The Most Scenic Amtrak Train Routes In America, According To Passenger Reviews

Since the rise of commercial air travel, getting from one place to another has been about speed. Train travel, on the other hand, celebrates the opposite — a slower, more scenic, and far more sustainable way to move across the country. And in the U.S., rail travel is making a quiet comeback. There's something nostalgic about watching the world roll past your window, coffee in hand, as the landscape shifts from one extreme to the next. In fact, Americans agree that train travel is the best type of public transportation. Amtrak, America's national rail service, operates more than 35 routes across 46 states — but not all were created equal. Some snake through waterfalls and mountain passes, while others cruise through endless stretches of farmland. Based on passenger reviews and firsthand accounts, these five train routes are considered the most scenic in America.

While high-speed trains do exist, most Amtrak routes still roll along at a leisurely pace, not much faster than when steam engines crossed the first transcontinental tracks in the 1960s. But for many, this is part of the charm. In 2024, Amtrak recorded its highest ridership in history, welcoming 32.8 million passengers. While many were commuters, plenty boarded to relax and admire the great American landscape. For anyone eager to experience more than one scenic route, Amtrak's U.S.A. Rail Pass is a solid deal. For $499, travelers can ride 10 Amtrak segments within 30 days.

To compile this list, we explored a mix of travel blogs, Amtrak forums, and firsthand passenger reviews from sites like Reddit. The five routes below consistently stood out for their diversity of scenery and overall passenger experience.

Amtrak's dreamy Coast Starlight train ride consistently tops passenger reviews as one of the most breathtaking journeys in the country. Stretching almost 1,400 miles between Seattle and Los Angeles, the 35-hour route traces almost the entire West Coast — bar San Diego. Passing through Washington, Oregon, and California, the train stops in destinations like Santa Barbara and Portland. Traveling south to north, much of the Californian leg runs alongside the Pacific Ocean and through wine country, before giving way to the dramatic Cascade Range. At this point, passengers are treated to sweeping coastal cliffs, redwood forests, and even views of Mount Shasta itself.

Among its many highlights are the opportunities to step off and explore the beautiful landscapes along the way. Travelers often bring bikes or fishing equipment to make the most of the stopovers around Oregon's Klamath Falls and Dunsmuir in California. Those looking for something more leisurely might prefer San Luis Obispo, one of California's top coastal regions, famous for its surf and farm-to-table cuisine. 

As one traveler put it: "The Coast Starlight has the most varied combination of landscapes and the most consistent scenic appeal in my view. Put frankly there is no part of the Starlight's route that I find uninteresting and that counts for a lot in my book." Another echoed this sentiment: "From beginning to end The Starlight has consistent great scenery." A lot of the route's magic unfolds from the comfort of the Sightseer Lounge, which has wide, wraparound glass windows and outward-facing chairs.

The California Zephyr is Amtrak's legendary train that makes the arduous cross-country trek from the Midwest to the West Coast. Traveling between Chicago, Illinois, and Emeryville, California (the closest train station to San Francisco), this nearly 2,500-mile journey covers the distance (and then some) in roughly 51 hours. This marvel crosses seven scenic states: Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California.

I've been fortunate enough to travel the Californian portion of this route a few times, and can confidently say that the alpine scenery coming into the Sierra Nevada mountains never fails to impress. At one point, the train reaches an elevation of 7,000 feet above sea level as it carves around the historic Donner Pass. For an interesting read, do some research on the Donner Party pioneers and their cannibalistic tendencies. If you're in it for the views, the most scenic part of the journey is typically between Denver and Sacramento. In fact, the stretch of railroad linking Reno and Sacramento forms part of the original transcontinental railroad, a story that the guides in the Viewing Cart will often share over the loudspeaker. 

From this point onwards, the route provides some of the most varied and beautiful scenery of any train journey in the U.S. As the California Zephyr winds its way towards the Continental Divide, you'll pass by Colorado's mighty Rocky Mountains, trundle through the historic 1928 Moffat Tunnel that digs 6.2 miles through the mountains, and traverse the Glenwood Canyon. One Amtrak forum user summed the ride up perfectly: "If you want mountains, and steep river ravines, California Zephyr from Denver to SF is your train." In contrast, the rolling farmland and flat plains of Nebraska and Iowa between Denver and Chicago can get a bit monotonous.

With a seriously impressive reputation, the Empire Builder is often believed to be the most scenic cross-country train route in the U.S. It's the classic route to take for an overview of the American West, traveling along a significant part of the iconic Lewis and Clark Trail. Running from Chicago to either Portland or Seattle (depending on the train you take), you'll thread along the northern border, just south of Canada, cutting through eight states. Starting in Chicago, the Empire Builder travels north into Wisconsin before curving northwest through Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Washington (with the Portland route cruising parts of northern Oregon, too). 

