Colorado is bringing back its mountain rail heritage. A new daily passenger service under the Colorado Mountain Rail project will run from Denver's Union Station to Grand County starting November 2026, stopping at Winter Park Resort, Fraser-Winter Park, and Granby. Fares and timetables haven't been announced yet, but the plan is for trains every day, all year — a big step up from the seasonal Amtrak Winter Park Express, which only runs during ski season and will continue alongside the new route.

The line uses the same track as Amtrak's California Zephyr, the long-haul service between Chicago and San Francisco. That means the ride includes the Moffat Tunnel, a 6.2-mile bore under the Continental Divide, with mountain and forest views the whole way into Grand County. The Winter Park and Granby stations are already built, and possible new stops in Arvada and Rollinsville are on the table. Longer term, CDOT wants to extend the service west to Hot Sulphur Springs, Kremmling, Steamboat Springs, Hayden, and Craig — the freight rails exist, so it's mostly a matter of passenger operations and a few new stations.

The practical appeal is obvious to anyone who has driven I-70 out of Denver. The highway and Route 40 over Berthoud Pass get busy and often treacherous in winter, and summer brings its own construction and congestion. If you're flying into Denver International, the A Line train gets you to Union Station in about 40 minutes — so a car-free ski or summer mountain trip becomes genuinely easy.

Once you arrive, Grand County does more than ski. Winter Park Resort is one of Colorado's oldest continuously operating ski areas, while Granby Ranch offers cheaper lift tickets and gentler terrain suited to beginners and intermediates, plus guided e-bike tours in the green season. Snow Mountain Ranch, south of Granby, swaps between horseback riding, hiking, and tubing in summer and Nordic skiing, dog sledding, ice skating, and snowshoeing in winter. Anglers can book guided trips with Winter Park Flyfisher, and the Colorado River itself is paddleable from May to September.

Grand Lake, the town, has a wooden boardwalk downtown lined with boutiques — you can try a silversmithing or leatherwork class at the Rocky Mountain Folk School, then rent a pontoon or kayak at the marina on Colorado's deepest natural lake. When the ice is thick enough, Kirk's Fly Shop runs guided ice fishing trips.

Getting around without a car works too: The Lift is a free shuttle linking Winter Park Resort, Granby, and Grand Lake, and Granby Connect operates like a local Uber. And if your schedule leaves you a night in Denver, Union Station itself has a well-regarded hotel and restaurants worth lingering over.

For travellers who dislike mountain driving, don't want winter rental car costs, or simply prefer watching snow-dusted peaks from a train window, this new route removes the hardest part of a Colorado mountain holiday. Keep an eye out for ticket sales ahead of the November 2026 launch.