit too long.

Left Silverton at 2:38, and pulling into Durango station at 6:41pm -...

My wife and I chose to take the Durango to Silverton train in early June. Booking, one must choose the class level, steam or diesel engine, time of day and round trip verses one way (If you chose one way your non train leg is done via bus). We chose the Presidential Class (also called Cinco Animas), round trip, and diesel. Cost for the two of us combined was around $700. No one under 21 is allowed in the Cinco Animas cars. The last table in the caboose is ideal for photography as you can step out on the back viewing platform to take photos (they do insist you keep three points of contact when on the platforms; thus, one quickly must master the art of one-handed photography). Each couple has their own table, and free drinks and snacks are handed out liberally. However, alcoholic drinks and sandwiches are provided for a price. In other levels one can go to the dining car to buy snacks and sandwiches.

Along the way you can expect to see waterfalls, historic structures, river gorges, and wildlife (probably). We observed deer and elk along the way. The river gorges are a highlight, but if you’re afraid of heights the train, in places, hugs extremely steep cliffs. I have included photos of these narrow areas to give you a sense of just how narrow it is.

Steep cliffs behind us, we arrived at the old mining town of Silverton. There are plenty of photographic opportunities, along with restaurants and ice cream shops. Be aware if you’re planning on eating at a restaurant the lines get long quickly; it’s a good idea to go directly to the restaurant of your choice as soon as you disembark. Nevertheless, the couple of hours they gave us was more than enough to eat and explore the town.

The all aboard given, we headed back down the mountain. There is much less information provided on the way down; consequently, if you’re only doing one way, this might be a factor relative to your desire for information or quiet. Near the end of the ride your tab comes due, at least at the Presidential Level.

The staff was kind, informative, and attentive. A trip well worth the time and price.

A few hints: There are only a few RV parking spots so book your spot early.

Our coach host told us we could leave our vehicle in the parking lot into the evening. This is convenient for shopping and dining.

The free museum in the depot is surprisingly interesting and worth a look.

The historic Strater Hotel is only a few minutes walk away from the depot. The restored nineteenth-century bar served most excellent beverages.

Have a great journey and we’ll see you...