The USA is an incredible, supersized whopper in terms of size and scope, and traveling by rail is the finest way to see it all.

With over 3.8 million square miles of breathtaking mountain ranges, vast deserts, lush woods, and seemingly endless grasslands dotted with both well-known and lesser-known cities, you already know that there is a lot of territory to cover if you’re planning a tour throughout the United States. While road trips are a popular method to travel throughout the United States, taking the train is a better option if you would prefer to let someone else drive so you can enjoy the landscape.

The USA is undoubtedly coming back on track, with record ridership statistics in 2024, even though it hasn’t had the same train travel revival as Europe. Train travel in the United States is currently slow, but improvements and new trains are on the horizon. You’re not here because the rails are usually the quickest way to get somewhere. Instead of using your electronics (many routes lack wi-fi), interact with other passengers in the observation vehicle or just kick back, unwind, and enjoy the ride.

Here are 10 Rail Journeys In The US that will keep you mesmerized:

1. California Zephyr

Route: Chicago to Emeryville (near San Francisco)
Distance: 2438 miles
Duration: 52 hours

No rail voyage in the USA — or perhaps the globe—is as magnificent as the California Zephyr. On its route between Chicago and California, it covers the best of the country in just over two days, making it the furthest you can travel within the United States by rail. The Midwest prairies stretch for miles in all directions as you head west, until the Rocky Mountains begin to appear over the horizon. The train rumbles over the lunar-like salt flats of Utah and Nevada, then winds up mountains once more, this time the Sierra Nevada, after slicing through incredibly tiny gorges along the Colorado River. To enjoy first-hand views through the floor-to-ceiling windows, reserve a seat in the observation car in advance. Volunteer docents from the California State Railroad Museum frequently describe the trip between Reno and Sacramento.

While the voyage is worth seeing through from end to end, plenty of appealing pauses could entice you away temporarily. One particularly good place to continue the train motif is Salt Lake City, Utah. Constructed in 1909 in the Second Empire style, the Asher Adams hotel debuted in November 2024 in SLC’s stunning former Union Station. Its rooms are reminiscent of the heyday of train travel. The hotel’s whiskey bar is called No. 119 in honor of one of the two trains that came together when the first transcontinental railroad connected the nation. A replica of No. 119 may be seen in action as it steams toward its west-coast counterpart Jupiter in a daily reenactment at Golden Spike National Historical Park, which is only a 1½-hour drive north of Salt Lake City.

2. The Coast Starlight

Route: Seattle to Los Angeles
Distance: 1377 miles
Duration: 35 hours

The Coast Starlight, which traces the majority of the western shoreline of the United States, is as idyllic as its name suggests and demonstrates how organically varied the “best coast” may be. The route winds over tall cliffs south of Santa Barbara, where Pacific Ocean waves frequently crash beneath courageous surfers. As the Golden State reaches golden hour, an hour or so before sunset is a great time to secure a seat in the observation car. The rails continue inland on the northern portions of the Coast Starlight, replacing the water with a sea of forests, including the Cascade Range’s frequently snow-capped mountains and California’s renowned towering redwoods.

3. Empire Builder

Route: Chicago to Seattle or Portland
Distance: 2764 miles
Duration: 46 hours

Amtrak’s Empire Builder uses the natural rise and fall of American landscapes to link three excellent cultural epicenters. Snow-capped Rocky Mountain peaks soon replace Wisconsin forests and Great Plains prairies as long and low as the horizon. From the observation vehicle, keep an eye out for bald eagles, moose, and bears. From the East Glacier station (open from April to October), which is near the famous Glacier Park Lodge, constructed by the Great Northern Railway in 1913, nature lovers can also disembark from the train and enter Glacier National Park directly. There are wildflower-filled meadows and glacial blue mountain lakes beyond the log cabin-style structure.

Passengers travel via the Columbia River Gorge, a National Scenic Area with dense woodland and deep water-carved cliffs, on the Empire Builder’s Portland branch.

4. Sunset Limited

Route: Los Angeles to New Orleans
Distance: 1995 miles
Duration: 48 hours

Amtrak’s southernmost line, Sunset Limited, is a peaceful classic while lacking the spectacle of other virtually cross-country flights like the California Zephyr. The route travels 153 feet above the Mississippi River on the Huey P. Long Bridge outside of New Orleans and along Louisiana’s alligator-filled bayous on its eastern end. Once again, on the Pecos River High Bridge—once the tallest in the nation—cars slow down high above the water in Texas. (If you want to view it, make sure you’re heading westbound; headed east, you’re in the dark.) Before you reach the mountains and beaches of California, the observation car windows in New Mexico and Arizona are filled with stark Southwestern desertscapes of tumbleweed and cacti.

Sunset Limited trains only depart three times a week, in contrast to the majority of Amtrak’s other long-distance lines; however, this is likely to change. Miami was the line’s eastern terminus before Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Two decades after that catastrophic event, the Sunset Limited will partially reopen in Mobile, Alabama, this year in 2025.

5. Pacific Surfliner

Route: San Luis Obispo to San Diego
Distance: 351 miles
Duration: 9 hours

The southbound Coast Starlight finishes in Los Angeles, but that doesn’t mean your oceanside excursion has to. West Coast travelers have additional daily departure possibilities because to the Pacific Surfliner’s mostly overlapping itinerary with the Coast Starlight, but only the Surfliner continues all the way to San Diego. The Pacific Surfliner is the ideal choice for a quicker train excursion that takes in all of Southern California’s attractions if you don’t have the time for the Coast Starlight. You can also enter Tijuana, Mexico, on foot if you’re crossing the entire west coast without a car.

