Facts About Alamosa and the Area

About Alamosa

Alamosa is the commercial hub of the vast San Luis Valley, with 10 hotels and motels, 35 restaurants, great shopping and an eighteen hole golf course. Great lodging and dining are available at very affordable rates. www.alamosa.org and 1-800-BLU-SKYS

The San Luis Valley is located in South Central Colorado on the border of New Mexico. It is one of the most scenic places in Colorado with the towering peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the east and the San Juan Mountains to the west. There are eight 14ers in close proximity to Alamosa. www.fs.fed.us/r2/riogrande

Alamosa is thrilled to announce their grand opening of Colorado’s newest Colorado Welcome Center in the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad depot. This is one of ten Welcome Centers in the state, with helpful travel councilors, maps and brochures for the entire state! The Center is located at the intersection of State Avenue on highway 160 in downtown Alamosa.

Alamosa is the home of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, a miracle of nature at the base of 14,000 foot peaks. The dunes are the largest in North America, so big that they would completely cover Denver!  www.nps.gov/grsa  (more about the Dunes below!)

Alamosa is home to two historic passenger trains, the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. There is a connection between the trains that creates the only place in North America where standard gauge passenger rail meets narrow gauge passenger rail. Both excursions offer incredible scenery, historic steam engines and comfortable passenger cars.
www.riograndescenicrailroad.com (more about the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad below!)

The Nature Conservancy partners with the National Park Service to protect the entire dunes system and its biodiversity. The Conservancy manages over 1,000 bison on Conservancy-owned grasslands and wetlands within the national park. Bison Tours are offered throughout the year, weather permitting, on Nature Conservancy lands. Led as a hayride, horseback ride, or 4WD vehicle tour, bison managers take you to parts of the park that few visitors get to see. www.zranch.org
Alamosa is in the heart of nature, with the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge, Blanca Wetlands and the San Luis Lakes State Park all excellent for wildlife viewing, especially birding. http://www.fws.gov/alamosa/

Alamosa is rich in cultural heritage. The area was first settled by the Spanish, then built on the backbone of the railroad. The culture is un-distilled to this day, with the heritage alive in the arts, foods and events in the area. An excellent tour of this heritage is along the Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic and Historic Byway. www.loscaminos.com

Cattails Golf Course built a new clubhouse over the winter, it houses an expanded pro shop, new restaurant/bar and a nice deck with fantastic views of the mountains. The golf course is a unique par 71 that winds through tall old cottonwood trees and cattail wetlands along the banks of the mighty Rio Grande River. www.alamosacattails.com

Alamosa is centrally located to several hot springs, including the Sand Dunes Swimming Pool with 150,000 gallons of natural hot springs. The facility also features a 24 person therapy pool, a fun kid’s water slide, and a snack bar listed in Colorado's Best: The Essential Guide to Favorite Places by Bruce Caughey and Doug Whitehead. On-site greenhouses grow organic tomatoes and cucumbers you won’t want to miss. www.sanddunespool.com

About
Great Sand Dunes National Park

Because the dunes and surrounding mountains are designated wilderness, this is a great place to enjoy unspoiled natural beauty in a variety of ways. You can play in Medano Creek, build a sand castle, slide down the dunes, go birdwatching in wetlands, or ascend a 14,000' peak.

Medano Creek, at the base of the dunes is world famous for its beach like fun at the base of 14,000 foot peaks. Visitors may do any non-motorized and non-mechanized activities in the creek, including splashing, surfing, wading, skimboarding, tubing, sand castle building, and sand sculpting. 
The creek is one of the few and best places in the world to experience "surge flow", where creek water comes in rhythmic waves. The water’s source is the deep snows that collect through the winter. This summer will be one of the best years ever due to the much higher than average snowpack.

Explore any part of the 30 square mile dunefield you wish; there are no designated trails in the sand. A dunes–accessible wheelchair is available for free loan at the Visitor Center. In summer months, plan to hike the dunes in morning or evening to avoid hot sand

There are forested hiking trails around the Dunes, these are gentler trails that offer outstanding views of the Dunes and towering mountain peaks. Alpine trails also originate from the Dunes, they access lush meadows and forests, alpine lakes and spectacular peak ascents.

