Based on an Article originally published in Chicago Sun Times on 2/16/17
WINTER PARK, Colo. — A legendary portal through the Rocky Mountains beneath the Continental Divide is once again making it possible for skiers and snowboarders to take a train directly to the ski lifts.
Denver is again the only major American city where you can step onto a train and ride directly to the slopes. Other ski trains usually require a shuttle bus of some kind to cover the final miles, but Colorado's Winter Park Ski area sits directly adjacent to transcontinental Union Pacific railroad tracks emerging from the Moffat Tunnel.
Bored through the mountains in the late 1920s at 9,000 feet above sea level, the 6.2-mile-long Moffat Tunnel significantly shortened the distance for trains, and the route remains in heavy use today for freight and daily Amtrak California Zephyr service.
Formally known as the Winter Park Express, the weekend-service ski train ferries passengers from the reborn Denver Union Station to Winter Park in the morning, then returns that evening. A similar service operated for 69 years but ended in 2009 over concerns about insurance and profitability.
The new train — two locomotives and nine passenger cars — can carry more than 500 people each way, helping reduce some of Colorado’s legendary Interstate 70 vehicle congestion. The inaugural run in January arrived nine minutes early, a major contrast to the traffic tie-ups 50 miles from the resort. The train journey takes about two hours, and leaves Denver in pre-dawn darkness, arriving at Winter Park just as the lifts are opening for the morning. Rides start at $39 each way. Trains will continue to run round-trip from Denver Union Station to the slopes of Winter Park on Saturdays and Sundays from Jan. 7 through March 26, 2017.
The train passes through 29 tunnels, including the nine-minute-long Moffat Tunnel, as it climbs out of Denver to Winter Park. On its first day, the train charged through new-fallen snow, sending clouds of ice crystals swirling it its wake as the sun began rising over the plains to the east.
It's been said that it's the prettiest method of transportation to the ski resorts in Colorado. Plus, avoids all the bumper to bumper traffic on the interstate. Even if road crews close road due to heavy traffic or snowfall, the train plows right through.
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Other ski trains across the United States
While the Winter Park Express is the only train-to-lift service in the United States and Canada, you can incorporate trains into your western trips to many other resorts. Among them:
Snowbasin, Utah
Take the airport light rail to connect with a UTA Front Runner train to Ogden, and then take the UTA Ski Bus to Snowbasin. Season pass holders at Snowbasin can ride the bus all season for just $10. Service runs frequently; check timetable for scheduled departures and prices.
Whitefish Mountain Resort, Mont.
Amtrak’s Empire Builder serves the historic Whitefish station, and from there you can take a shuttle to Whitefish Mountain Resort. Prices and schedule vary; check timetables.