15 Breathtaking Train Rides Across the U.S. You Have to Experience
Rolling through America by train offers something magical that flying simply cannot match. Window seats become front-row tickets to changing landscapes, from snow-capped mountains to golden deserts. Train travel lets you slow down and truly see the country while someone else handles the driving. Pack your camera and sense of adventure for these incredible rail journeys.
1. Grand Canyon Railway
Wild West history comes alive on this vintage locomotive journey from Williams, Arizona to one of nature’s greatest wonders. Steam engines and classic diesel trains transport passengers through high desert terrain dotted with ponderosa pines.
Cowboys and musicians entertain riders during the two-hour trip with authentic frontier stories and folk songs. Upon arrival, you’ll have three hours to explore the South Rim’s spectacular viewpoints.
Return trips feature mock train robberies complete with bandits on horseback, creating unforgettable memories for travelers of all ages.
2. White Pass & Yukon Route
Gold Rush fever built this narrow-gauge railroad in 1898, and today it ranks among the world’s most scenic mountain railways. Climbing nearly 3,000 feet in just 20 miles, trains navigate hairpin turns and cross towering trestle bridges.
Passengers witness dramatic glacier-carved valleys, cascading waterfalls, and remnants of the historic Chilkoot Trail. Wildlife sightings include black bears, mountain goats, and bald eagles soaring overhead.
Multiple route options range from half-day excursions to full cross-border adventures reaching Whitehorse, Canada through pristine wilderness few people ever see.
3. Coast Starlight
Stretching from Seattle to Los Angeles, this legendary route showcases the Pacific Coast’s most stunning scenery over 35 hours. Observation cars feature floor-to-ceiling windows perfect for watching waves crash against rugged cliffs.
Highlights include Mount Shasta’s snow-covered peak, California’s wine country valleys, and miles of pristine beaches near Santa Barbara. The dining car serves regional specialties while you watch surfers and sea lions play in the surf.
Book a sleeper car for the ultimate experience, waking up to ocean views and falling asleep to mountain silhouettes against starry skies.
4. The Cascades
Connecting Seattle and Portland, this daily service winds through the magnificent Cascade Range with Mount Rainier and Mount Hood providing dramatic backdrops. Dense forests of Douglas fir and cedar create natural tunnels along the route.
Puget Sound’s island-dotted waters sparkle in morning light while afternoon brings views of rushing rivers and hidden waterfalls. The train crosses numerous bridges spanning deep gorges carved by ancient glaciers.
Business class offers extra legroom and complimentary beverages, making the four-hour journey feel like a luxury retreat through Pacific Northwest paradise.
5. Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
Departing from Bryson City, North Carolina, vintage diesel locomotives chug through ancient Appalachian valleys where Cherokee once hunted. Spring brings wildflower carpets while autumn transforms mountainsides into blazing tapestries of red and gold.
Open-air cars let you breathe crisp mountain air and hear rushing streams echoing through hollows. The Tuckasegee River parallels much of the route, offering glimpses of trout fishermen and great blue herons.
Special themed rides include mystery dinner trains and holiday excursions featuring hot chocolate and carolers singing traditional mountain ballads.
6. Sunset Limited
America’s southernmost transcontinental route spans 1,995 miles from New Orleans to Los Angeles in 48 hours. Rolling through Louisiana bayous, Texas hill country, and Sonoran Desert, landscapes change dramatically every few hundred miles.
Cajun culture gives way to cowboy country as the train crosses the Sabine River into the Lone Star State. Arizona brings saguaro cacti and painted desert vistas stretching endlessly toward purple mountains.
Dining car menus reflect regional flavors, from New Orleans gumbo to Texas barbecue and southwestern chilies, creating a culinary journey matching the visual feast outside your window.
7. California Zephyr
Crossing seven states in 51 hours, this route from Chicago to San Francisco showcases America’s most diverse terrain. Colorado’s Rocky Mountain segment features 28 tunnels and countless curves through canyons carved by the Colorado River.
Ruby Canyon’s red sandstone walls tower hundreds of feet above the tracks while Sierra Nevada snowfields glisten in morning sunlight. Nebraska’s endless prairies demonstrate the country’s agricultural heartland stretching beyond horizons.
Many consider this journey America’s most beautiful train ride, especially when spring snowmelt creates thundering waterfalls cascading down granite cliffs in California’s mountains.
8. Pacific Surfliner
Hugging Southern California’s coastline from San Luis Obispo to San Diego, this route offers 350 miles of Pacific Ocean panoramas. Trains run mere yards from sandy beaches where dolphins play in the surf and pelicans dive for fish.
