In the NYC area and want to escape the depression of city life? Why not escape upstate to the views of nature and calmness? This is one fall activity that is perfect for a date, a friendly hangout, or a family adventure.We came here for the Pumpkin Patch Railroad Ride, at the end of October, right when peak season was almost at its end. We took the first train ride of the day (10am) which was about a 2 hour car ride. Costing $19 a person, the train ride is about an hour long ride and you are able to take home a pumpkin that was located at the ends of each cart of the train. Instead of a loop, the train reaches its end, and then travels the opposite direction back to where we boarded, so regardless if you are in the front or back you are able to see the same view.Being early morning and in the high 40’s-50’s I did underdress for the occasion, so definitely bundle up. They have train rides happening all year round from spring to winter time, each season with its own series varying from Easter to a Robbery adventure on the train. The next upcoming train ride series called the Catskill Christmas Express that takes you to “Santa’s workshop” and you receive a small gift (definitely perfect for those of you who have kids)Tip: Dogs are allowed, only if they are able to fit on your lap.

This is an amazing experience. Its so cool as the train goes through town. Then it reaches the mountains and it gets really interesting. The mountainside is right up against the train. There are several mountain runoff along the railroad and its beautiful.

It was an hour train ride (30 minutes forward and then 30 minutes in reverse) through a wooded area.Unfortunately, when we went, there were barely any leaves that changed colors. So maybe wait till mid-October atleast.Everyone was nice and they took enough precautions during COVID. It would definitely be a fun ride with kiddos.

The staff and scenery are great and CMRR only gets better every year. A must when visiting the Catskills. All aboard!

Nice experience! Wish the train would go all the way around instead of reversing back but it had amazing views! Very relaxing.

Old country railroad with amazing scenery. A real step back in time but with so much nostalgic charm. A real trip down memory lane

Dont waste your time and money. Took fall foliage trip today. It was fall but there were no foliage to see. There are 5 street crossing, the train stops for 3 minutes on each stop, its 15 minutes each way. So you will be sitting 30 minutes for street crossing. Trust me there are nothing to see except fallen trees and dried corn fields.

Had a nice time. The staff was nice and welcoming. They are also complying with social distancing and masks.Its a short hour long ride in an open air trailer with first 15 min through the town and then into the valley. The views are ok.All in all it was good experience.

Great time. Plenty of room to keep your distance from others. Views are fantastic

Not too short or too long. Its great riding in outdoor car. Train must stop 2 times each way to cross a road with no crossing gate. Most of the line runs along a main road.

It’s a short fun ride. Beautiful small town with some great restaurants to explore while you wait for your train ride

This is probably a great activity if you have children. The drive to there is just as pretty as the trip on the train.

Amazing train ride, good experience during fall to enjoy fall colors

An okay ride. We went on this train Aug 2020. Its nice as an old train ride, but I wouldnt call it that scenic. Mostly just passing through the woods with no scenic overlooks or lake views or anything like that.If you are coming with young children, I think they might enjoy it, if you arent, I think you should skip this.

Same view as driving. There is a parallel road. The train experience was ok but have been on a lot better ones (steam engines)

Great staff, very friendly and the views were gorgeous. Looking forward to coming back!

Lovely ride through the Catskills sure to lower your blood pressure.

Nice ride great views. Fun for the kids

Pretty nondescript loud and bumpy ride through strip malls highways and a patch of woods. Not great for kids who don’t like loud noises.

The most wholesome down-to-earth family fun you can have in the area.Very well run and organized interactive experience on a recuperated antique railroad train and tracks. I very highly recommend this.

What a waste of money . The ride was not even fun or any type of holiday spirit we couldnt even see Santa he was so for away when we stop at a fake so fake north pole across from a gas station.. people please save your money

Smell of dieselSaw nothing but mostly weeds and defunct industryNo narritive...etc

Saw the polar Express. Great experience for kids. Not so much for adults. But if kids happy then I assume adults will be happy. Pricey for sure. Hot cocoa is ok. Cookies is from a bakery but not great. We went in the day time but I bet the night time would be the best

Staff was friendly. But not what I expected. No views. It was pretty much just a ride on a train.

It was a good experience. I went with my girlfriend hoping to expect a scary train ride. The ride is more kid friendly than anything else. You need to be open minded to enjoy. I happened to be with my better half and we joked about it all. The ride out there was nice with very good restaurants in the area.

This was good, local fun. Its a simple ride, out and back. Takes about an hour. Nothing fancy, but its fun. Relax and take in the views.

Must admit i was a little disappointed i taught it was going to be a longer ride but despite that i enjoyed it .

Always a nice ride and friendly service.

Amazing trip. Beautiful foliage, great setting. A slow, casual trek through natural beauty. The open cars on the train make for an experience like no other. If youre going to go, fall is definitely the best time of year.

