Leadville Railroad — Attraction in Leadville

EDIT: Major improvements this year. The Depot itself is much nicer with improved signage and parking. The construction across the street is nearing completion and because it is themed as a freight station the whole complex is getting cute as opposed to being a dumpy construction zone. (Speaking of, the first mile is becoming a development called the railyard. Before it was just a field called poverty flats. Now it will be nearby shopping and attractions that will be showcased to our valued visitors.) Well did not try concessions on the train, but a rowdy group of kids were pacified and this time the shelves were MUCH more robustly stocked. Still too crowded and completely weather unprotected, but we went on a beautiful day (July - Aug) so this was a feature not a bug. This very nice ride upped the score, one more good ride and this review will be further updated. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I really hate giving a bad review to an institution my town depends on BUT... This train ride is an expensive joke. Incredibly overpriced in comparison to other tourist railroads in Colorado. Slow, short, and filled with the lilting condescending of the announcer. The concessions are the worst ever. Think dilapidated gas station in the middle of nowhere food. Also seating is atrocious and without any kind of heating. Alleyways to move about are narrow... plan on rubbing up against some creepers and just general morons snapping pictures instead of watching where they are going. Some cars are just flat out boxes with benches. Spartan... which is okay if that is what you are looking for, but for $40+ per person it is completely unacceptable. Make sure you go on a sunny day. Do not pre buy your tickets unless you are willing to endure the weather no matter what. Our ride ended just before a rainstorm. Watching the poor saps get soaked for the afternoon ride at least made us feel better that we didn't pay for that. Georgetown Railroad or Royal Gorge just flat out blow this rusty...

We went to Colorado this fall to get a little relief from the four walls of our house. I love Colorado railroad history and always visit the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden but this trip we went to Beaver Creek. That put us an hour away from Leadville so I planned a day trip. I booked tickets for the Leadville railroad and even spent a little extra for a ride in the cab of the locomotive. In this pandemic year I was a bit worried about social distancing so called them and was told that they are only selling up to 50% capacity for each ride. It was a wonderful ride. We went up in an open air gondola car and had a well informed tour guide explain the history of the railroad as well as the mining operations in Leadville.

The Aspens were turning golden against the wash of evergreen trees and snow was already on the peaks of mountains. It was a beautiful ride. We reached the end of the line which was high up in the mountains and had some time to get off the train and stretch our legs. Then it was into the cab of the engine for the ride back to Leadville. It turned out our engineer was also the head of maintenance and part owner of the railroad. He was filling in the day of our ride. We had a wonderful conversation for the hour long ride back to Leadville. I learned a bit of family history and a lot about maintenance issues for this railroad. It was the most fun we'd ever had on a scenic rail ride. The Leadville Railroad is right up there with the Cumbers & Toltec and Royal Gorge runs.

When you're in Colorado make time for a visit to historic Leadville. Eat some pizza at High Mountain Pie and spend an amazing couple of hours riding the...

I'm a native trying to explore more of the state and this has been on my list for years. I selected the Oktoberfest ride based on the website description. It was $41 per adult and was not worth the cost of the ticket plus extras (food, gas to/from). Would not recommend for young children, as the ones on our train were bored and trying to run around.

The Oktoberfest ride didn't differ at all from normal rides except they had cans of beer and cider for sale. I was expecting a bit more, maybe a tasting or something. An opportunity for a local brewery to advertise?

A couple things to improve the experience: update the website with daily or weekly info on fall colors or wildlife sightings. The weather maps said this would be a good weekend for fall colors in the area, but all the leaves were down. Also, a better indication of what's sold in the concession car. Based on advertising we thought there would be some kid of tasting or seasonal options. Nope, standard 'high school football game' fare. Apparently they had pumpkin bread, which was the seasonal offering.

Good points: solid conductor and tour guide. He had lots of info and gave it in an entertaining way but wasn't overwhelming. Might be nice to have a car with only one speaker that's marked as a quieter car for people sensitive to that sort of thing. We enjoyed the scenery and know they have no control over when leaves change. It's still pretty when they've dropped.

For those familiar with the mountains, you can skip this. History buffs or tourists might enjoy, but I think there are better ways to explore the mountains and scenery...