6. Amtrak Cascades

Route: Eugene to Vancouver, Canada
Distance: 467 miles
Duration: 10 hours

Similar to the Pacific Surfliner, Amtrak Cascades includes several of the same stops as the Coast Starlight, but this train travels north across the U.S.–Canada border and into British Columbia. The Amtrak Cascades, which travels through a picture straight out of a fairy tale with rushing rivers, waterfalls, and woods full of moss-covered trees, is the ideal way to take in the Pacific Northwest’s verdant and gloomy scenery. It seems as though you could reach out the train window and dip your fingers into Puget Sound’s mirror-like water when the tracks go so close to it.

Rocky Mountaineer trains depart from Vancouver on three breathtaking routes if you can’t get enough of the ride.

7. Adirondack

Route: New York City to Montréal, Canada
Distance: 381 miles
Duration: 10 hours

Amtrak’s Adirondack route is a breathtaking ride regardless of the time of day, but budding and devoted autumn leaf watchers shouldn’t miss it when the trees begin to turn color. The train cars rush through gorgeous vineyards in the Hudson Valley and past Lake Champlain and Lake George, as well as the train’s eponymous mountain range between two important cultural hubs. There are plenty of opportunities to stare out the window for as long as you’d want if you’re traveling north from New York City because the journey takes place almost entirely during daylight hours, from roughly 8:30 am to 8:30 pm.

8. Rocky Mountaineer: Rockies to the Red Rocks

Route: Denver to Moab
Distance: 350 miles
Duration: 2 days

Although Amtrak is the only national passenger train service in the US, a few lines are operated by private businesses that offer incredibly beautiful trains. One of the best is the luxury Rocky Mountaineer, a breathtaking voyage through Colorado’s winding Glenwood Canyon and Utah’s Martian deserts, which are best observed through its glass-domed train cars. After getting off the train in Moab and exploring the two adjacent national parks, Arches and Canyonlands, the scenery only becomes more alluring and surreal.

The Rocky Mountaineer stops for the night in Glenwood Springs, Colorado (a hotel is included in the ticket fee), where you can spend the day in the hot springs, even though it only travels a short distance over a lengthy period of time.

9. Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

Route: Durango to Silverton, Colorado
Distance: 45 miles
Duration: 9 hours round trip

Once transporting gold and silver from the San Juan Mountains, the Durango & Silverton Railroad was established in 1881. Today, its carriages are packed with snap-happy tourists. This historic line, which still operates vintage steam trains, is one of Colorado’s top attractions. The amazing trip through the mountains lurches along sheer cliffs that rise high above the swift-moving Animas River. Although you can spend the night at the Grand Imperial Hotel, which opened in 1884, this train excursion is typically done as a day trip, with a two-hour stop in Silverton, where you can have lunch and explore the mountain town 9318 feet above sea level.

10. Grand Canyon Railway

Route: Williams to Grand Canyon Village, Arizona
Distance: 64 miles
Duration: 8¼ hours round trip

Take the historic Grand Canyon Railway, which has been transporting tourists to the Grand Canyon for longer than it has been a national park, to reach one of the nation’s most well-known national parks like a traveler from the past. This family-friendly adventure starts in Williams, where you may see a Wild West gang trying to loot a train. When you reach the end of the line, you can stroll to the brink of the canyon. Before heading back to Williams, the train makes a three-hour stop in Grand Canyon Village.

Rail enthusiasts should reserve tickets to travel in the restored 1923 Pullman carriages with open windows or schedule their visit for Saturdays, when steam locomotives drive the trains.

Get inspired. Get exploring. Rail Journeys In The US

Traveling by rail to explore the United States is a different experience. It slows down the rush, unwinds, and lets you witness the beauty of the landscapes. From coastal cliffs, canyon-carved deserts to historic towns, and snow-capped mountains, the journey will offer you a very different and unique part of America. You can choose either the iconic long-distance route or a short scenic ride; these train trips will make you experience the USA in a very intimate and raw form. So now you sit back and get relaxed with the rhythmic sounds of the rail. 

FAQs

Q1. Which is more scenic, the Empire Builder or the California Zephyr?

Ans: The answer is certainly the Zephyr. The Builder has some pretty nice moments, notably in Washington, but it also has very, very long periods of uninteresting landscape. The Zephyr is unquestionably the greatest rail trip in America, especially when traveling west, and it is not to be missed.

Q2. Which country is no. 1 in railways?

Ans: With a total length of more than 220,000 kilometers, the United States has the world’s greatest railway network. China has the second-largest network, followed by Russia.

Q3. Which American train ride is the most picturesque?

Ans: America’s Most Beautiful Train Rides:

• The Grand Canyon Railroad.
• The Mountaineer in the Rockies.
• The Coastal Classic of Alaska Railroad.

Q4. What not to bring on Amtrak?

Ans: Household and automotive products, including but not limited to antiques, appliances, artwork, furniture, equipment, and automobile parts, plants, powered tools, silverware, televisions, tires, and tow bars. prohibited on platforms and in stations.

Q5. Which train ride in the United States is the longest?

Ans: The California Zephyr is one of the world’s most stunning railroad routes and the longest Amtrak route (3924 miles). During the journey, you will witness the Colorado River valley in the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. A fantastic adventure lasts for 51 hours and 20 minutes on the California Zephyr.