A slower journey by train in North America with the sound of whistling steam and scenic beauties is a most adventurous lifetime experience. These train routes offer unparalleled feelings for travelers from breathtaking coastal beaches to snowcapped mountains.
If you are looking to view the majestic wildness of the Rockey Mountains or want to explore remote Alaska, these train service provides you special packages for your comfort during the travel. As you have the facility of cheap coach tickets to lavish first-class tickets, you can select the tickets as per your needs and budget.
Here we have listed 6 most adventurous train trips in North America with the estimated ticket fare and route information:
1. Rocky Mountaineer’s Rockies to Red Rocks
Route: Denver, Colorado to Moab, Utah
Length of route: 375 miles
Estimated Duration: Two days with an overnight stay in Glenwood Springs
Ticket price: Start at $1599 including on-board meals and hotel room
The Rocky Mountaineer's Rockies oversized window on the train adds flavor to the travel. This train route is famous as it covers the beautiful scenery between Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and Moab, Utah with mountains, deserts, rock formations and vistas.
You can enjoy the scenic beauty of the Colorado River, passing remote, roadless canyons along with the 25-mile-long Ruby Canyon only from this luxury train service.
Similarly, towering sandstone cliffs on the Utah-Colorado border and the lights flickering off the rock walls in the 6.2-mile Moffat Tunnel are other major attractions of this route. Likewise, if you are lucky you could see wildlife like deer, pronghorn, and eagles on this route.
2. The Canadian
Route: Toronto to Vancouver
Length of route: 4,466 kilometers
Estimated Duration: Four nights and 4 days
Ticket price:
- $514 for economy class
- $1,387 for sleeper plus
- $6,261 for prestige class
Canadian Rail Service operates the train service from Toronto to Vancouver and vice versa including diverse landscapes, prairies, Rocky Mountains Canadian Shield, and so on. This route will pass the major Canadian cities like Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Jasper and touch the five Canadian provinces including Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.
The first two days of the trip cover eastern Canada where you will witness numerous lakes and forests. In the next two days, you can see the snow-capped mountains, vast prairie, and Athabasca river.
Blocky-topped 7,500-foot Roche Miette mountain in Jasper National Pale, Mount Yellowhead, Mount Robinson and Pyramid Falls are other major attractions on this route in Western Canada.
3. Denali Star Train
Route: Anchorage to Fairbanks
Length of route: 356 miles
Estimated Duration: 12 hours
Ticket price:
- Adventure class: from $215
- Goldstar class: from$432
The Denali Star Train route only operates in the summer season and connects the biggest cities of Alaska, Anchorage and Fairbanks. The best part of this route is that it runs through the Denali National Park, with train stops in Wasilla, Talkeetna, and Denali National Park.
The trip on Alaska Railroad's Denali Star train makes you enjoy the scene of Knik River, Chugach mountain, glaciers, Denali mountain, Alaska range, Healy Canyon and many other jaw-dropping scenic beauties.
You can also see Moose and bear in your route. You will enjoy the worthy glass-domed windows if you pay for Gold Star services that provide brilliant access to outdoor viewing. The ticket price also includes a meal and two free cocktails per day.
4. The Vermonter
Route: Washington, D.C., to St. Albans, Vermont
Length of route: 611 miles
Estimated Duration: 13 hours
Ticket price:
- Economy class or coach tickets start from $81
- Business class from $253
If you want variety in your trip, the Vermonter could be the perfect choice for you because it travels through the 9 states and major cities of the United States including farm valleys and mountains. The journey begins in Washington DC and it passes New York City, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire step by step and the trip ends at St. Albans, Vermont.
You will experience the sky-scrapping towers in DC and New York, the Hudson River Valley, dense hard forests and green mountains in New England on this trip. The trip stops at St. Albans and you can find Lake Champlain nearby.
5. Coast Starlight
Route: Los Angeles to Seattle
Length of route: 1377 miles
Estimated Duration: 35 hours
Ticket price:
- Coach tickets from $100
- Private sleeper cars from $674
The 1377-mile and 35-hour trip from Los Angeles to Seattle is full of breathtaking scenery. This route covers the western edge of the United States and runs through the Coastal areas of California, Oregon, and Washington. On the way, you will pass cities like Santa Barbara, San Jose, San Francisco, Sacramento, Tacoma and Portland.
The coast starlight covers the rocky outcroppings, farms of the San Fernando Valley, several lakes and beaches, dense evergreen forests of the Pacific Northwest and views of cascade mountains. At cascades, the train travels through 5,000 ft above sea level with breathtaking mountain views.
Likewise, other famous mountains on this route are Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood, Mt. Shasta, and Mt. Rainier. Tourists enjoy long travel along with the Pacific coastline as well.
6. The Empire Builder
Route: Chicago, Illinois to Seattle, Washington
Length of route: 2,206 miles
Estimated Duration: 48 hours
Ticket price:
- Coach tickets from $160
- First class with private rooms from $979
- First Class Superliner Bedroom Suite from $3,405
This trip with Empire Builder runs through 7 states of the United States starting from Illinois to Washington through Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana and Idaho. Here are the famous places that come under this route:
- Mississippi River
- Bright lights of Minneapolis and St. Paul
- Great Plains and Pastures in North Dakota
- Glacier National Park
- Flathead River
- Peaks of the Lewis Ranges
The coach tickets come with a comfortable reclining chair while the tickets of first-class have the facility of private rooms and meals with access to lounge and communal showers. Similarly, a full bedroom with a private bathroom is included in the First Class Superliner Bedroom Suite package.
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