There is a version of this country that you cannot see from a highway or a plane window. The Colorado River from inside Glenwood Canyon, where the walls rise 1,300 feet on both sides and the train tracks run so close to the water that you could almost reach out and touch it. The red sandstone formations of the Utah desert, layered and ancient, lit differently at every hour of the day. The Book Cliffs stretching across the horizon east of Moab, a geological formation so long and flat that from the train window it looks like the edge of something. These are views that were built for rail travel and that nothing else quite delivers.
Canyon Spirit is a luxury daylight train that connects Denver, Colorado with Salt Lake City, Utah over three days — and it is, without serious argument, the most compelling non-Amtrak rail journey available in the United States right now. It started operating as Rocky Mountaineer in 2021, rebranded to Canyon Spirit in 2025, and extended its route to Salt Lake City in April 2026. The company behind it built its reputation over three decades running scenic luxury trains through the Canadian Rockies. It brought the same philosophy to the American Southwest: travel only during daylight, move slowly enough to see everything, feed people well while they watch the landscape go by.
HOW IT WORKS
The three-day journey runs between Denver and Salt Lake City in either direction, departing Tuesdays from Denver and Fridays from Salt Lake City. Day one takes you from Denver west along the Colorado River and through a series of increasingly dramatic canyons — Ruby Canyon, Westwater Canyon, Glenwood Canyon — arriving in Glenwood Springs in the early evening. You overnight in Glenwood Springs, where the hot springs pool fed by the Yampah spring has been soaking travelers since 1888. Day two picks up in Glenwood Springs and runs southwest through mountain vistas and red rock desert toward Moab, Utah — which means the afternoon arrives at the gateway to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Day three runs north from Moab through Thompson Springs, up over Soldier Summit, through the historic Thistle Tunnels, down the Price River Canyon past the Book Cliffs, and into Salt Lake City by late afternoon.
The train runs only during daylight hours. Canyon Spirit’s philosophy is that the landscape is the destination, not something to sleep through. The glass is floor-to-ceiling. The seats face outward. The hosts rotate through the cars narrating the geology, the history, the cattle operations, the river systems. You can sit in your seat or stand at the rail between cars or move to the lounge, but you are always looking at something worth looking at.
WHAT’S INCLUDED AND WHAT IT COSTS
The Signature Experience starts from $2,123 per person for the three-day rail journey, which includes two hotel nights in Glenwood Springs and Moab, all meals onboard — breakfast and lunch both travel days, dinner the second evening — plus snacks and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages throughout. The Premier Upgrade adds $604 per person and gets you exclusive access to the lounge car, premium spirits and cocktails, and an elevated multi-course afternoon tea-style meal on select days. For couples, complete five-to-six day packages with additional hotel nights in Denver and Salt Lake City and guided national park excursions run from $5,322 to $6,106 per person.
The food program is genuinely good rather than the afterthought it tends to be on other luxury rail experiences. The kitchen works with locally sourced and regionally inspired ingredients — meaning the food changes character as the landscape does. What comes out of the kitchen in Colorado reflects different producers and flavors than what arrives in Utah. Breakfast is warm and substantial. Lunch is lighter. The included beverages run from Colorado craft beers and local wines to spirits from regional distilleries. The Premier lounge adds signature cocktails and a proper bar program.
THE STOPS: WHAT TO DO ON THE GROUND
Glenwood Springs is a mountain town of 10,000 people at the confluence of the Colorado and Roaring Fork rivers, 160 miles west of Denver. The hot springs are the anchor — Glenwood Hot Springs Pool is the largest natural hot springs pool in the world, fed by the Yampah spring at 122 degrees before mixing down to a more comfortable temperature. Doc Holliday is buried in the hillside cemetery above town. The Hotel Colorado, built in 1893, is worth a walk-through even if you’re not staying there — Teddy Roosevelt made it his headquarters during bear-hunting trips. Dinner options in town include Riviera Restaurant & Bar and The Restaurant at Hotel Colorado. The evening in Glenwood Springs is genuinely pleasant — cooler than Dallas in summer, walkable, and quiet in the way mountain towns are quiet.
Moab sits in the red rock canyon country of southeastern Utah, and if you haven’t been, the landscape is one of those things that surprises you even when you know what’s coming. Arches National Park is 5 miles north of town — Delicate Arch is the image you’ve seen, but the Fiery Furnace and the Devils Garden Trail are the experiences worth your time. Canyonlands National Park is 32 miles south. The Colorado River runs through the canyon below town and the river outfitters run half-day float trips that are worth doing before the train departs. For food in Moab, Moab Brewery is the reliable option and 98 Center has been the better dining room in town for several years — locally sourced, thoughtful menu, the right place to eat after a day in the parks.
Salt Lake City has changed considerably in the past decade and is a better travel destination than its reputation suggests. The city’s dining scene has matured — Copper Common for cocktails, Handle in Park City if you have a car, Provisions downtown. The Natural History Museum of Utah at the University of Utah is one of the better natural history museums in the country. Temple Square is worth seeing regardless of your relationship with religion — the architecture alone justifies an hour. The ski resorts are 30 to 45 minutes from downtown and some operate summer trams and gondolas for the views.
GETTING THERE FROM DALLAS
Direct flights from Dallas Love Field and DFW International to Denver run multiple times daily — Southwest, United, American, and Frontier all serve the route. Denver Union Station, where Canyon Spirit departs, is 37 minutes from Denver International Airport on the A Line commuter rail. No rental car needed. The return from Salt Lake City to Dallas is equally straightforward — Delta, Southwest, and United all fly the route daily. The most logical way to run the trip is fly into Denver, board the train, spend the three days on the rail with overnights in Glenwood Springs and Moab, arrive in Salt Lake City, spend a day or two exploring, fly home. A five-day trip total.
Departures for summer 2026 are available now. Book at canyonspirit.com. The booking deadline for the current promotional pricing — up to $800 off per couple — was May 28, but departures through the fall remain available at standard pricing. The train runs through October.
