(In the above photo, you can see the terrain change heading east into Colorado. This happens near Glenwood Springs. It shortly becomes green all around.)

The scenic Amtrak California Zephyr is considered one of the most scenic Amtrak lines in the US, if not the most.  It runs from Emeryville (San Francisco) to Chicago with stops in Salt Lake City and Denver among other destinations.  This travel idea would most likely include flights to the start and home from the final destination. A much more detailed account can be found in the following blog post (link).   I have not repeated that detail here.

Scenic Amtrak Experience with Scenic Mountain View’s

The mountain view’s, including the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range and the Colorado Rocky Mountains contribute to this scenic route. Along with that, the route winds down the Colorado River through the Rockies for two hundred miles.  All that, making travel on the scenic Amtrak California Zephyr, one of the top routes in the North America.

Practical Considerations and How-to’s

You can find a detailed list of practical considerations and how-to’s at my blog post (link).  You can also find information on timetables and the complete route and schedule information at the Amtrak site (link). When you are ready to book a trip, use the Amtrak App, not the website.

The Route

This writing is from an west to east perspective.  The route also runs east to west.  I rode the west to east direction so that is the basis of my perspective.  On the west to east route, most of the more scenic segments of the route are in daylight.  If you wanted to travel east to west, you would want to verify which segments are in daylight as opposed to overnight.  It makes a big difference. The west to east route starts in Emeryville, near San Francisco. The major stops heading east are Salt Lake City (late at night), Denver and Omaha before arriving in Chicago.

Roomette

The roomette is an option for overnight travel and is suited for one or two people. I write extensively about it in my book, “Can Travel Restore My Faith in My Country” (link). It provides some privacy and includes meals in the formal dining car.

Traditional Dining

The dining car offers traditional white table cloth dining off a menu (pictured below). You are always seated in groups of four.  So if you are traveling in less than a group of four, you will be seated with others.  When I did my solo trip for which my book is based on, I met many people over these meals in the dining car, a highlight of the trip. 

Observation Car

The observation car provides panoramic views with seats directed outward to the windows.  This provides scenic viewing especially around the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

All of these factors help to make travel on the scenic Amtrak California Zephyr a summer travel possibility. The best way to describe travel on the scenic Amtrak California Zephyr is with pictures taken along the way.