Summer Outside the City: The Verde Canyon Is Calling You
When the school bell chimes for the last time or you’ve clocked out for a long weekend, where do you want to be? Onboard a train, of course. Day-tripping on Verde Canyon Railroad is the perfect place to play hooky as school books collect dust, traffic is at a standstill and the city is sweltering. Summer train rides offer a soulful escape from city life—a cool, winding journey aboard Arizona’s longest-running nature show.
A Cool Summer Train Ride Through Arizona’s Wilderness
From June through September, the Sedona area is ideal for summer train rides, whether you prefer a peaceful morning journey or a golden-hour afternoon escape. Large canopies of cottonwood, sycamore and mesquite trees envelop the meandering Verde River that flows right alongside the tracks. This riparian landscape is rare in Arizona, with less than two percent of land near a waterway supporting the majority of wildlife and waterfowl.
The quarter-mile-long train with 12 luxurious coaches, each with large panoramic windows and access to open-air viewing cars, glides through curvaceous red-rock scenery deep into this southwest wilderness – only accessible by rail.
Scenic Train Tours Through Verde Canyon
On the four-hour, 40-mile round trip from Clarkdale to Perkinsville and back, cars seem to float across a host of bridges, one that spans a 150-foot high basalt gorge carved by wind and water over millions of years, and another that was fashioned from an old roundhouse turntable. The clickety-clack of the wheels on the track and the gentle swaying of the cars create meditation in motion as the train rambles near a monocline fold, past ancient Sinagua ruins and dives deep into a 734-foot tunnel where echoes ring with cries of delight.
It’s no wonder Verde Canyon’s summer train rides are a favorite escape from the city and a memorable way to experience Arizona’s raw beauty.
Morning Trains and Starlight Tours
Start Your Day with a Summer Train Ride
Morning trains depart when the day is still dewy and return with enough time left in the day to schedule another activity.
Ride Into Sunset with Saturday Starlight Tours
The Saturday Starlight Tours travel the Canyon from daylight through moonglow, when the glorious golds, radiant reds and blazing purples of an Arizona sunset fade into a wildly dark-blue sky filled with the glittering of stars and galaxies.
Running simultaneously with Starlight Tours are Grape Train Escapes, where showcased wines and accoutrements are on equal footing to the scenery streaming past your window.
Late afternoon and early evening thunderstorms drape waterfalls over glistening magenta parapets while kaleidoscopic rainbows play across a vista capped with spicy monsoon skies. Cool 12mph breezes brush across smiling faces savoring the scenery from shaded open-air viewing cars—one of the many joys of taking train rides during Arizona’s summer.
The mild high-desert temperature is best enjoyed with additional pleasures afforded all guests, including a complimentary glass of bubbly upon boarding and a charcuterie tray. All cars are climate-controlled, have restrooms and, it’s worth saying again, access open-air viewing cars, which is like getting two seats for the price of one.
Verde Canyon Railroad: An Unforgettable Journey
Since 1990, this historic train has taken between 400 and 800 passengers almost daily through remote red-rock backcountry without leaving a trace in its unspoiled Canyon home. Verde Canyon Railroad’s unparalleled scenery, thoughtful accommodations, charming staff and delicious local flavors check all of the boxes for an authentic Arizona adventure while providing a thrill to all the sense – especially the sense of adventure.
Plan Your Summer Train Ride
Verde Canyon Railroad is just 20 minutes from Sedona below Jerome, and only a short two hours from Phoenix, making it an ideal weekend getaway.
It’s Not the Destination; It’s a Summer Outside the City Journey.
Book your adventure online or call 800-293-7245 today!
