Autumn Starlight

(This event reoccurs every Saturday. See the below for more information.)

New for 2025, Verde Canyon Railroad has extended the famed sunset journey of the Summer Starlight into autumn! 

Departing the depot during the late afternoon, traveling through sunset and into the starlight and moonlight of wide-open western skies, depending on the phase of the moon, these trips may be pure star shine, or the wilderness may be basking in a full moon glow.

Take a romantic and spectacular starlight train trip through the Verde Canyon: no noise, no hype, no commercialism, just rocking along the rails to the tune of a star-studded light show. Passengers begin the four-hour excursion by daylight. As the sun begins to set against a scenic Arizona backdrop, an amazing show of color transforms the cliff sides and soaring skies. At twilight, visitors may get a rare glimpse of animals in their natural habitat as silent canyon walls stir with the calls and cries of native wildlife. While the descending nightfall casts an ethereal light on the wilderness, sunset gives way to the clarity of a desert sky, and vistas of distant constellations sparkle, undiluted by city lights. Rock formations come to life in the shapes of animals and angels beneath the surreal light of this celestial light show.