Medano Pass primitive road tours in an open-air vehicle are offered in warmer months by the Oasis store, near the main entrance of the park.

Downloadable images are available :    http://www.nps.gov/archive/grsa/resources/photos.htm

About
Rio Grande Scenic Railroad

• New Steam Locomotive:  The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad is powered by steam locomotives, including the newest addition, the LS&I-18, built by the American Locomotive Company at its Pittsburgh works in 1910.  This locomotive previously operated on the Grand Canyon Railroad and the Mount Hood Railroad.  The LS&I joins the SP-1744, a fully restored 2-6-0 Mogul that began service in 1901 for the Southern Pacific Railroad.

• New Dome Cars:  The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad has added five newly-remodeled 1950s-era dome cars to its fleet this year, offering passengers comfortable seating and panoramic views of area wildlife, sweeping mountain meadows, cliffs and canyons not accessible from the highway.  In addition, the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad includes a 1930s-era open-air observation car and 1950s-era Pullman Passenger coaches, fully restored for daily service with new windows, heating, air conditioning and other amenities. 

• New Routes:  Visitors can now hitch a ride from La Veta, just 16 miles from Interstate 25 near Walsenburg, Colo. (approximately a half-day drive from Albuquerque and just a few hours from Taos), on weekends throughout the season. Excursions include a ride to Alamosa, the top of La Veta Pass, the highest standard gauge pass in the country, or a trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park.

• New High Altitude Summer Concert Series:  The popular High Altitude Summer Concert Series returns on July 17 with performances by Michael Martin Murphey (“America’s singing cowboy poet” and a New Mexico favorite) and other national recording acts.
  
• New Train Excursions:
  • Jazz with your Pop (June 15 – Father’s Day)
  • Jazz on the Tracks (June 14 – 15, July 26 – 27)
  • Rails & Ales Brewfest (July 12)
  • Firecracker Express and All American Barbecue(July 4)

A complete calendar of events is available and regularly updated at:  http://riograndescenicrailroad.com/2008-Calendar.html

• Special Promotions:  
  
  
  • Family Four-Pack:  Memories and Adventure for the Whole Family
    Through April 30, families that purchase four round-trip tickets from La Veta to Alamosa or La Veta to the Great Sand Dunes National Park, will also receive a $25 MasterCard gift card.  Offer valid for travel on June 5 and 6 or Father’s Day weekend, June 14 and 15.
    
  • Train Buffs: Make a Rare Standard Gauge-Narrow Gauge Connection
    For train buffs, the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad offers a chance to experience a modern rarity on the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad’s standard gauge roundtrip from Alamosa to La Veta and Alamosa to Antonito followed by the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad’s historic narrow gauge roundtrip from Antonito, Colo. to Osier, New Mexico. Through June 30, riders that book roundtrip tickets for consecutive days receive a free roundtrip connection, up to a $20 value on the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad. 
    
    
  • Military Stars & Stripes 2-for-1 and Discount Days
    On patriotic holidays throughout the season, the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad is offering current or retired military personnel with valid I.D., a free ticket when they purchase one regularly priced ticket. The offer is good on:
    • Armed Forces Day: Saturday, May 17
    • Memorial Day: Monday, May 26
    • Flag Day: Saturday, June 14
    • Independence Day: Friday, July 4
    • Patriot Day: Thursday, September 11

Military personnel also receive a 10 percent discount on all regular fares when riding the railroad.  

For more information about any of the promotions or to purchase tickets, visit www.riograndescenicrailroad.com or call 877-726-RAIL.

For more information, contact John Thomas at 303-423-0735 / jethomas@riograndescenicrailroad.com or Maggie McMonigle at 303-779-3396 / maggie@praco.com.

Downloadable Images:  http://riograndescenicrailroad.com/media.html