We have a great time every time we go here with our kids. Its magical for them. I really liked how much more organized the whole thing seemed to be this year vs when we went in 2016. We drove about 250 miles for this.

You will enjoy. Santa, his helpers and all the performers are great. Good attitudes and friendly. Reading all of these reviews some good, some negative.... dont listen to all of the white noise. Go book it and try it for yourself. Expect to have a good time if you use your imagination and join in the fun. Theres singing, dancing.... enough fun things to put a smile on your face, unless youre a miserable Grinch! :-)

Didnt get to ride. Evidently you have to book days to weeks in advance.

Doesnt really go anywhere but its a nice trip for rail fans.

The train ride is a great experience, but I believe that a bit more organization will help the experience. They also need to have more actors inside & outside of the train in order to follow the story on the book North Pole Express.

Steam train was nice but little to hot that day.

Nice little ride into the woods

I had a great time aboard the Catskill Mountain Railroad when I went on the Peace Train. I wish the train ride was longer and had more time to listen to music listen to the artist and dance a little bit more. I look forward to going back to Catskill Mountain Railroad next year to do Ivor the Train Robbery or another Excursion that they have. I hope they dont take out the rail tracks because people do use the railway and the train trips.

This was awesome!! all staff were energetic and happy! the train is really old and could use an update but overall we had a great time

Lovely trip

DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY! the off-peak (!) $41/person was way too much money for what we got. I understand the train is vintage but for $41/person I was expecting a nicer looking, well kept vintage train. Instead we were seating in an overheated car - is not a very pleasant ride for adults or a 4 month old baby when theyre blasting the heat for the whole ride. Oh! and all you get is a small cup of hot chocolate and 2 cookies before the train starts moving.

Nice rail road trip for 1.5hrs

You go through parking lots then head up a hill about a half mile where you are stopped and then go in reverse back to the starting point.

Great experience for the family, especially if you have younger children. The crew does a really nice job in getting everyone involved. The North Pole can use an upgrade though

The train journey/route is short, as it basically goes and comes back on the same stretch of track, so not much of a scenic train ride. But it was a lovely experience in the train carriage and the journey itself. I was with a toddler and she was fascinated with the Halloween decors they had. The pumpkin patch was wonderful break in the train ride and added to the fall feel.

We went on the Polar Express and it was wonderful! They did a great job! Thank you for making it a great memory for our family!

There are a lot of negative reviews here. Everyone gets to share their own views, for certain. However, if you go with realistic expectations, it will be an amazing experience. The train does not rocket down the track. The performers do not do cartwheels and back flips down the aisle. The North Pole is nothing grand. But that didnt matter to our 2 1/2 year old boy. It was perfect for him. He rode on a train with people dancing and singing. He got hot chocolate and cookies. He saw Santa Claus and elves. He got a special bell, just like in the movie. (Which hes never seen.) He danced down the aisle to Christmas music. And the conductor punched holes in our tickets. All this while a recording of the author reading his book was played and the performers walked up and down the aisle showing the book opened to the page being read. The train is wonderfully decorated. The experience is exactly what is advertised on the website. Teens probably wont care for it, or adults without children. For us, and many others, we have created another magical memory with our son. Thats worth 5 stars.

I was really confused by the purpose of this train ride. It was cheap but didnt do much. It just went a few miles out & then back to the station on the same track.

Great seasonal activities for the whole family!

With a day like today, weather is spectacular, just as i was ready to really get away from the kia dealership and local streets and take some amazing pics.....the train stopped and went back. Sooo disappointing. Train itself is cool, antique. But was totally expecting 150% more than I got.

The ride we took was labeled as a “leaf peeper” excursion that “traveled for 8 miles”. In reality, it’s 4 miles forward and 4 miles back along the same route. While I applaud them for keeping a historic railroad and its cars in operation, labeling it as a scenic excursion is completely false. There was very little scenery to speak of, with the ride consisting of traveling through dense thickets and wooded areas that overlooked the tops of commercial properties bordering Rte. 28. We live in the Hudson Valley and expected much, much more. It’s your basic tourist trap, catering to out of towners searching for the “country experience”.

These people are really trying to keep a historical train system alive. The Easter bunny ride was worth every penny. Staff and volunteers so nice. The only reason its not 5 stars is because the ride through city and a piece of woods was not as good as the old ride upstate that took you to museum and gift shop

Great time for kids and adults. Staff is very friendly and welcoming! The Train ride itself leaves you wanting but it was pleasant.

Take a ride on the Polar Express, we did and it was so much fun!!

Its a nice place, I got to go when I visited back home here

Wonderful time on the Pumpkin Express train with a stop at a pumpkin patch, of course. Great family time.

