I’ll never forget my first stargazing train ride a few years ago aboard the Sky Railway’s ‘Stargazer’ service in my hometown, Santa Fe, New Mexico. As a dark sky expert and a self-professed railway nerd, nothing could delight me more than combining two of my passions—stargazing and trains—in one perfect evening activity. We boarded the train at the old depot, originally opened in 1880 for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and now refurbished in the vibrant Railyard Arts District in downtown Santa Fe. With my strong welcome margarita in hand from the onboard bar, I stood on the open-air platform car while we slowly trundled out of town away from the city lights, the night sky gently revealing itself overhead.

In an empty patch of desert, the train came to a halt, and we stood transfixed, watching the stars twinkle overhead and trying to spot Venus before she dipped below the western horizon for the night.

In recent years, many heritage railroads and scenic train operators across the U.S. have started running dedicated nighttime train services themed around stargazing, the full moon, astronomy, dark skies, and nocturnal wildlife. You can rattle through the desert on a telescope-equipped dark sky train in New Mexico, spot fireflies aboard a 1930s diesel locomotive, or pedal your own moonlit railbike in a California redwood forest.

Whether you want to stargaze with a pro astronomer, drink something strong under a full moon, or simply enjoy the romance of a historic train ride after dark, these are some of the best stargazing and nighttime train experiences running.

Cumbres and Toltec’s Dark Sky Train is a rolling observatory that passes through remote mountain terrain. (Photo: William Diehl) Cumbres & Toltec’s Dark Sky Train, New Mexico and Colorado

Built in 1880 to haul silver ore through the San Juan Mountains, the narrow-gauge Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad launched its new Dark Sky Train excursions between Chama, New Mexico, and Antonito, Colorado in 2025. The line operates five original, restored steam locomotives and 1880s railcars, including an open-air gondola carriage with views of the sky. The route crosses remote mountain terrain over Cumbres Pass, where it intersects with the Continental Divide Trail, and during the day, through-hikers sometimes hop on and ride into Chama for supplies and a night off the trail. After sunset, the train becomes a rolling observatory, with laser astronomy sessions led by guides from DarkSky New Mexico, and what appears to be the largest selection of astronomy equipment on board any stargazing train in the U.S., including Dobsonian telescopes, mounted binoculars, Seestar smart telescopes.