Riding the Rails on the California Zephyr Amtrak Train

There seems to be something nostalgic about riding the rails. I remember in grade 5 listening to my teacher tell stories about hopping on trains and riding for free. And all the fascinating places he described that he’d visited. As a 10 year old, that seemed like the perfect life. Just wandering from place to place like a hobo with your knapsack.

Gone are the days when that is even legal. But surprisingly you can still find some very economical deals.

A few months back, I came across an article about the Amtrak trains in the United States. I found if you travel coach and not in the high season, you can find some decent prices.

I hadn’t been on a train since high school. On a grade 12 French exchange trip, the class road the Via Rail train from Ontario to Quebec for a 12 hour journey. The time seemed to fly by. Jerry hadn’t been on a train since high school either.

So after checking out our options, we decided on the California Zephyr. This trip is considered to be one of the most scenic rides in the U.S. In 51 hours it will take you from Chicago, Illinois to Emeryville, California. You will go from Illinois through Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and on to California. Then Amtrak will shuttle you by bus to downtown San Francisco in about 40 minutes. While your waiting on the train at Union Station, we recommend that you check out the Legacy Club Lounge.

We went in early May which is still considered the off season. So the cost per person came to $136 U.S. for coach seats. Unless you choose to hop off at different stops for the night. Then the cost increases slightly. Or if you decided to splurge on a Roomette, the cost would jump to $706. But the Roomette’s also include all meals and a private bathroom complete with a shower.

We chose to go coach and get off in Glenwood Springs, Colorado for the night just to break up the trip. It was a nice switch up after trying to sleep on the train. And after 24 hours we appreciated the shower at the hotel.

Once we boarded the train, we were impressed with the amount of legroom and space we had. We loved how the seats came with a footrest to stretch out on. And an outlet at every pair of seats to keep your laptop charged.

There is a viewing car near the centre of the train. The first half of the journey from Chicago to Denver, there was always a seat available. But once we got into the more scenic Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevadas, people seemed to “camp out” there all day. We found our own personal seat just as good for taking pictures and watching the beautiful scenery go by.

There are 5 bathrooms per car situated in the lower area. These are shared with both the upper and lower level. The first half of our ride, we found them to be fairly clean. Although they could use a renovation, they were definitely passable. The second half (a 27 hour ride), you didn’t venture in near the end of the trip unless you had to.

Some of the Amtrak trains will allow you to bring a bike on board. This requires a reservation and costs anywhere from $5 to $20.

Something fairly new is being able to take your small cat or dog on board for $25. The pets can’t weigh more than 20 pounds or the trip be longer than 7 hours. Be sure to reserve ahead. They have a maximum of 5 pets per train.

The food available on board is fairly expensive. There is a dining car for breakfast, lunch and supper. And also a cafe car where you can pick up quick snacks and drinks like coffee, soda, muffins, chips, hot dogs and breakfast sandwich’s.

We brought our own nuts, chips, granola bars and cookies for a snack. And opted to buy breakfast on board each day. It’s nice to sit in the dining car at least once on the train. They will seat you with other passengers. So you get a chance to meet your fellow train travellers. We met a nice couple from Wisconsin, and another couple from England who were on a train journey circling the U.S. Before we boarded each day, we purchased a pizza to eat for dinner. We saw people bringing coolers on board full of food.

Overall we have mixed reviews on our train journey. We were lucky the trains both times were only half full. So at night we could have two seats to ourselves and stretch out. Definitely a lot easier to sleep than on a plane. But the wining and crying two year old twins a couple seats back from us kind of ruined the peacefulness of the ride. Be sure to bring earplugs. They will also come in handy if your seat mates snore.

Our saving grace was our iPads. We pre loaded them with a few Netflix series. Then binge watched them to pass the time. Or downloading some audio books ahead of time would work. I saw some people with a deck of cards, crossword puzzles, knitting and even one guy with his checkers waiting for anyone to join him in a game.

We brought some comfortable sweat pants to change into at night. I wouldn’t recommend pyjamas, although you will see some that do wear them. I was glad to have a blanket and pillow with me too. It can get kind of chilly on board. Especially at night.

Travelling by train isn’t exactly a quick way to get somewhere. But compared to a plane, you have a lot more freedom to walk around. And a decent baggage allowance. You get to see scenery you otherwise wouldn’t. The environment is very safe. And best of all you’ll meet some interesting characters!