We went for the Polar Express train ride and it was excellent. We had 3 kids (5, 2.5, 1.5) in our group and they all loved it. Santa was everything youd hope and the staff was extremely friendly. The kids working on the show did a wonderful job and you can tell they work really hard to make this a great family experience. Highly recommend!

Honestly this is no worth to spend so much on this train especially during fall. Because you will not find any fall colors during train journey. Neither the train has something amazing view.Can go if you just want to pass your day or some break for kids.

A very boring train ride. The train goes quite slow and the route that it takes is an in-out route, so you end up seeing the same average scenery twice. At least it wasnt expensive, but it was fairly unremarkable.

Took our train enthusiast 3 year old for his first ride, and it was on The Polar Express. Train, cocoa, cookies, and Santa, a 3 year olds dream combo. Staff was very helpful and entertaining. Already planning next year’s ride.

POLAR EXPRESS STOPS SHORT OF NORTH POLEThis was our third time on the Polar Express. The first two times were great. We would arrive at the North Pole all decorated in lights, Santa would get on and give the kids bells - they loved it and got a lot of satisfaction out of arriving at the North Pole. Because as we all know, the Polar Express is SUPPOSED to go to the North Pole. That is the whole point of the POLAR express. To go to the NORTH POLE.But this year, for some strange reason, the Polar Express did NOT go to the North Pole. The train just stopped in the middle of nowhere where the conductor claimed Santa landed on the roof of the train. It was a complete cop out. What happened, they run out of money for a few lights and a Christmas tree? Not like they dont charge enough money.Needless to say, my kids were very disappointed that the train never got to its intended destination. My 4 year-old son kept asking me, daddy, when are we going to get to the North Pole? I had no answer for him. It wasnt cool, especially because hed seen it the two years prior and was expecting it again. We wont be coming back to this Polar Express experience. There are plenty of others in the area to try out next time.

This was a fun night, I thing everyone thateas there had a good time. We will definitely be going back with our other grandkids

Rode the polar express, the performers were great!! great family experience.

This was a very disappointing train ride. We went off of what we saw in the brochure and online and it looked like a scenic ride with wide open views of landscapes and mountains. In reality it was 80% forests that were right up against the train so you saw up close trees breezing by. Really a disappointing ride considering what we paid for it.

Nice foliage trip, but not that much colour just yet in mid October. Train cars need sanitation, and the rug padding on the cabin wall needs serious cleaning. They need to do something about the musty & dusty ordor from the rug wall...

It was such a great experience. Glad we have this local treasure

Nice train ride!!

Polar Express review. I was really impressed with the polar express experience. I read so many negative review so I had to share a positive one. The kids that work on the trains are amazing. They are chefs, conductors, elves, etc. The whole ride they went out of their way to interact with every kid. They played games, asked to dance, and took pictures. Santa was amazing and sat down with every kid and talked to them. It was really nice to see a group of people who were happy to work and going out of their way to make it a great experience for everyone aboard. We did ride into a lit up North Pole with Santa and the elves waving at us, then they boarded the train. A previous review stated that Santa landed on train, but not for us.I can see some of the negativity in reviews becauSe the trains cars are really old, but they do a good job of decorating them. The train ride is mostly past shopping centers, but you barely notice because there is so much action on the train(I would not do the foliage tour after seeing the route though).I will definitely be returning for a winter weekend in the Catskills and going in the polar express train.

Had a nice ride

Santa polar Express is so much fun for the kids

Fun and enjoyable

Drove up here for the Polar Express experience! All the kids in our family had an amazing time! The young men and women that were performing really did love what they were doing! Just an overall good time great for the family! Will be back next year! Bravo!

Awesome experience, do you have to wear pj’s?

Polar Express to nowhere!Upon boarding the train it was clear that this attraction would fall far below my expectations. The train cars were dirty and poorly maintained. The Windows were covered in finger prints and dirt from the many previous journeys.The train journey took us slowly, VERY slowly, through industrial areas without views of the surrounding Catskill mountains. The North Pole is nothing more than a collection of painted plywood in the middle of the woods with a Santa smiling and waving at the train. I doubt we travelled more than a couple of miles. The return journey just doubled the pain in reverse.Needless to say my 4 year old son loved the experience. However the 3 adults in our party were less than impressed, escpeciallly at almost $50/ person.How hard is it to serve hot chocolate that is actually hot? Or, to serve fresh cookies that are not in plastic packets and hard as a rock?We will not return or recommend this as a way to start your holiday season.

