Scenic Amtrak Train Rides

[NJTRailfan]

Which routes and what direction would it be worth taking a train ride to have the greatest views along with great pictures? I was told that the Southwest Chief going in any direction is great along with the Coast StarLight. with the Empire Buildilder I was told that Chicago to Seattle is better. But what about the views from the other trains like California Zephyer and even any of the east coast trains? Also what time of the year is good to take the train? Thanks

[ThirdRail7]

Which routes and what direction would it be worth taking a train ride to have the greatest views along with great pictures? I was told that the Southwest Chief going in any direction is great along with the Coast StarLight. with the Empire Buildilder I was told that Chicago to Seattle is better. But what about the views from the other trains like California Zephyer and even any of the east coast trains? Also what time of the year is good to take the train? Thanks

I've never really been outside of the East Coast by train, so I can't comment too much. I will say that in the East, it is my opinion there's no better ride than the Albany line, particularly in the fall.

It is a nice ride up the Hudson River with scenic views of mountains, mansions and bridges. It's great for a day trip. Try to get on the Sure-to-be-late Limited and sit in the diner car if you can. Those windows are great for picture taking.

I could run trains up there for the rest of my life!

[SouthernRailway]

My favorites, from personal experience:

*Coast Starlight, in the lounge car, between Seattle and Portland
*Crescent, through Virginia, northbound (rolling hills, horse country)
*Anything north of NYC along the Hudson

[hi55us]

The northeast corridor between New Haven and Providence is very scenic, equal to the scenery on the NYP-ALB line (I'm a big fan of the bridges on the NHV-PVD line)

[NellieBly]

The one Amtrak train I'd recommend to non-railfans for scenery is the California Zephyr. If you want to go coast to coast by train, that should be your first choice.

Neither the Empire Builder nor the Southwest Chief come close in terms of scenery. The Sunset is pretty much a total washout unless you *really* like desert.

At #2 I'd put the Coast Starlight.

Of East Coast trains, the Capitol Limited would be my first choice, followed by the Cardinal.

For day trains, the Adirondack is the most scenic daytime ride, first the Hudson and then Lake Champlain.

I've ridden em all at one time or another, but that's...just my opinion.

[Station Aficionado]

Just to second NB's comment re the SWC--it also has lots of desert (and lots of plains). And even as one born and raised in NM, I don't find Raton Pass that scenic. I also agree that the daylight portion of the CL's route west from Washington is quite scenic. Once you get past the DC 'burbs, there are great view as the train follows the Potomac (along with some tunnels).

[Greg Moore]

Let's see...

Southwest Chief has some nice stuff, so I'm told. Just as we were having a late lunch the engineer got stopped for speeding (seriously) so we ended up sitting in the only spot in New Mexico (I think it was) that had an embankment on either side of the tracks so we saw nothing for 5 hours!)

CZ going up through the western side of the Rockies, incredible.

And I'll also say NYP-ALB is incredible, all seasons of the year. I've ridden it probably hundreds of times and still enjoy it.

There was one particular trip that I was northbound on, looked out the window and literally saw something out of the Hudson River school of art. It was amazing.

Crescent I like through Virginia in parts NB in the morning.

Personally I like almost any train ride. If nothing else, get to see the "backside" of many towns and cities.

[CarterB]

CZ through the Rockies either way and from Nevada to Sacramento either way. Everything East of Denver is boring.
EB Western Montana though Glacier either way, and through the Cascades either way, but better in summer more daylight. Everything east of Montana pretty much boring though parts of Wisconsin are nice.
Anything up the Hudson, and the Adirondack, Ethan Allen, Vermonter. LSL west of Albany boring rust belt.
Cardinal eastbound through the New River Gorge and the Shenandoah Valley.
Anything during daylight from New Haven to Boston.
CS Seattle - Portland and San Luis Obispo to Oxnard either way.
I particularly like taking the CS Seattle to Portland, first class Pacific Parlor Car, having lunch on way down, see a bit of Portland then dinner on the way back on the train.
Not particularly fond of the scenery on the SWLtd though parts of NM and AZ are nice.
Anything to Florida, nothing but miles of red clay and scrub pines.

[ThinkNarrow]

I've traveled the California Zephyr both ways, the Empire Builder eastbound, the Coast Starlight (LA to Oakland), the Adirondack, The Southwest Chief, Acela (Boston to Baltimore), and the Lake Shore Limited. I would rank them in the order listed, with the California Zephyr way out in front. The trip through the Sierras and the Rockies is (as another poster says) outstanding! As for seasons, spring, summer, or fall. I would avoid the winter, as while the fares are lowest then, the availability of daylight is lowest then, and the likelihood of substantial delays is greatest.

-John

[Ocala Mike]

NJTRailfan, I have a whole photo album dedicated to pictures we took on the CZ W/B between Denver and Salt Lake City in December. If you like winterscapes, don't let the calendar stop you from taking this trip.

[GWoodle]

You may try Target & other stores that sell these type of videos for the holidays. Some of the video changes with the season.

[EastCleveland]

Something worth noting about traveling by train, particularly in the east. . . .

During the warmer months, you'll obviously have the advantage of late sunsets, so you'll have more viewing time along the way. And since the scenery in the east changes more frequently -- from natural to industrial to everything in between -- you'll have a more visually varied trip than on some of the western routes. As those who've taken the Empire Builder across Montana and North Dakota can attest.

The downside of summer: On eastern trains such as the Crescent (as well as those running to and from Florida), heavy stands of leafy trees and weedy undergrowth line both sides of the tracks for miles and miles. Unless you're a ragweed or kudzu fan, you'll travel for hours on end without seeing much at all.

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[george matthews]

Which routes and what direction would it be worth taking a train ride to have the greatest views along with great pictures? I was told that the Southwest Chief going in any direction is great along with the Coast StarLight. with the Empire Buildilder I was told that Chicago to Seattle is better. But what about the views from the other trains like California Zephyer and even any of the east coast trains? Also what time of the year is good to take the train? Thanks

The Adirondak is one of the world's great trains. The Hudson first and then the lake in up-state New York.

Also the Vermonter as it meanders through the woods and river landscapes of Vermont and New Hampshire. (too bad it doesn't go to Montreal).

[neroden]

Which routes and what direction would it be worth taking a train ride to have the greatest views along with great pictures? I was told that the Southwest Chief going in any direction is great along with the Coast StarLight. with the Empire Buildilder I was told that Chicago to Seattle is better. But what about the views from the other trains like California Zephyer and even any of the east coast trains? Also what time of the year is good to take the train? Thanks

Depends what you like to take photos of.

I have a certain fondness for dilapidated industrial landscapes, and you cannot beat Gary, Indiana for those. Although practically all Amtrak trains pass through some industrial railyard districts, the Capitol Limited, Lake Shore Limited, and Michigan trains pass through *the* most impressive set of abandoned (and some operating) steel mills and chemical factories you will ever see -- not to mention the views of the Chicago Skyway.

On the other hand, if you like to photograph historic train stations, you can take pretty much any route, but you get better views from the Western bilevels than from the eastern single-levels.

If you like "scenery", well, I have no idea, that's not what I photograph!

EDIT: I was entertained going through Kansas on the Southwest Chief. Having never been to Kansas, it is an extraordinary color -- I have never seen anywhere so brown. If you've been to Kansas, however, it will probably bore you.

[CarterB]

Been to Kansas...once...Ft. Riley....no more..thanks!!!