Amtrak Brings Back Its ‘Ski Train’ to This Popular Colorado Ski Resort — and Tickets Are on Sale Now

It’s now cheaper and more convenient to hit the slopes this ski season at a popular Colorado resort. 

Amtrak announced the return of the Amtrak Winter Park Express, which provides seasonal service between Denver’s Union Station (DEN) and the based of Winter Park Resort in Winter Park, Colorado. “This ‘ski train’ is another example of Amtrak’s commitment to enhancing the travel experience for riders across the country, bringing travelers to exciting destinations safety, affordably, and sustainably,” Eliot Hamlisch, Amtrak’s CMO, said in a statement obtained by Travel + Leisure.

Ski enthusiasts looking to utilize the special route will have a choice of 40 round trips this ski season. The train will operate every weekend (on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays) from Jan. 12, 2024 through March 31, 2024. There will be special routes on holidays such as service on Jan. 15, 2024 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) and Feb. 19, 2024 (Presidents’ Day). The train will also operate on two Thursdays: March 14, 2024, and March 21, 2024. (Travelers should visit amtrak.com for the most current schedule and updates.)

A one-way trip, which takes approximately two hours, departs Denver at 7:00 am and leaves Winter Park Resort at 4:30 pm local time. This means skiers can maximize their time on the slopes.

Families can save money as children aged two to 12 are eligible for 50 percent off tickets. There are additional discounts for senior citizens and members of the military.  Passengers also have the opportunity to carry on their skis, and the trains have special storage areas on board. 

As for Winter Park Resort, the property features 3,000 acres of ski slopes across two different mountains, as well as other activities like snow tubing, ice skating, and gondola rides.  

The Colorado ski season is forecasted to be extra snowy, in part due to El Niño, according to an OpenSnow forecast. The report also notes that March tends to have the highest increase (148 percent, to be exact) in snow water equivalent, which is the metric used to calculate the snowfall.