Following in the footsteps of the 1804 Lewis and Clark Expedition, the appropriately named train travels between some of the northern states' largest metropolises, through Big Sky Country, part of the Cascade Mountains, and past Glacier National Park. In fact, it's one of the most direct ways to get to the park and is considered one of the best train routes for National Park views. Another highlight is cruising over the mighty Mississippi River, which takes several minutes to cross due to its size.

One passenger recalled some highlights: "Empire Builder has some really nice sections as well. Westbound out of Portland is particularly nice, Glacier National Park, and running along the Mississippi River and watching bald eagles fish after departing St. Paul." Another passenger put much of the 46-hour trip into perspective: "The Empire Builder has its highlights, the cascades, the Columbia River Gorge, glacier, and the Midwest. But for a lot of the route, big sky country, it gets boring real fast." Travelers ending their journey in Portland specifically love the short section between Portland and Spokane, which runs past the famous Columbia River Gorge.

The Southwest Chief is Amtrak's poster child of the Wild West. From one end to the other, the train traverses eight states: Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Spanning a diagonal cross-country route between Chicago and Los Angeles, the Southwest Chief covers 2,265 miles over roughly 43 hours. While each state offers something unique, passengers typically rate the red rock-filled desert stretch between Flagstaff, Arizona, and La Junta, Colorado, as the most scenic.

One noted how the "Southwest Chief through New Mexico was surprisingly scenic. Thinking back, anything that traverses the continental divide is scenic and unique in its own way." And they aren't wrong. This stretch of journey showcases some of the nation's most striking landscapes, touching on the edges of the Grand Canyon National Park itself. While the track itself doesn't travel directly into the natural wonder, Amtrak operates connection buses to the century-old Grand Canyon Railway in Williams. This detour, designed with tourists in mind — including cowboy impersonations and even a mock train robbery — is more theatrical than practical, but it's often thought of as one of the most memorable additions to the journey.

Much of the Southwest Chief winds through open red rock formations and arid deserts studded with cacti, making for one of the most dramatic sunset journeys in the country. As the train moves from state to state, the scenery changes from Midwestern prairies to the snowy Colorado Rockies, even glimpsing Sedona's stunning red cliffs and New Mexico's Apache Canyon. This train is also famous for its switchbacks, which means you'll get near 360-degree views from just about every seat.

Amtrak's Adirondack route stands as the only service on this list focused on the Eastern U.S. It's also shorter than others, and is the only one that crosses an international border, running the full length of New York state before ending in Quebec, Canada, over a 10-hour journey.

The Adirondack offers a different experience compared with the long cross-country routes. Departing from the iconic Penn Station in Manhattan, the journey begins in the Big Apple before gradually giving way to the serene landscapes of the Hudson River Valley, dotted with small towns and historic stops like Saratoga Springs. As the train climbs into the Adirondack Mountains, it passes over some impressive bridges and trundles along scenic rivers and lakes, with Lake Champlain and Lake George being the standouts. Many travelers stop to explore the lakes, hiking through the surrounding mountains, and indulging in the farm-to-table cuisine this region is so famous for. During summer months, rides between Penn Station and Albany (coincidentally, the most beautiful stretch of the journey) are accompanied by a National Park Service guide who shares the area's rich Native American and Revolutionary War history.

Since it doesn't have the same coastal scenery or overnight appeal as other routes, this service often flies under the radar. One passenger highlights the stretch "From Penn Sta right up to Rouses Pt., particularly. Gorgeous along the Hudson rising into upstate and then kissing Lake Champlain." Another points out that the Adirondack is the perfect train for witnessing the autumn leaf colors. The natural scenery in the Adirondacks is a year-round spectacle, but fall and spring (particularly when the apple orchards in the Hudson Valley are in full bloom) remain the standout seasons, according to reviews.

Choosing the most scenic of Amtrak's nearly 40 national train routes is no small feat, since beauty is inherently subjective. To create this list, we focused on consistency across multiple passenger review sources rather than just relying on promotional materials or official rankings. We started by gathering data from Amtrak forums, Reddit threads, and blog posts, cross-referencing the mentions of each route and ranking them in order of popularity.

From top to bottom, the five routes on this list received the most consistent praise from passengers for their scenic views. These are the trains that travelers described as having the scenic wow factor, often mentioning specific highlights like coastal stretches and mountain passes.

Of course, this approach comes with its limitations. The data is qualitative and based purely on passenger feedback, making it subjective at its core. Some equally scenic routes may have been overlooked simply because fewer people have traveled and reviewed them online. To add to this, factors like comfort, food quality, and onboard amenities and services were not taken into consideration when selecting the train routes on this list. Enjoy the ride!