The Georgetown Loop is a railroad built to climb a wall

Georgetown and Silver Plume sit only about two miles apart, but Silver Plume is hundreds of feet higher up a steep valley. A normal railroad cannot climb that fast. So in the silver-mining days, engineers built a track that loops back over itself, crossing a high bridge above Clear Creek, to gain height in a short distance. That track is the Georgetown Loop.

The railroad first existed to haul silver ore and to bring visitors up to see the engineering. When mining faded, so did the line. It was later rebuilt as a heritage railroad. Today it runs as the Georgetown Loop Historic Mining & Railroad Park, which History Colorado owns and runs in partnership with a private train operator, Historic Rail Adventures.

A ride is not just a scenic train trip. Along the route you can tour part of the Lebanon Mine, a real set of mine workings opened up so people can walk in and see how miners followed silver veins into the rock. That pairing, a working-style train and a mine tour, is what makes this a history site and not just an amusement ride.

Seasons, schedules, and ticket details change from year to year, so this note does not list them. For current tours and the real history of the loop and the Lebanon Mine, start with History Colorado and the Georgetown Loop Railroad’s official site.