Wonderfully relaxing family oriented train ride through the beautiful fall foliage

We went on the bunny express last Saturday and had a great time until we got to the egg patch. There was one employee an older blonde woman with glasses who was very rude to all the children. The kids were allowed 5 eggs each and she was grabbing the buckets and baskets from the kids to make sure they only had 5, she was extremely rude. The rest of the staff was amazing and patient with all the kids. Other than the rude woman in the patch we had a great time.

Awesome polar Express ride

This was pretty much a tourist scam. The train went up slowly and then reversed, with very little view of anything scenic. I later went on the Delaware & Ulster Railroad, which actually DOES go through the mountains and streams, and offers great views! THAT is the one to go on - not this one!

Awesome little railroad! Such a shame the county it is in decided to not support them!

Beautiful ride!

It was a nice ride when I rode through the countryside pulled by a visiting tank engine Viscose Company No.6 who comes only last weekend of July

Charming and enjoyable. A little un-nerving when the ride ends in one direction and starts going backwards the way we came!

The Polar Express ride was tons of fun for kids and adults. It takes a bit less than two hours, and is non-stop with characters from the movie, not to mention the hot chocolate and cookies. The trip ends with everyone getting a bell from Santas sleigh.

Its great if you have little kids, ,check it out. Around Christmas, they have the train ride n play kids movies. love it....

Terrible experience. I would say - the ripoff of customers. It was said that the train will go to Hollow station. In reality it went about two miles through the dirty industrial area with a lot of rotten treas and rotten heavy sleepers both sides of railroad tracks, to another train, which stuck on same tracks and returned back to Kingston. I do not understand why it is called Catskill Mountain Railroad. You do not see any beauty of Catskill Mountains from this train - just a lot of garbage on the tracks and around... I do not recommend to nobody to waste time and money for this, so called, sightseeing trip.

Great time for family and friends. Kids love it. Check their website for the special trains throughout the year. Fall train and polar Express fill up quick so book soon and make a day of it in historic Kingston.

Nice ride. A little short and would love some narration.

Polar express! Tons of fun for everyone in the family. Book early, like summertime! Great tent this year kept all warm while waiting outside.

Good for kids

I wish the train could have been through a little longer route.. but it was still a good experience

Grandson was sooo excited.

We went on the haunted railroad and had a great time. There were a couple people that were taking pictures with flash the whole time which was a bit annoying. The actors and stops along the way were awesome!I would definitely recommend

We had a 5 month old baby with us I think they should have said the train horn would be extremely loud n dangerous for a 5 month old babies eardrums n that we should sit at back of train. We did move CV to bc rear but to get to back of train while train is moving was dangerous in itself. It was not to my satisfaction. Yes there was some beautiful scenery n once we got the baby to stop crying, probably from pain in his little ears it was much better. The staff was courteous, but for their railroads liabilities, I suggest that for their own protection they should inform parents before train starts moving that they should sit in back. Its an open view n is no different than sitting in front. But the horn blast is much less hurtful to peoples earsdrums. I hope they heed my advice because should my gkids eardrums burst I wouldve held bbn them accountable.

This was aweful. Went absolutely nowhere. It’s all broken down, seats torn and dirty. It ended in a dark wooded area and that was it. Absolutely nothing to see at all. Just aweful. They should return money to their riders. Kids were completely bored and crying. . Don’t go you’ll be very disappointed!!!

Writing this a few months late but my thoughts are still the same. The Easter bunny train ride was extremely disappointing. Basically we waited in line, then got onto a very crowded dirty old train. The train went extremely slow in one direction past parking lots and bushes for 10 minutes. Nothing scenic at all, no Mountain views as promised. Then we stopped and the kids had to find Easter eggs on basically the side of the track/bushes. The poor kids at the end of train hardly got anything because the kids at the beginning had taken pretty much everything. After 15 minutes of that we got back on the train and slowly went back to the original parking lot. Felt like a scam because it wasn’t cheap and was advertised as a completely different experience. I understand that maybe they lost the license to some of the tracks but that doesn’t excuse charging people for a misleading experience.

Cool thing for your kids....not as long as I hoped. They just fixed the tracks so its better than it was. Yeha...

I love this train... Its so fun and relaxing. The ppl are really friendly and so is the owner ..i really think everyone should do a donation to make it longer.. We pretty much go on every train ride SUPPORT CATSKILL MOUNTAIN RAILROAD.. I went on the fall harvest and going to the next one which is rails of terror :) I would rate higher but I only get the chance to rate 5 stars plz dont close this ride

Amazing Railroad! When I went Viscose #6 (steam engine) was there If you would help save the rails, Then maybe you would get the pretty mountain views as promised. The Catskill Mountain Railroad is having some Rough times, but with your help, the 30 mile line to Phoencia will see action on its rails!

The worst adventure Ive ever had. 1.5h in the train which goes between a few trees.

We enjoyed our time there

Well doneand enjoyable