Lagoons and wetlands provide habitat for countless migratory birds while clifftop mansions showcase architectural diversity. Del Mar’s famous racetrack and Cardiff’s surfing beaches create quintessential California scenes.
Business class passengers enjoy leather seats positioned for optimal ocean viewing, plus complimentary snacks and beverages while watching one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines unfold outside their windows.
9. Maple Leaf along the Hudson River
Following the historic Hudson River from New York City to Albany, this section of the Toronto-bound route reveals why Dutch settlers called this area paradise. Autumn transforms riverside estates and forested hillsides into spectacular color displays.
West Point Military Academy’s Gothic buildings perch dramatically above the water while the Catskill Mountains create a stunning eastern backdrop. Historic lighthouses and riverside mansions dot the shoreline like jewels on a necklace.
Spring brings cherry blossoms and dogwood flowers while summer offers lush green canopies perfect for spotting bald eagles soaring above America’s most storied waterway.
10. Amtrak Adirondack
Wilderness enthusiasts treasure this 381-mile journey from New York City to Montreal through the largest protected area in the continental United States. Six million acres of forests, lakes, and mountains create an untamed landscape rarely seen from ground level.
Lake Champlain stretches for miles alongside the tracks while the Green Mountains of Vermont rise majestically to the east. Moose, deer, and black bears occasionally appear in meadows and forest clearings.
Fall foliage season transforms this route into a moving art gallery of reds, oranges, and yellows reflected in countless pristine lakes and ponds.
11. Aurora Winter Train
Alaska’s only passenger train operates year-round between Anchorage and Fairbanks, offering winter travelers a unique opportunity to see the Last Frontier blanketed in snow. Glass-domed cars provide panoramic views of frozen rivers and snow-laden spruce forests.
Mount McKinley dominates the southern horizon on clear days while northern lights sometimes dance across star-filled skies during evening departures. Temperatures may drop to minus 40 degrees, but heated cars keep passengers comfortable.
Wildlife tracks crisscross the snow while ice fishermen tend holes in frozen lakes, creating scenes from a winter wonderland few people ever witness firsthand.
12. Cass Scenic Railroad
Powerful Shay locomotives built for logging operations now carry passengers up Cheat Mountain in West Virginia’s rugged highlands. These geared steam engines climb grades so steep that regular trains cannot make the journey.
Switchbacks and hairpin curves reveal panoramic views of forested valleys and distant ridgelines stretching across three states. The summit offers 360-degree vistas from an elevation of 4,842 feet above sea level.
Original logging camps and equipment remain scattered throughout the forest, telling stories of the hardy men who harvested these ancient woods before conservation efforts preserved them for future generations.
13. Verde Canyon Railroad
Departing from Clarkdale, Arizona, this wilderness railway penetrates a roadless canyon accessible only by train. Red sandstone cliffs tower 2,000 feet above the Verde River while ancient Sinagua ruins dot impossible-to-reach ledges.
Bald eagles nest in riverside cottonwoods while javelinas and desert bighorn sheep navigate rocky slopes. The four-hour roundtrip journey passes through two tunnels blasted from solid rock in the early 1900s.
First-class passengers enjoy open-air viewing platforms and gourmet appetizers while watching hawks soar through canyon thermals and listening to the river’s ancient song echoing off towering walls.
14. Lake Shore Limited
Overnight journeys from Chicago to New York or Boston follow historic water-level routes through America’s industrial heartland. Erie Canal locks and the Mohawk River guide trains through upstate New York’s rolling countryside dotted with dairy farms.
Lake Erie’s shoreline provides hours of water views while Cleveland’s skyline creates dramatic urban scenery. The Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts offer gentle curves through forests and meadows.
Sleeping car passengers wake to coffee and sunrise views over the Hudson River Valley, arriving refreshed in Manhattan’s Penn Station after experiencing America’s transportation heritage firsthand.
15. Strasburg Railroad
Pennsylvania’s Amish country provides the perfect setting for America’s oldest continuously operating railroad, where authentic steam locomotives have carried passengers since 1832. Farmland quilted with crops and dotted with red barns creates pastoral scenes unchanged for generations.
Horse-drawn buggies share country roads with the train while Amish children wave from schoolhouse yards. Covered bridges span peaceful creeks flowing through meadows where Holstein cattle graze contentedly.
The 45-minute journey through Lancaster County offers glimpses into a simpler way of life, where families still farm with horses and Sunday services are held in homes rather than churches.
