#8: The best way to see the American West: Amtrak
Amtrak's long-distance service west of Chicago is one of the best ways to see the country. Here's what you need to know to plan a great trip.
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Amtrak long-distance trains are one of my favorite ways to see America, especially west of Chicago. I’ve spent 15+ nights on Amtrak trains, including four cross-country trips. In this post, I’ll share the four best routes and how to make sure you get the most out of your trip.
But first, let’s get the bad stuff out of the way.
Amtrak is a “quasi-public corporation,” similar to the US Postal Service. Service is uneven.
Amtrak is usually more expensive than flying, especially when you’re in a sleeper.
Amtrak is slower than flying, and it’s sometimes slower than driving.
Amtrak trains are frequently late. Most track is controlled by privately-owned railroads, and Amtrak trains are sometimes delayed by freight trains (even though they’re supposed to get priority).
But here’s the thing: it’s still awesome. Why would I take the train in America? Two reasons:
The Scenery - You’ll see the country in a totally new way. Train tracks often go through more scenic places than highways can (eg. next to rivers and the ocean). The best Amtrak routes are timed to maximize scenery in the daylight. I also love glimpses of the mundane as the train speeds across America—one-road towns in Utah and the junk you see in people’s backyards. The duration of the train rides builds an intuition for how big the country is and all the ecosystems it contains.
The California Zephyr in Colorado. Image from Amtrak. The Trains - West of Chicago, Amtrak operates double-decker trains called Superliners. Designed in the 1970s, these beasts are spacious and comfortable. Each train has sleeping compartments, a diner, and an observation lounge car. While trains in Europe or Asia are more efficient, these Superliners are great for a multi-day journey. I love them.
The first Superliners were built by Pullman in the late 1970s (left). Bombardier built an additional order in the 1990s, since Pullman had gone out of business. On the right, you can see the upper-level of an Observation Lounge car, which features larger windows for viewing scenery. Photos from Wikipedia.
🗺️ The Routes 🗺️
If you’re new to Amtrak, I recommend you choose one of four routes.
1. Coast Starlight
Amtrak Page // Full Timetable // Wikipedia
The Coast Starlight takes approximately 36 hours (one night onboard) to travel from Los Angeles to Seattle. It makes lists for best train-rides in the world, and with good reason. Going north, the first day is spent hugging the coast of California (from approximately Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo) before climbing beautiful foothills to Paso Robles in Central California. On the second day, you may get lucky and catch a glimpse of Mt. Shasta at sunrise. You’ll spend the day passing by mountains, dense forests and lakes in the Pacific Northwest before arriving in Seattle that evening. The Southbound direction is equally well-timed, but in the winter I recommend going Northbound to ensure you see the coastal scenery on the first day.
If you can, make the Coast Starlight your first train ride in the US. The density and variety of scenery with only one night onboard makes it unmatched. This video clip gives a sense of the coastal scenery, but remember that’s just one part of the trip.
2. California Zephyr
Amtrak Page // Full Timetable // Wikipedia
Equally iconic, the California Zephyr appears on many lists of top trains in the world. The route goes from Emeryville (for San Francisco) to Chicago in approximately 55 hours (two nights onboard). Going east, the first day is spent winding out of the San Francisco Estuary before traversing the Sierra Nevada Mountains, including a glimpse of Donner Lake 😬. Day 2 starts in the Utah desert before hitting the Rocky Mountains, with an iconic stretch in red-rock canyons along the Colorado River (see video below). Day 3 is spend traversing wooded and agricultural areas of the midwest before afternoon arrival in Chicago.
If you want to shorten the trip to 36 hours and one night onboard, you could do Emeryville to Denver (or reverse) and catch the best scenery.
3. Southwest Chief
Amtrak Page // Full Timetable // Wikipedia
The Southwest Chief follows the route of the original Santa Fe railroad through the American southwest—think desert and red-rock. The train takes 45 hours (two nights onboard) to travel between Los Angeles and Chicago. Heading east out of Los Angeles, the train leaves the suburban sprawl of Southern California and enters the desert before sunset. The next morning, you wake up to broad desert landscapes views as the train passes through northern Arizona and New Mexico for the rest of the day. On the third day, the Southwest Chief passes through midwestern agricultural areas in Iowa before finishing the trip in Chicago.
