A Western Idyll: The Rocky Mountaineer Between Colorado And Utah

You pass so close to towering red rock canyons in southern Utah that you expect to hear scraping or see sparks as you glide by. They loom so dramatically over you that you stare without blinking. And if you’re on board the train Rocky Mountaineer, you have glass domed and sided coaches to take it all in, all of the majestic landscape on the Rockies to Red Rocks journey between Moab, Utah and Denver.

The train, well known for its routes through the vivid scenery in Western Canada, introduced this route two years ago for trips starting in either direction. But in a difference with other luxury train trips around the world, it doesn’t travel at night to allow optimum sightseeing; the one overnight is spent in the mountain hot springs town of Glenwood Springs, Colorado at the the historic, funky Hotel Colorado, a favorite of Theodore Roosevelt during his White House days that still looks as it did when he was in residence.

The experience is divided into Silver Leaf and Silver Leaf Plus service (the latter including two private cars including one with a full bar/cocktail lounge for craft cocktails, wine pairings at meals and additional courses) and the pace is gentle, rolling by at a 30 mph average, ideal for observing and photographing the exterior views which transform sharply from sandstone monoliths to forests and mountains with the Colorado River threading through, in different directions once you cross the Continental Divide. (Another omnipresent if unofficial view is being mooned by rafters and kayakers on the river, a custom that apparently began in the 1970s and is taken very seriously by everyone on the river including, at one spot, a duo composed of a mother and son.) The trip starts in the afternoon and arrives late afternoon the next day but is subject to delays if one of the national railroad trains takes over a track or tunnel instead. The California Zephyr kept us waiting in one spot for an hour before it finally whizzed by. (Don’t make dinner reservations too close to your stated time of arrival.)

When that happens, the extremely accommodating, jocular staff entertains, telling stories about the areas (such as the story of artist-owned, recovering ghost town Cisco, Utah, population: 4 and various Butch Cassidy legends) and their own travels and backgrounds. The food and beverage service is nonstop, excellent quality and flexible: when trackwork delayed our departure from Glenwood Springs from early to late morning, the meal service on the train switched from breakfast to lunch, followed by the regularly scheduled dinner just before arrival in Denver. The menus are creative and well-executed with choices such as a grilled peach and goat cheese salad with lemon beet vinaigrette, boneless pork rib in a honey barbecue sauce with beet, bell pepper, kohlrabi and cauliflower rice, local braised short rib in a fire roasted green chile demi glace and a lemon bar with candied blueberries and chocolate torte with lemon whipped cream for dessert. No one goes hungry.

To add to the experience, Rocky Mountaineer offers extensions to this trip to Las Vegas, Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. At the very least, travelers should add days on in the beginning and end in Moab and Denver on their own. In Utah, rather than staying in Moab, a more atmospheric option is Ulum, the first luxury tent resort opened by Under Canvas earlier this year 25 miles south of town. The tents are spacious and well appointed, on a par with luxury tents in African safari lodges, with an evaporative cooling system that isn’t quite air conditioning but is extremely efficient along with wood burning stoves for chilly nights. There are full ensuite bathrooms, sophisticated décor with light woods and woven rugs in Southwestern designs and an elevated menu with dishes such as salted beets with cold smoked avocado, toasted cashews, oregano and pickled peppers and and braised brisket tacos with pickled radish, red endive, cotija and Salsa Verde. The views from the tents (especially those with hilltop locations such as #30, 31, 39 and 40) are extraordinary: by day of sandstone canyons and Looking Glass Arch; at night, of stars in completely dark skies.

Since the area surrounding is a nature wonderland, the resort has an adventures director to book outings ranging from 4X4 tours to more daring climbing activities in the canyons. Navtec Expeditions in Moab also specializes in area adventures with the option of private arrangements to view a number of the 2000 natural rock arches in Arches National Park and rugged canyons of Canyonlands Natural Park along with rafting the Colorado River or rappelling down canyons.

At the other end of the train route, Denver has been going through a surge in its cultural scene particularly in its restaurants, many of which are guaranteed to make a starred appearance in the Michelin Guide Colorado due for publication later this year. One likely addition is The Wolf’s Tailor, the five year old restaurant in the Sunnyside neighborhood that blends a hyper concentration on seasonal ingredients, grilling over wood fire, Asian and Italian influences into a six course tasting menu that is as delicious as it is artfully composed/photogenic. The current menu includes dishes such as a mélange of cherries and heirloom tomatoes with coriander and mint, a spin on Chinese Dan Dan Noodles with pork, sesame, cinnamon and cumin and lamb with a black garlic foam.

Other restaurants certain to star in the new guide include Tavernetta, the sleek Italian from the team behind Boulder’s James Beard Award winning Frasca located adjacent to Union Station and featuring Whole Grilled Branzino, New York Strip with Salsa Verde and silky pastas such as Gnocchetti Sardi with fennel sausage and Tagliatelle with Maine lobster, Calabrian chile, preserved tomato and celery. Los Angeles star chef Ludo Lefebvre’s Chez Maggy, a traditional French brasserie enhanced with local ingredients and named for his late mother-in-law, a Colorado resident, should also place in the guide due to its faithful versions of classics such as escargots and Trout Almandine.

Chez Maggy opened last year just before the hotel that contains it, Thompson Denver, centrally located in Lower Downtown, aka LoDo, and both became popular hangouts for both visitors and locals. Reynard Social, located on the 6^th floor via a dedicated elevator is a very suave, multi room lounge with creative cocktails and views out to the mountains. Many of the 216 rooms also have those views through floor to ceiling windows along with mid-century design featuring wide plank hardwood floors and leather headboards.

From this location, it’s easy to go in several directions to explore. Coors Field is a 10 minute walk away for baseball fans (great stadium, not a great team.) Red Rocks Amphitheatre for concerts in a striking natural setting is a half hour away by car; the River North Art District a ten minute drive. Slightly closer, adjacent to Empower Field, is the most striking art installation in town: Meow Wolf at Convergence Station, an immersive experience in which visitors mentally blast off from Earth into room after room of whimsical to the point of psychedelic exhibits that they can climb through, play with and just stare at, fascinated—in much the same way that others stare at red canyons across the state line.