Eagle Watching 
on the Verde Canyon Railroad

Eagles—with their six to eight-foot wings outstretched against Arizona’s sunny blue sky—are a breathtaking, unforgettable sight.   Every winter and spring, passengers on the Verde Canyon Railroad get a ringside view of these majestic birds of prey as the train clickety-clacks its way through the protected Verde Canyon. 

The lively riparian habitat has lush vegetation, clear clean waters (fed by the perennially flowing Verde River) and plenty of food to support a resident pair of bald eagles (nicknamed “Black” and “Decker”), and a host of migrating birds. More than 30 wintering bald and golden eagles visit from December through March.

During the four-hour roundtrip journey from the depot in Clarkdale, Arizona, to historic Perkinsville, train travelers can spot these magnificent birds of prey riding the thermals and also see them

• diving for fish and carrying their catch in their powerful talons,

• perching on sycamore and cottonwood branches, sometimes only a few dozen feet from the train,

• defying gravity in their acrobatic, free-falling mating rituals, and

• brooding their eggs in their large cliff-side nest.

Since the early 1990s, Black and Decker have produced offspring nearly every year. The female eagle (Black), the larger of the pair, usually lays two or three eggs per year.  Both parents sit on the eggs, which take about 35 days to hatch. They also take turns caring for their young until the eaglets are ready to take their first flight about three months after they are born. 

Seeing the eagles in their natural habitat is the highlight of many a trip.  The outdoor viewing cars, easily accessible from both first-class and coach accommodations, are the perfect venue for eagle watching.   “I had the great pleasure to see one eaglet left in its nest in April with my good friend from Boston and my loving wife … Treasured moments, forever,” reported a recent passenger.

Because they have cohabited with the railroad for many generations, the eagles ignore the slow-moving train as it rolls its way through the canyon, over old-fashioned trestles, through a 680-foot tunnel and past expansive vistas, towering sandstone cliffs, Indian ruins, pioneer ranches and a panoply of wildlife.

The Verde Canyon Railroad is located at 300 N. Broadway in Clarkdale, Arizona. The depot is 25 minutes from Sedona, two hours north of Phoenix, and one and one-half hours south of Flagstaff. For more information, visit www.verdecanyonrr.com