Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
October 8-15, 2026
Well, we did it again! For the fourth year in a row, we booked seats on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad during peak fall foliage. This time we roped in a couple of friends from our Gila Hikers hiking group. We all had important birthdays or anniversaries coming up and this seemed like the perfect way to celebrate.
Meeting up with Debra, who would travel the very slow and scenic route to Chama with us.
El Morro/El Malpais
We camped that first night at one of our favorite spots near El Malpais National Monument. Nearby is a remarkable petroglyph panel.
I always think this figure looks like a teletubby giving Jerry Falwell the finger!
Hiking the Headland Trail at El Morro National Monument.
We love following secondary roads across the endless empty plateaus north of Grants, but much of the land is either privately owned, or part of a reservation, so camping is a challenge. We finally found a muddy pullout near the highway just south of Cuba.
Espresso Lane just west of Cuba is one of our favorite coffee shops. They've upped their game considerably since our last visit, and now have indoor seating and kitchen!
We were lucky to find the perfect spot for lunch at a wayside rest overlooking Abiquiu Lake.
Chama
Railroad-themed metal gate in Chama.
After checking into our Air B & B, and meeting up with our fellow travellers, we walked down to the station to watch the trains rolling in and out. The main attractions was the Galloping Goose", one of a fleet of seven hybrid gasoline-powered railcars built to provide more economical freight and passenger service on the money-losing Rio Grande Southern Railroad. Goose #5 is a 1928 Pierce-Arrow limousine body welded to a Wayne Corporation bus body. Normally operating out of Dolores, Colorado, the Galloping Goose is trucked to Chama for special events using the same track as the Cumbres & Toltec.
Morning coffee and a cozy fire at the wonderful Rio Chama Espresso Kitchen and Wine Bar.
Tom, Diane, Debra and Dennis.
Reflections in the reproduction gas lanterns.
We were worried about the weather, since in the days before our trip, the forecast had called for heavy rain and flooding.
Fortunately, by the day of our trip, the probability of precipitation had dropped to 50%, and the dense cloud cover only made the golden aspens even more luminous./
It only rained hard while we were having lunch in Osier, and on the bus ride back to Chama. Here we are rushing to board the parlor car before the big storm moved in.
A momentary clearing ...
... and then the clouds openend up.
Tom and Diane reflected in a window with a view of a passing train.
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McCauley (Barely Luke) Warm Springs
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Lamy and Madrid
Wandering around the old train station in Lamy. The main line of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway bypassed the city of Santa Fe to reduce construction costs and instead built an 18-mile branch line from Lamy. One day we hope to ride the Santa Fe Rail Trail from Santa Fe to Lamy and back.
I will always have soft spot for Madrid, since it was my introduction to art and architecture on my first trip to the New Mexico in 1998. We stopped for ice cream at the row of shops where I bought a well-loved Guatemalan jacket 28 years ago. The lovely, shady courtyard full of quirky metal sculptures is still there!
Mountainair
The Shaffer Hotel in Mountainair is a mandatory stop! The ceiling and light fixtures were all carved and painted by Clem "Pop" Shaffer, who built the hotel in 1923. Shaffer also built the whimsical cement fence adjacent to the hotel, which is studded with quirky stone animals.
Datil
We spent the last night of the trip at Datil Wells, our absolute favorite campground. On a sunset stroll we got a bit turned around and ended up taking a much longer hike than planned. In Québec we called this time of day "entre chien et loup", because the fading light makes it hard to tell the difference between a dog and a wolf. Or between a burnt stump and a bear!
Left: Fetid goosefoot. Oddly beautiful. Smells like mint from a distance, and like dirty socks close up. Right: Rocky Mountain Zinnia.
False vervain and the stump bear.
"My mom and dad took a ride on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad and all I got was this stupid hat!"
