Oh, now this looks like fun, can you ride the train?

@manton I love that train! For all the times I’ve ridden it I think I’ve done the complete loop only once. I ride as far as Needleton to go camping in the Chicago basin and climb the 14,000 foot peaks.

added to bucket list…

@alexink Yep! Just finished riding it up to Silverton. Amazing.

@jgamet Wow, that sounds amazing. I’m doing the loop today, nothing too adventurous. 🙂

Oh, now I want to visit and take a ride.

@manton The loop is still a wonderful adventure! You’ll have an awesome time!

@jgamet @manton Excuse my ignorance, what does “complete loop” mean in this context? I thought the train simply went straight from Durango to Silverton , then turned on a wye and came straight back. Never heard it called a loop before. But unfortunately, I’ve never been there, though I’ve seen lots of videos, models and books.

@provuejim @manton You're right: The "loop” is Durango to Silverton and back to Durango. It's a wonderful way to spend the day! But train is also the only way to get to Needleton. They sell special “back country" tickets for people hike and camp in the very isolated Chicago basin. In my case, a “round trip" was just out to Needleton, and then from Needleton back to Durango a few days later.

@provuejim What @jgamet said, it’s not actually a loop so I’m sure there’s a wye at the end. There’s one midway too, used in winter to turn around when they can’t go all the way up the mountains.