While there’s not single wow moment on the Southwest Chief, the western portion gives you a sense of the vastness of the American desert. I would recommend the Coast Starlight or California Zephyr before this train, but it’s a great third choice if you are attracted to desert landscapes. If you want to shorten the trip, I would recommend going from Los Angeles to Lamy, NM, where you can get a ride to Santa Fe. For a sense of the desert scenery, check out this video clip.
4. Empire Builder
Amtrak Page // Full Timetable // Wikipedia
The Empire Builder takes the northern route across the United States. Starting in Seattle or Portland, it takes 48 hours (2 nights onboard) to reach Chicago. Heading east from Seattle, the first evening will consist of a beautiful ride along Puget Sound before heading into Washington’s coastal mountain ranges as you eat dinner. The ride out of Portland follows the Colombia River until meeting up with the Seattle section around midnight. On Day 2, you wake up in Montana before a morning passage through the mountains of Glacier National Park. For the rest of the day, the train traverses the plains of Montana and North Dakota. They’re flat and stark and vast. On the third day, the train passes through increasingly populated and fertile mid-western scenery of Minnesota and Wisconsin before arrival in Chicago.
If you’re looking for your first Amtrak long-distance ride, this would be my last choice of the four. East of Glacier National Park, there’s less variety in scenery. However, the track in the Pacific Northwest and Montana is fantastic. I actually like the expanse of the Great Plains, even if it gets monotonous (or meditative 😇).
If you want to focus on those most scenic areas, you can go from Seattle/Portland to East Glacier (16 hours). In East Glacier, you can rent a car and explore Glacier National Park. Keep in mind, rental cars will be expensive and in limited supply since East Glacier is quite small. For a sense of the views heading in/out of Seattle, check out this video clip.
📋 Advice for first-time Amtrak riders 📋
Book a sleeper - Any time you take an overnight train , I highly recommend you book a sleeper. It’s more expensive than a coach seat, but you’ll sleep so much better. Sleepers include all meals in the dining car, along with tea & coffee throughout the trip. They are always private. You’ll never share with a stranger (so it’s better to travel in a pair to split the cost). There are two types of sleeping compartments. Roomettes are the smaller and more affordable option, since they do not include a en-suite bathroom. I generally opt for these, but the Bedrooms are definitely a snazzier experience.
Food expectations - Amtrak cooks real meals on these Western trains, but the menus don’t change. You’ll have the same four lunch choices each day. For an example menu, click here. I would describe the food as decent, but it’s important to come with approrpiate expectations. Even though the food is just okay, the experience of eating in a dining car is awesome—nothing beats having a steak and red wine on a white tablecloth as the world passes by. “Dinner in the diner, nothing could be finer.”
The snow vs daylight tradeoff - In general, I recommend traveling at times that maximize daylight (the months before/after the summer solstice). The main reason to take the train is scenery, and daylight will give you as much as possible. If you want to see snow, early spring is the best time since the days are longer.
Give yourself buffer in case the train is late - Don’t plan any tight connections. I recommend booking a night in a hotel at your destination.
Stopping along the way - It’s possible to stop on the way, but keep two things in mind: 1) these long-distance trains run daily, so you’ll have to stop for 24 hours and 2) you need to plan stops in advance, since the space on the train must be reserved.
Let me know what you think! And thanks for reading 😊
Thanks for the great information! I’m putting the Coastal ride LA to WA on my bucket list. Well done!
I definitely agree that Amtrak trains are an amazing experience! That said, not sure I agree with your ranking - I've done 3 of these 4, and the Empire Builder was by far my favorite of this group. I did it in the winter, which had some nice snowy scenery through Montana. The highlight was watching the night sky in the Dakotas lit up by gas flares from oil extraction - created an almost Aurora-like effect.