Enjoy one of America's Most Beautiful Train Rides. You will cross high trestles and swoop through tunnels. You'll also see parts of the country that are only accessible by rail. The data was compiled from Amtrak Vacations By Rail, America By Rail, and we ranked the routes according to their popularity and overall experience. These are the top ten train's-:
1. Coast Starlight by Amtrak
Route: Seattle – Portland – Los Angeles
Travel time: 36 hours one-way
Amenities: Dining car, sleeping car, lounge/cafe car, Pacific Parlour car
This beautiful West Coast train ride attracts travelers from all over the globe. Coast Starlight, Amtrak's most loved long-distance route, is widely regarded as being the most beautiful. It was home to more than 455,000 passengers in 2017. The Coast Starlight takes you through lush forests, waterfalls, snowy Cascade Mountains, and the Puget Sound. Book a seat on either the west or east side of the train to enjoy long stretches along the Pacific shoreline, views that are impossible to see from the highway. Upgrade from coach to a smaller private room with two beds, and you will have access to Pacific Parlour Car with its domes and evening wine and cheese events. You may extend your San Diego trip. You can connect to the Pacific Surfliner train from L.A.'s Union Station.
2. Amtrak's Empire Builder
Route: Chicago – St. Paul/Minneapolis/Spokane – Portland/Seattle
Travel time: 46 hours one-way
Amenities: Dining car, sleeping car, lounge/cafe car
The Empire Builder allows you to trace portions of the Lewis & Clark Trail, from America's heartland up to the Pacific Northwest. The Empire Builder will take you across the Mississippi River to Montana's Big Sky Country and Glacier National Park. From Spokane, the Columbia River Gorge can be followed south to Portland, or north through the Cascade Mountains to Seattle's Puget Sound. The mountain passes will be marked by high trestles and tunnels. Rivers feature hydroelectric dams as well as salmon fish ladders. An onboard National Park Service ranger gives facts about the landscape during spring and summer. You can take a break, stretch your legs or order pizza delivery at many of the 20-minute stops.
3. Amtrak's California Zephyr
Route: Chicago - Denver - Reno - Sacramento - Emeryville (San Francisco)
Travel time: 51 hours and 20 minutes (one-way).
Amenities: Dining car, sleeping car, lounge/cafe car
The California Zephyr's windows will show you the same sights that charmed 19th-century fortune hunters as they rode the first transcontinental railroad west to San Francisco. This historic route takes you through the Gold Rush country's mining, ghost towns, and old stagecoach stops that were later made into stops on the original railroad.
4. Amtrak's Southwest Chief
Route: Chicago - Albuquerque - Los Angeles
Travel time: 40+ Hours (one-way)
Amenities: Dining car, sleeping car, lounge/cafe car
These rails were once home to the nation's first all Pullman sleeping car train. It was nicknamed the "Train of the Stars" by the celebrities who frequented it in the 1930s.
The Southwest Chief continues the same route between Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco. You can book a sleeping car to enjoy the twists and turns that take you to the iconic American sights of the Santa Fe Trail, Sedona's red rock cliffs, pueblos, and missions, the Grand Canyon and the Continental Divide in Colorado. You'll also find beauty in the simplicity of everyday life, tucked away among the grandeur and splendour of the American West. You can see farmers working in vast wheat fields, and dogs running around the back yards. It's amazing to see the diversity of life in different areas of the country from the train window.
5. Grand Canyon Railway
Route: Williams, Ariz. South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park Williams, Ariz.
Travel time: 8.25hrs, including a four-hour stopover (roundtrip).
Amenities: Cafe car, sleeping car
This rail line allows you to travel to Grand Canyon National Park in the same way that visitors arrived in 1901, when the railway was opened. It helps you visualize how remote and inaccessible the canyon used to be. You can still ride on the Grand Canyon Railway's historic cars, pulled by the "French Fry Express", a 1923 locomotive converted to run on recycled vegetable oil from South Rim restaurants.
6. Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
Route: Durango, Colo. - Silverton, Colo.
Travel time: 3.5 Hours (one-way).
Amenities Vintage coach cars, open-air gondolas
This historic narrow-gauge railroad is nearly two feet closer than standard rail lines. It was built during the silver mining boom to hold onto sharper curves, and to clear tighter spaces on mountain sides. The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad along the Animas River is a thrilling ride. In some sections of the canyon, you can see only inches from its rock walls. It is so close that you might feel like you are drawing in a deep breath to shrink yourself. On other sections, you cannot see the canyon's edges. Only the vast chasm below can be seen. The cliffsides are home to bighorn sheep and elk that occasionally wander near the tracks. You'll hear tales about the steam-powered, coal-fired engine and the mining heritage of Silverton aboard this National Historic Landmark rolling from May to October.
7. Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
Route: Chama, N.M. - Osier, Colo. - Antonito, Colo.
Travel time: 6.5 hour including stopover (one-way).
Amenities: Concession car
Cumbres & Toltec is America's longest steam railroad (64 miles), and the tallest (10,015 foot) steam railway. It originally served the silver mining district of southwest Colorado. This scenic railway transports only passengers. It climbs a steep 4% grade through the San Juan Mountains, and reaches narrow gorge ledges that offer views of 800 feet down. Lee Bates, Cumbres & Toltec's marketing manager, says that the railway is a 'Williamsburg' on wheels. It's an authentic National Historic Landmark, and it moves. Passengers can enjoy history in a coach car, parlor car, or open-air gondola. These are particularly popular during the fall, when the aspens glow their golden glow. From Memorial Day to October, the train runs. Fun trivia: The train appeared in over 20 Hollywood movies, including Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid.
8. Alaska Railroad's Coastal Route:
Anchorage - Girdwood-Seward
Travel time: 1.25hrs (one-way)
Services: Dining car
Mid-May through mid-September are Alaska's best days. The plants are in full bloom, the wildlife is active, and the Coastal Classic provides daily departures. Beluga whales can be seen in the inlet. Further along the journey, you will see Dall sheep on the cliffsides, bears, and moose in backcountry wilderness. Conductor stops the train to take photos of wildlife and glaciers. After reaching Seward, you will have a seven-hour stopover that offers many touring options, including boat cruises and national park tours. Then, you'll return to Anchorage by rail in the evening.
9. Amtrak's Adirondack
Route: New York - Saratoga Springs - Montreal
Travel time: 10 hours one-way
Features: Cafe car
Amtrak's Adirondack takes you from New York City to Montreal in the evening. It will take you through charming villages and the Hudson River Valley. Autumn is a beautiful time to travel. You'll see deep woods and vibrant vineyards. Between New York City, Albany, and Montreal, well-maintained mansions line both banks of the Hudson River. It is easy to see why the valley's natural beauty inspired a whole new artistic style. The route also includes the Adirondack Mountains and Palisades. West Point Academy's riverfront battlements in stone are also worth a visit as well as Bannerman's Castle Ruins.
10. Cass Scenic Railroad
Route: Cass (W.Va.) - Whittaker Station, Bald Knob and Cass
Travel time: 4.5 Hours round-trip
Amenities: Ticket includes Museum Admission and Logging Camp Tour
Steam-driven Shay locomotives are still running in the mountains of West Virginia on the same route that was used in 1901 to transport lumber from Cass to Cass. Since then, the old logging flat cars were refurbished to transport passengers. The Whittaker Station recreated 1940s log camp is your first stop. Here you can wander around and grab a snack. The full four-and a half-hour round trip to Bald Knob will take you up to the third highest point in the state. You'll stop at a spring to allow the train to consume more water to make steam power. This additional stretch also includes lunch and stunning views at 4,700 feet.
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