Five bucket-list train journeys that showcase America’s most breathtaking scenery

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America has some of the world’s most breathtaking landscapes — but you can’t always appreciate them from behind the wheel of a car, eyes glued to the road.

The best vantage point? Through the panoramic windows of a train, where you can drink in the views uninterrupted — and with a drink in hand.

But which journey to choose? Here we reveal five bucket-list rail trips that showcase America at her most awe-inspiring.

Climb aboard these sensational services and you’ll glide past otherworldly desert landscapes, dramatic canyons, beautiful river valleys, jaw-dropping mountains, fairytale orchards and charming, lost-in-time towns.

What’s more, some of these trains are like hotels on wheels, with rooms featuring bunk beds, sofas and en suites, and dining cars that recall the golden age of travel.

All aboard for a journey across America like no other.

1. Amtrak’s Empire Builder — Chicago-St.Paul/Minneapolis-Spokane-Portland/Seattle

Amtrak's Empire Builder rolls along the shores of Lake Five near Coram, Montana

Amtrak's Empire Builder, so-named because it follows the route of early pioneers, rolls through some of America's most magnificent scenery — and you can soak in the rugged splendor of it all from the Sightseer Lounge Car, which features huge panoramic windows on the upper level.

After leaving Chicago Union Station you'll be treated to mesmerizing views of the mighty Mississippi River before the nighttime glow of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the Twin Cities, fills the sky.

As you awaken the next morning, the train will be crossing the vast Great Plains of North Dakota. Shortly after leaving the city of Minot, just before lunchtime, you'll cross the jaw-dropping Gassman Coulee Trestle — a 19th-century bridge that spans nearly a third of a mile and rises 117 feet at its highest point.

Next comes the most spectacular section — Big Sky Country in Montana, where the line skirts the impossibly dramatic Glacier National Park.

The train physically splits in Spokane, Washington, with one portion running alongside the picturesque Columbia River Gorge to Portland Union Station in Oregon, while the other half winds through the Cascade Mountains to Seattle King Street Station in Washington.

The full journey is long — around 46 hours — but the carriages offer creature comforts galore. As well as Coach Class seats (from $160 per person), there are Roomettes (from $800 for two), with seats that transform into bunk beds; Bedrooms (from $1,500 for two), featuring a sofa and a separate chair; and Family Rooms (from $1,800), with seating for four that converts into two upper and two lower beds.

On the food front, you'll be transported back to the golden age of rail travel in a dining car where breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served.

Visit amtrak.com

2. Denali Star Train — Anchorage to Fairbanks, Alaska

The Denali Star Train showcases some of Alaska’s most breathtaking scenery

Before boarding the Denali Star Train, make sure you have plenty of space left on your camera roll — because over this 356-mile, 12-hour journey, the photogenic Alaskan scenery never lets up.

Leaving Anchorage, the train heads north with the jagged peaks of the Chugach Mountains forming a breathtaking backdrop.

It makes a stop in Wasilla and after passing through historic Talkeetna — where clapboard storefronts and log cabins lend the town a pioneering charm — you will, if the weather is kind, get a heart-stopping view of Mount Denali, which at 20,308 feet tall is North America’s loftiest mountain.

From here, the train moves deep into remote backcountry and trundles over the dramatic Hurricane Gulch Bridge. Look down to the creek 300 feet below. Or sideways to the soulful wilderness.

After stopping at the entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve, a popular station for hikers, the service winds through the imperious Nenana River Canyon.

Make a note to return for a spot of whitewater rafting on the Nenana as the train makes its way through subarctic rolling hills to its final stop in Fairbanks.

The Denali Star runs seasonally, from May to September, and there are two ticket classes available.

GoldStar Service (from $500 for the full trip) includes luxurious seating in upper-level glass-domed cars, access to an exclusive outdoor viewing platform and breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the lower-level dining room.

Opt for the standard Adventure Class service (from $250) and you’ll enjoy seating in railcars with picture windows and access to the Wilderness Café for a la carte dining, though food is not included.

Visit alaskarailroad.com

3. Amtrak’s Crescent — New York-Atlanta-New Orleans

The Amtrak Crescent crossing the James River at Lynchburg, Virginia

This one-night, 1,370-mile journey from the East Coast to the Deep South — from the Big Apple to the Big Easy — is one of America’s most storied routes, with the service passing through lush landscapes and across epic bridges, and into the heartlands of country music and jazz.

The train sets off from New York’s Penn Station and follows the high-speed Northeast Corridor before snaking into Virginia and the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, a land of charming towns and winding river valleys that the train frequently crosses.

Atlanta is a major stopping point in Georgia, though you’ll also pass through stretches of forest and small Southern towns in this state and neighboring Alabama before journeying alongside sandy-bottom creeks and past trees draped in Spanish moss in Mississippi.

One of the most eye-catching moments arrives as the train approaches New Orleans — crossing the 5.8-mile Huey P. Long Bridge over the Mississippi River.

The seating and accommodation options are Coach Class seats (from around $100 per person for the full journey), Roomette sleeper (from $400 for two, including all meals) and Bedroom sleeper (from $900 for two, including all meals).

Visit amtrak.com

4. Amtrak's Southwest Chief — Chicago-Kansas City-Albuquerque-Los Angeles

The Southwest Chief passes through a desert canyon

“The grandeur of the classic American West” isn’t listed on the timetable — but ride Amtrak’s Southwest Chief between Chicago and Los Angeles and you’ll be fully immersed in it.

After departing Chicago’s Union Station and beginning the 43-hour, 2,265-mile journey, the train glides past the open prairies of Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas.

America’s fabled desertscapes appear after the train climbs the historic 7,834-foot-high Raton Pass through the jaw-dropping Sangre de Cristo Mountains. You’ll then descend into rugged New Mexico, where the Chief carves through canyons only a few feet wider than the train itself and rolls out across pristine, sun-scorched wilderness dotted with red rock formations invisible from any highway.

After crossing the Rio Grande — the lifeline of the desert — in Albuquerque, the train heads west across the mesas of New Mexico and into Arizona, where the landscapes of the Petrified Forest come into view. Soon after, Joshua trees signal your arrival in California.

Before the train is enveloped by LA’s urban sprawl, there’s one final visual treat — the Cajon Pass, offering sweeping big-sky views.

The Sightseer Lounge Car, with its panoramic windows, comes into its own for this journey, while Amtrak’s range of berths ensures restful sleep after the sun sets on the views. Seats start from around $160 for the full route, Roomettes from $800, Bedrooms from $1,500, and Bedroom Suites from $3,000.

Visit amtrak.com

5. Mount Hood Railroad, Oregon

The Mount Hood Railroad in Oregon is a postcard brought to life. This heritage train trundles gently through the scenic Hood River Valley, offering spellbinding views of its namesake — the 11,250-foot-tall Mount Hood, the fourth-highest peak in the Cascades and the loftiest in Oregon.

While this is the star of the four-hour, 44-mile round trip from the Hood River Depot to Parkdale, fruit orchards, vineyards, and dense pine forests form a photogenic supporting cast.

What’s more, the vibrant scenery changes dramatically with the seasons — white and pink blossoms dazzle in spring, while golden foliage sweeps the landscape in fall.

The line began as a freight route for fruit and lumber but nearly faced abandonment during the 1980s downturn, before local investors stepped in and transformed it into a heritage railway with vintage carriages.

Prices range from $27 to over $65, with premium ticket holders enjoying access to the bar in the Lounge Car.

Visit mthoodrr.com

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