Verde Canyon Railroad: Scenic 4-Hour Rail Journey

Experience Arizona’s Verde Valley on a 4-hour Starlight Ride. Enjoy first-class views of geological wonders, wildlife, and ancient archaeological sites.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Verde Canyon Railroad - Make your way to the Verde Canyon Railroad Train Depot in Clarkdale, Arizona, not far from Sedona, to begin your Verde Canyon Railroad Starlight adventure.
    This rail adventure offers a wilderness train ride through the remote Verde Canyon which is known for its picturesque setting and abundant wildlife. Though it’s possible…
What's Included
  • First class seating
  • Appetizers
  • Snacks
  • Lunch
  • Bottled water
  • Champagne toast
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
  • Gratuities
  • DVD (available to purchase)
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Pets are not allowed on train
Additional Information

Hop aboard the Verde Canyon Railroad for a 4-hour rail journey through the untouched and unspoiled Verde Valley. With first class seating, you will enjoy unobstructed views of Arizona’s geological wonders, wildlife, and archaeological finds of the ancient Sinagua people who once lived in the area. The Verde Canyon Railroad offers Starlight and Moonlight…

Location
Verde Canyon Railroad
North Broadway
Departure Point: Verde Canyon Railroad Train Depot in Clarkdale, Arizona Address: 300 North Broadway, Clarkdale AZ 86324
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(81 Ratings)
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Judy_r
Sep 8, 2025
Such a pleasure! - Scenic, relaxing, and memorable. The gift shop and waiting area are nice; the on-board staff is excellent & they set a fun tone; the whole experience was worth the trip and the price.
Review provided by Viator
Melody_a
Aug 24, 2025
Starlight tour 5th anniversary - The train ride was lovely. The cabins are comfy, they give you plenty of snacks, provide water and a champagne toast, and there is an optional bar. Our car's guide Romm was a wealth of knowledge and we thoroughly enjoyed listening to share his passion and information. We would highly recommend the starlight tour which gives you sunset views on the way in and starlight on the way back, truly the best of both worlds.
Review provided by Viator
Glennis_k
Aug 17, 2025
Perfect! - Excellent service and experience. Really enjoyed the champagne toast and carry on meal. The bartender was nice to have with all the yummy drink options as well. Wood do again!
Review provided by Viator
Ronl663
Aug 10, 2025
Very Nice Evening - We have done different train rides and this one was the best experience of all. The ride out is amazing seeing the river that flows along the tracks. The different views of the desert. Then the ride back is amazing also, we were lucky enough to go during the full moon and seeing it rise was a fantastic sight. The train staff were very friendly and service was great. Highly recommend this experience, especially during the full moon.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jessicak784
Aug 4, 2025
Beautiful scenery, excellent guide, relaxing tour - We loved this relaxing, beautiful tour with excellent guide Tristan. My partner and I took the Saturday night Starlight train and were so glad we did. We live in AZ and have taken multiple trips to the area, but still found the scenery stunning and the railroad tour an overall worthwhile experience. The company recommends getting to the station 1.5 hours early, but we ate in Jerome beforehand and arrived about half an hour early, which left more than enough time to browse the gift shop before boarding. Station restrooms were clean, the boarding process was efficient and simple, the charcuterie served was substantial, and our bartender Cheryl was lovely. We were seated in sofa-style bench seats facing another couple, unfortunately backward-facing for the first part of the trip and with only a partial window view. We were also in the hottest car of the train. That said, it was an unusually warm day, plus we ended up spending nearly the entirety of the tour in the breezy outside car (each enclosed cabin has its own outdoor platform). Tristan made the tour highly enjoyable - he was funny, knowledgeable, and engaging, pointing out various rock formations and buildings and teaching us local history. The train stopped for about half an hour at the midway point in order to prepare to reverse, and he kept us entertained with stories about mining and land barons. I learned a lot from him about the area. He also did a great job helping people get good photos of the landscape. Finally, we had been unsure about taking the evening tour since the last third or so was in darkness, but the subsiding heat, the sunset over the red rocks, and the view of the stars made it worthwhile. Definitely recommend. My one recommendation to the company is to please allow tour guides to include Native history when discussing local history. You do your guides and customers a disservice when avoiding the bare facts of "how the west was won," i.e. how land barons and mining companies acquired local land in the first place.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Diane_d
Jul 20, 2025
Excellent late afternoon evening tour - Excellent tour - would have liked to hear the commentary from the speakers. Would go agai and highly recommend
Review provided by Viator
Robin_d
Sep 7, 2025
It was very nice - Take it during the day , then you can see all the stuff both ways, going and coming back . And the night does get chilly.
Review provided by Viator
657laurenk
Aug 25, 2025
Good experience - Upon arrival they suggest you eat a burger before you board $20 for burger fries and soda. No indoor seating: so your out in the heat. ( August) parties of 4 sit in small couches with a shared coffee table and parties of two in more upright seats w table that has better view. Can bounce from inside car to outside and open car; liked how it wasn’t overly crowed and you had a specific outdoor car that was adjacent to your car to go to. Staff was great. Knowledgeable and friendly. Charcuterie box was ok. Not everyone had the same- one was missing salami. One was missing turkey. Some got pepperoni. Some didn’t. Strange. Bring snacks! Biggest complaint: the music was waaaaayyyy too loud and hard to have conversation. Yet the narration on speaker wasn’t loud enough!!! The twilight train was beautiful going the first two hours. It was just BLACK going back,(2hrs) and many passengers including myself napped.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shannon_f
Jul 29, 2025
Seeing stars - Overall the experience was nice. My favorite part was seeing all the stars during the return voyage. The guides were very informative as we began. The train does sway a little but that is how the ride would be on a vintage passenger train.
Review provided by Viator
Jennifer_r
Jul 13, 2025
Don’t go in July when it... - Don’t go in July when it is hot, waiting for the train in the heat is miserable and there is no place inside for seating.
Review provided by Viator