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California ZephyrChicago to the Pacific, across the Rockies
Two nights, seven states and the best mountain railroading in the United States.
The Zephyr crosses the plains overnight, climbs the Front Range at breakfast, follows the Colorado River through its canyons, and drops over Donner Pass into California.
Choose your berth
From a reclining seat to a suite with its own shower.
Pick a class to see what you get and what it costs.
Superliner Roomette
Two seats that fold into upper and lower berths.
Meals are included.
Amtrak prices rooms dynamically.
Fares rise as the train fills, so roomettes on summer dates sell out first. Amtrak California Zephyr ↗
Pick the right month
Daylight decides what you see from the window.
Hover a month for the verdict.
Daily all year.
Late May to October gives the clearest mountain views; winter brings snow scenery but more weather disruption.
What you’ll see
Glenwood Canyon
The Colorado River, a canyon wall on each side, and an observation car built for it.
The Moffat Tunnel
Six miles under the Continental Divide, straight after the climb out of Denver.
Ruby Canyon
Red-rock walls on the border of Colorado and Utah, seen only from the train or a raft.
Donner Pass
The Sierra Nevada crossing that built the first transcontinental railroad.
California Zephyr, answered
The Zephyr covers about 2,438 miles between Chicago and Emeryville in roughly 52 hours, leaving Chicago around 14:00 and arriving on the afternoon of day three. Amtrak ↗
Yes.
Superliner Roomettes, Bedrooms, Bedroom Suites, Family Bedrooms and Accessible Bedrooms.
Meals are included for sleeping car guests.
Denver to Glenwood Springs on day two: the Front Range climb, the Moffat Tunnel, Gore Canyon and Glenwood Canyon.
Donner Pass on day three comes a close second.
Coach is the cheapest way to ride.
Room prices are dynamic and rise as the train fills, so book roomettes and bedrooms early for summer.
It terminates at Emeryville on the east side of the Bay.
Amtrak runs a connecting bus into San Francisco.
Every stop, and why you might get off
- Chicago Union StationMost Zephyr trips start or end here, and the city's architecture, lake views and museums justify building in time either side.
- OmahaA night or very early-morning stop, but worth it for railway history and the walkable Old Market district.
- Denver Union StationA restored 1914 station with a hotel inside, and the best place to board for the Zephyr's daylight run over the Rockies.
- Glenwood SpringsA walkable mountain town where hot springs, hotels and the caverns gondola are all reachable on foot from the train.
- Grand JunctionWineries, galleries and the Colorado National Monument, with downtown just three blocks from the station.
- Salt Lake CityTemple Square, the Great Salt Lake and nearby ski resorts, though the train calls in the small hours both ways.
- Reno'The Biggest Little City in the World': shows, casinos and the Truckee Riverwalk, with Lake Tahoe about an hour away by car.
- TruckeeA small Sierra Nevada town near Lake Tahoe, with Donner Party history and year-round outdoor activities.
- SacramentoCalifornia's capital, with the State Railroad Museum and Gold Rush-era Old Sacramento right by the station.
- EmeryvilleThe end of the line rather than a destination: most people carry straight on by Amtrak Thruway bus over the Bay Bridge to San Francisco.
Times are from the operator’s published timetable and can change.
The animation runs to the scheduled pace between stops; intermediate points are drawn to follow the line, not to show timings.
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