This beautiful 2,438-mile train route crosses most of the US

All aboard for an unforgettable trip by rail.

Key Points

• The California Zephyr is one of the longest train routes in the U.S., traveling 2,438 miles from Chicago to the Bay Area through the Rockies and Sierra Nevada.
• The train passes some of the country's most dramatic scenery, including Gore Canyon, Ruby Canyon, and Donner Pass.
• Key stops like Denver, Salt Lake City, Sacramento, and San Francisco offer ideal opportunities for overnight breaks, sightseeing, and restaurants.

It's hard to separate the impact and the legacy of the railroad from the United States itself. According to the Association of American Railroads, there are nearly 140,000 miles of track in the U.S.—the most extensive rail network of any country in the world. But there's one passenger train route that outshines the rest in both scope and beauty.

One of the longest train routes in the U.S., Amtrak's California Zephyr runs for 2,438 miles between Chicago and the San Francisco suburb of Emeryville. During the ride, it passes through some of the most iconic stretches of the American West, traveling through the heart of the Rocky Mountains before continuing west through the Sierra Nevada. The route covers about two-thirds of the country, stopping in cities like Denver, Salt Lake City, and Sacramento, with connections via Amtrak bus service to San Francisco from Emeryville in the Bay Area.

There is no Wi-Fi on board, so passengers who need internet access should consider bringing their own hotspots. Since the journey takes more than 51 hours, there are private sleeper cars with private roomettes and bedrooms, which can include complimentary meals in the dining car and access to lounges at major stations, depending on your ticket fare.

Here's what you need to know before riding Amtrak's California Zephyr, including recommended attractions, hotels, and restaurants along the way and the best time to travel.

Chicago

Chicago's Union Station serves as the departure point for the westbound California Zephyr, providing the ideal opportunity to explore the Windy City. Architecture tours along the Chicago River are a great way to appreciate the engineering behind landmarks like Willis Tower, while Millennium Park’s iconic Cloud Gate is unmissable. If you have time, make a stop at The Art Institute of Chicago, where you can see art classics like Grant Wood's "American Gothic."

For hotels, the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel is less than a 30-minute walk from Union Station. Palmer House claims to be the birthplace of the brownie and even has a brownie package for chocolate enthusiasts. For steak, Gene & Georgetti has served oversized portions since 1941, while chef Stephanie Izard's Girl and the Goat spotlights globally inspired family-style dishes. Joy Yee's Noodle Shop in Chinatown has been a staple for decades and was among the first restaurants to serve Taiwanese-style bubble tea in the Midwest.

Denver

At exactly 5,280 feet in elevation, Denver attracts outdoor enthusiasts from all over the world. The city’s Union Station is a 1914 beaux arts building that's been transformed into a hub of restaurants, bars, and shops. This stop is a great overnight choice for passengers splitting up the journey. 

You don’t have to go far for a place to stay. On the upper floors of Union Station, The Crawford Hotel has rooms designed to evoke vintage train travel, with some even configured like private Pullman cars. The Curtis also leans into nostalgic, themed rooms that focus on arcade and video games. Union Station has plenty of restaurants and bars, but venture out of the station to discover some of the 150-plus breweries across Denver's metro area. There are several clustered among the murals and galleries of the River North Art District. If you’re extending your stay, the famed Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre is a must-visit that sits about 15 miles outside of town.

Salt Lake City

Between the Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake stands Salt Lake City, another brief servicing stop that makes a wonderful overnight break. About half an hour from downtown, the lake itself is one of the Western Hemisphere's largest and saltiest inland bodies of water.

For accommodations, The Grand America Hotel and Kimpton Hotel Monaco bring a boutique approach to downtown. The five-block complex Temple Square anchors the city center, with well-groomed gardens and architecture. The Natural History Museum of Utah holds the world’s largest display of horned dinosaur skulls, and cat lovers won’t want to miss Tinker's Cat Café, which has adoptable cats.

Red Iguana serves enchiladas covered in house-made mole sauces, while Takashi is the place to go for great sushi. After dinner, stop by Post Office Place, the small tapas bar next door. 

Sacramento

California's capital is another city worth considering for an overnight stopover, especially if you're into farm-to-table dining—1.5 million acres of farms and ranches surround Sacramento. Located within walking distance of the Capitol Building and the Old Sacramento Waterfront, Kimpton Sawyer Hotel puts guests near the city's main attractions, while The Citizen Hotel stands in a beautiful, historic building. You can learn about the Golden State's Gold Rush history at the California State Railroad Museum where restored locomotives are displayed. The Sacramento History Museum even has underground tours of streets abandoned when the city raised buildings for flood prevention. There’s plenty of good food here. Sacramento's first restaurant to earn a Michelin star, The Kitchen has seasonal menus with one seating per night, while Localis, which also has a Michelin star, welcomes vegetarian diners. The farm-to-fork establishments, Ella Dining Room & Bar, Mulvaney's B&L, and The Waterboy all create beautiful, memorable dishes.

San Francisco

The California Zephyr terminates in the small city of Emeryville, but for the full experience, you'll want to hop onto an Amtrak bus to catch the final leg into San Francisco. Sprawling across less than 50 square miles on a peninsula, the city is packed with Victorian homes lining steep streets, buzzing with cable cars that zip between downtown and the wharf.

If you can, take a walk or bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco’s most recognizable landmark. You can also visit Alcatraz Island and see the infamous Alcatraz Cellhouse. Inn at the Opera is a boutique hotel close to the Civic Center’s performing arts venues, while Hotel Castro sits in the heart of the historic LGBTQ+ neighborhood. Hotel Kabuki, with its modern, Japanese-influenced design, puts you in a prime position to easily explore Japantown, the Fillmore District, and Pacific Heights.

For museum lovers, the California Academy of Sciences is a must-visit that combines marine life, planetarium shows, and a tropical rain forest biome under one roof. You’ll find plenty of diversity in food here. Chinatown has its fair share of dim sum restaurants, while the Mission District is home to taquerias like El Farolito serving jumbo Mission-style burritos. Benu became one of the city's first restaurants to earn three Michelin stars, and Boudin Sourdough serves up clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls on Fisherman's Wharf.

Best Time to Ride

You’ll experience a different version of the American landscape with every season on the California Zephyr. Winter offers the clearest views of snowcapped peaks in both the Rockies and Sierra Nevada, with the dramatic contrast of white mountaintops against blue skies. Wildflowers bloom along the Bonneville Shoreline near Salt Lake City in spring, but if you want the longest daylight hours to watch the country pass you by, summer is the best time to ride the California Zephyr.

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