A new two-day rail journey across the US south-west is being intreoduced next year by Rocky Mountaineer.
The Rockies to the Red Rocks route will run between Denver, Colorado, and Moab in Utah, with an overnight stay in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
The luxury tourist rail operator plans to introduce 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 organisations, hotels and tour operators to create holiday packages that feature tours, activities and stays in Denver and Moab.
The new service will be in addition to the three rail routes that run in Western Canada, between Vancouver and the Canadian Rockies towns of Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper.
President and chief executive Steve Sammut said: “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 – incredibly scenery, iconic destinations, and the option for an all daytime, multi-day journey that is best experienced by train.
“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 south-west United States.
“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 and beyond.”
Company founder Peter Armstrong said: “Rocky Mountaineer will bring a new luxury train tour to explore the historic rail route between Denver and Moab.
“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 train travel history began.
“This region, with its magnificent scenery, national parks, vast opportunities to explore, will delight millions.”
The two-day journeys start at $1,250 per person with travellers able to reserve a place on a 2021 departure with a refundable deposit of $25.