This one sat on my bucket list for years…

And it turned out better than I expected. We boarded the train in Provo, Utah at 4:00 am in the morning, and 42 hours later we were home with a whole trip behind us. One night away. No airport, no rental car, no driving through Glenwood Canyon in the dark.

If you have been looking at the Amtrak website wondering if a train trip is actually worth it, here is everything we did, what we paid, and what I would tell a friend before she booked.

The train and what it cost

We took the California Zephyr, which runs from Chicago to the Bay Area and cuts right through Glenwood Canyon along the Colorado River. That stretch is the whole reason to do this by train. You are down in the canyon next to the water where there is no highway pullout and no place to park, watching rafters go by from a big window with your coffee.

Going out we booked sleeper car tickets, $260 a person (can change with the seasons), and that included our beds and our food. Coming home we booked coach, about $60 each. That is the split I would do again, and I will explain why below.

The eastbound train leaves Provo around 4:00 am and pulls into Glenwood Springs late morning, right around 11:00. Going the other direction it leaves Glenwood in the early afternoon and gets back to Provo late at night. Check your dates before you plan anything, because those times shift and the train runs late more often than not.

Saturday

4:00 am – Boarded the train in Provo. Yes, that hour is real. We slept.

7:30 am – Breakfast. There is something about eating eggs at a table while Utah goes by the window that never got old.

11:00 am – Arrived in Glenwood Springs. The station sits right downtown, and there is a pedestrian bridge over the river that puts you at the Hotel Colorado and the hot springs pool in a few minutes on foot.

12:00 pm – Lunch at Mings.

2:00 pm – Glenwood Caverns. We did the gondola ride, a cave tour, and the Alpine Coaster. The gondola is the only way up to the park, and the ride itself is worth the ticket even if you never get on a single ride at the top. The caves are a National Natural Landmark and the tour is cool and easy and good for every age. If you have thrill seekers with you, they also have Defiance, which is the highest looping roller coaster in the country, and the Giant Canyon Swing out over the canyon.

7:00 pm – Dinner at Euro Italian Underground.

9:00 pm – Bed. We stayed at the Marriott.

Sunday

9:00 am – We attended our local church congregation. If that is not your Sunday, this is the perfect morning to go soak. Glenwood Hot Springs has the big historic mineral pool that has been there since the 1880s, and Iron Mountain Hot Springs has all the smaller soaking pools looking out at the river. Either one is a short walk or a very short drive from downtown.

11:00 am – Lunch at Slope & Hatch.

12:00 pm – Ice cream at Sundae Artisan Ice Cream.

1:00 pm – Toured the Hotel Colorado and the Hotel Maxwell Anderson. You do not have to be a guest to walk through the Hotel Colorado and I highly recommend it. It opened in 1893, it was Teddy Roosevelt’s headquarters when he came out here to hunt, and the story goes that the maids stitched him a little stuffed bear to cheer him up after a day he came back empty handed. That is where the teddy bear supposedly got its name. It was also a Navy hospital during World War II. Molly Brown stayed there. You can feel all of it in the lobby.

2:00 pm – Boarded the train home.

The ride home

This is the part I did not expect to love.

We booked coach on the way back and spent almost the entire ride in the viewing car playing games. Big windows on both sides, seats that turn out toward the glass, and no one in a hurry. We watched the canyon the whole way through.

We had dinner in the dining car, and it was a full three course meal for $45 each. There is also a snack car with food and drinks if you would rather grab something quick and get back to your seat.

So my honest take on sleeper versus coach. The sleeper going out is worth every dollar, because you are boarding at 4:00 am and you actually get to lie down and sleep, and the meals are included. Coming home in the daylight, coach is plenty. You are not going to be in your seat much anyway.

What I would tell you before you book

There is no consistent WiFi. Cell service comes and goes through the canyons too, and honestly that turned into my favorite part. Bring cards, a book, a downloaded show for the kids. Do not plan to work.

Downtown is walkable. The station, the restaurants, the hotels, the hot springs and the shops are all right there together. Getting to the gondola base for Glenwood Caverns is the one stop that is a little further out. There is a local shuttle service in town and can take you were you want to go for $1. Ask the train conductor about it!

Pack light and pack one bag you can carry. You are getting on and off a train, not loading a car.

Book the sleeper early. There are only so many rooms on that train and they go first.

Do not fight over a window seat. The river switches sides on you through the canyon, and the viewing car solves the whole problem. That is where we spent most of our time anyway.

Where we ate and stayed

• Mings
• Euro Italian Underground
• Slope & Hatch
• Sundae Artisan Ice Cream
• Marriott, Glenwood Springs
• Hotel Colorado and Hotel Maxwell Anderson, both worth walking through

A few questions I keep getting

How long is the train ride? Around seven hours from Provo to Glenwood Springs. People who ride it from Denver do it in about six. It is a long morning and it does not feel like one.

Can you do this without a car once you get there? Everything downtown is walkable from the station, and there is a local cab service if you want to get further out.

Is it good for kids and teens? I think it is one of the best trips you could do with teenagers. They can get up and move around, there is a snack car, and the caverns and the hot springs are the kind of thing that works for a fifteen year old and a grandma on the same afternoon.

Does the train run late? Sometimes, and by a lot. Build a soft first day and do not book anything you cannot miss for the afternoon you arrive.

When is the best time to go? We went in April and it was perfect. The train runs year round and people say fall through that canyon is unbelievable.

Would we do it again

We already have it on the calendar in our heads…

The thing that surprised me is how much of the trip was the train. I thought it was the transportation and it turned out to be half the vacation. Nobody was driving, nobody was watching the road, we were all at the same table looking out the same window for hours.

We loved our time in Glenwood Springs and we are already planning when we can bring the whole family back. If you have been putting this one off, book it. 42 hours is enough.

What is the one trip that has been sitting on your list the longest?

Make sure to check this post if you need more trip ideas!

Love,

Kelly