The Most Scenic Train Trips in America Worth Taking

Train travel is having its biggest revival in decades, and for good reason. The best scenic train trips in the USA deliver something no flight can match: the country unspooling past your window while someone else does the driving, with room to stand up, stretch, and wander to the dining car whenever the mood strikes. Travel agencies report that multi-rail journeys are among their fastest growing bookings, and Amtrak’s long distance routes are selling out sleeper cars months ahead. If you’ve been curious whether an American train trip is worth the money, here’s an honest look at the routes that deliver and the ones to think twice about.

The California Zephyr: America's Most Beautiful Ride

Ask frequent rail travelers to name the single best route in the country and most will say the California Zephyr, which runs from Chicago to San Francisco over roughly 51 hours. The magic happens on day two, when the train climbs out of Denver and spends an entire afternoon threading canyons of the Colorado Rockies that no highway reaches. Passengers gather in the Sightseer Lounge, a car with floor to ceiling windows, and complete strangers narrate the scenery to each other like old friends. Then, the next morning, the Sierra Nevada does it all over again. A roomette for two, which includes all meals in the dining car, typically runs $900 to $1,500 depending on season. That sounds steep until you consider it covers two nights of lodging, six meals, and the show outside the glass.

The Coast Starlight and the Empire Builder

The Coast Starlight, running between Los Angeles and Seattle, is the route for water lovers. South of San Luis Obispo the tracks hug the Pacific for miles of coastline with no road access, and you’ll glide past empty beaches that even Californians never see. The northern stretch trades ocean for volcanoes, with Mount Shasta filling the window around dinner time. The Empire Builder, from Chicago to Portland or Seattle, is the choice for big sky country, skimming the southern edge of Glacier National Park with stops that make it possible to build a park visit right into the journey. Both routes work beautifully as one way trips, flying home from the far end, which keeps the total time commitment to three or four days.

Shorter Rides That Punch Above Their Weight

You don’t need to commit to two nights aboard to get the experience. The Amtrak Cascades between Portland and Seattle makes a gorgeous half day trip through the Pacific Northwest. On the East Coast, the fall foliage run on the Adirondack between New York City and the Canadian border draws leaf watchers every October, and the Downeaster from Boston to Brunswick, Maine drops you within reach of lobster shacks and lighthouse towns. There are also privately run excursion railroads worth planning a trip around, from the Durango and Silverton narrow gauge in Colorado to the Grand Canyon Railway, which rolls from Williams, Arizona right to the canyon’s South Rim and neatly solves the park’s parking headache. The National Park Service’s Grand Canyon page has details on rim arrival logistics if you go that route.

What to Know Before You Book

A few realities keep expectations in line. Amtrak’s long distance trains frequently run late, sometimes hours late, so never book a same day flight connection off a train. Sleeper accommodations are compact, and the roomette in particular is cozy for two adults, so travelers who want space should price the larger bedroom category. Coach seats on these routes recline generously and cost a fraction of sleeper fares, which makes them a fine choice for daylight only segments. Meals in the dining car are included with sleeper tickets and have improved markedly in recent years, with regional dishes and communal seating that regulars consider half the fun. Book 6 to 11 months out for the best sleeper prices, since fares rise as rooms sell.

Here’s a real world example of how a great rail trip comes together. A couple we know boarded the Zephyr in Denver rather than Chicago, which captures the best scenery while trimming a night, spent two days in San Francisco, then flew home nonstop. Total trip: five days, one suitcase each, zero traffic. Packing light matters more on a train than almost anywhere else since you live with your bags, and our smart packing guide covers exactly how to do it. And if the idea of unpacking once while the scenery changes daily appeals to you, the same logic behind our love of Danube river cruising applies on American rails. The train, it turns out, was never really about getting there.