Mesa Verde National Park is approached by rail both from the north and
from the south: From the north via the Denver & Rio Grande Western
Railroad main transcontinental line through Grand Junction, and branch
lines through Montrose or Durango; from the south via the main
transcontinental line of the Santa Fe Railroad through Gallup, N. Mex.
The lines of the Denver & Rio Grande Western System traverse some of
the most magnificent scenery of the Rocky Mountain region, a fact
which gives the journey to Mesa Verde zestful travel flavor. Two
main-line routes are provided to the Grand Junction gateway.
The Royal Gorge Route goes through the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas,
now spanned by an all-steel suspension bridge, 1,053 feet above the
tracks in the Royal Gorge. This route crosses Tennessee Pass
(altitude, 10,240 feet) and follows the Eagle River to its junction
with the Colorado River at Dotsero, thence to Grand Junction.
Service was inaugurated in June 1934 via the new James Peak Route of
the D. & R. G. W., utilizing the Moffat Tunnel (altitude at apex,
9,239 feet), 6.2-mile bore which pierces the Continental Divide 50
miles west of Denver. This route follows the Colorado River from
Fraser, high on the west slope of the continent, through Byers Canyon,
Red Gorge, Gore Canyon, and Red Canyon, thence over the Dotsero
Cut-off to Dotsero, where it joins the Royal Gorge Route. The new line
saves 175 miles in the distance from Denver to Grand Junction.