Georgetown Loop

Photo: Dan Adler, property Colorado Historical Society

©2006CHS

Historic view of the original Devil's Gate High Bridge looking back toward Georgetown, with Clear Creek running through the center and the downgrade roadbed to the right.

The Georgetown Loop is located 45 miles west of Denver on I-70. An engineering marvel originally built in 1884, the railroad fulfilled the hopes of Georgetown citizens to become a prosperous settlement connected to Denver and points east.

To connect Silver Plume and Georgetown, towns located over 2 miles apart, the tracks had to scale an elevation of 640 feet over mountainous terrain, requiring trestles, cuts, fills, loops, and curves totaling 4.5 miles. Today the Loop is once again a popular tourist attraction and an uncommon way to see the Clear Creek Valley.  Along the route visitors may stop for guided tours of a historic silver mine. The park is located on 978 acres and includes an 1884 depot, the Morrison Interpretive Center, two 1860s mines, an 1871 mill building, four reconstructed mine buildings, a locomotive maintenance building, the 1874 Pohle House, and a new rolling stock shelter.

Open on Weekends
The Georgetown Loop Mining and Railroad Park® will be open on weekends after the 12th of October. These trains will have a special schedule, and depart exclusively from the Georgetown Devil’s Gate Depot. Winding through the beautiful snow covered Colorado Rocky Mountains in our enclosed, heated coaches is a unique experience in the winter. We offer a relaxing interim during the drive to the mountain ski areas as well added excitement while attending the Georgetown Winter Market and Old Time Christmas.

Reservations can be made by calling 1-888-4-LOOP-RR (1-888-456-6777), or click here for on-line reservations.

History and Timeline of the Georgetown Loop (in PDF format)