VANCOUVER — Two elderly American women sitting on the opposite side of the train coach oohed and aahed at the Rocky Mountain majesty framed in the window of our train’s observation car.
As the sleek train, aptly named the Rocky Mountaineer, snaked through the deep canyons and gorges of B.C. and Alberta, one of the woman turned to me and said, “You Canadians are so lucky. I wish we had a train like this going through our American Rockies.”
Well, it appears her wish is about to be answered.
Rocky Mountaineer announced last November that it will launch a new route in 2021 that will highlight the splendours of the Rocky Mountains that rise into the clouds in Colorado and Utah.
The new “Rockies to the Red Rocks” route will be a remarkable two-day journey between Denver and Moab, Utah and will feature an overnight stay in beautiful Glenwood Springs, a Colorado resort town nestled in the White River National Forest that is famous for the hot springs that bubble to the surface there.
Rocky Mountaineer’s three Canadian routes, which have become a Bucket List experience for many world travellers, feature stops in Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper, the Alberta beauties that all feature a Rocky Mountain backdrop.

Above: New Rocky Mountaineer U.S. route will include stops at iconic landmarks like Red Rocks, right.

“Over the past 30 years, Rocky Mountaineer has become renowned for our world-class train travel experiences, and now we are opening our newest train experience in the region where American train travel history began,” said Peter Armstrong, founder of Rocky Mountaineer.
“This region, with its magnificent scenery, national parks, vast opportunities to explore, will delight millions.”
Rocky Mountaineer will launch the route with a preview season of 40 departures across 10 weeks from August 15 to October 23, 2021. The company is working with local tourism organizations, hotels and tour operators to create custom vacation packages that feature tours, activities, and stays in Denver and Moab, so guests can experience even more of the region.
“The work to find a new route has been underway for several years as we needed to find a special location with many of the same features we have in Western Canada — incredible scenery, iconic destinations and the option for an all daytime, multi-day journey that is best experienced by train," explained Steve Sammut, president and chief executive officer of Rocky Mountaineer.  
“Rockies to the Red Rocks will have all of this and more, and is an opportunity to bring our award-winning Rocky Mountaineer experience to showcase the epic scenery of the Southwest United States,” he continued.

Above: The panoramic views and 5-Star service passengers are treated to about the Rocky Mountaineer meet all the bucket list requirements.

“The coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating impact on the travel industry, and there is continued uncertainty of when tourism will recover. However, we believe American travellers, and those from around the world, will be eager to explore this region by rail with us and we look forward to welcoming them in 2021.”
My own experience aboard the Rocky Mountaineer between Vancouver and Banff a few years ago remains one of the highlights of my long travel career. While the scenery was remarkable and the experience of meeting people from around the world was so enjoyable, it was the service aboard the Rocky Mountaineer that truly made the trip a once-in-a-lifetime event.
The train staff’s attention to detail, especially in the dining car, and their in-coach pampering was comparable to any 5-star hotel in the world.
Of course, all this luxury comes at a cost — the two-day “Rockies to the Red Rocks” journey will start at $1,250 (U.S.) but you can bet it will be worth every cent.
Maybe one day, Rocky Mountaineer will be able to link up their Canadian routes with their new American offering to create the best train journey in the world.

• For more information, visit http://www.rockymountaineer.com/train-routes/rockies-red-rocks