Leisurely railway travel provides a fine opportunity to see notable western locales with more immediacy than air travel affords. Several tours run regularly through portions of the western United States, each with particular attractions for the leisure traveler.
Tour Types
Leisure railway tours that explore portions of the American West come in two basic formats: tours that focus on one particular location of interest and those that focus on various different destinations with a common theme. Most railway tours of the western United States use current-day railroad vehicles but at least one western tour uses refurbished vintage rail cars.
Colorado
"The Train Across Colorado" eight-day railway tour, as described at the Vactionsbyrail website, includes visits to Mesa Verde National Park and the Colorado National Monument. The tour originates in Denver, stopping at Grand Junction, Durango, Alamosa and Colorado Springs. The Train Across Colorado tour uses four scenic railways on historic routes: the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, the Royal Gorge Route Railroad, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, which was judged among the "Top Ten Most Exciting Train Journeys in the World."
Five National Parks
Amtrak offers a "Best of the West--Five Great National Parks" 14-day railway tour. On the Best of the West tour, passengers have the opportunity to visit Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Arches and Canyonlands National Park, as described at the Vacationsbyrail website. The tour originates in Chicago, Seattle or Portland on the "Empire Builder." On the 13th day, travelers transfer to the "California Zephr" for a ride through the Colorado Rockies, described by the BBC as "one of the top ten train rides in the world."
West Coast
Amtrak offers a vacation package as a non-escorted tour to explore the West Coast, starting in Seattle and stopping in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The "West Coast Spectacular" departs daily and incorporates a 10-day itinerary; on certain days travel to the Napa Valley wine country can be included. The California Wine Country tour can be substituted if the Napa Valley tour is not available on a particular day. The package can be extended to visit San Diego or the Grand Canyon.
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon Railway Tour travels from Williams, Arizona to the south rim of the Grand Canyon and back, a 130-mile trip. It allows for a three-hour, 45-minute stay at the canyon. This tour enhances the traveling experience by using refurbished vintage railway cars. Guides aboard the vintage train provide visitors with historical and other information on the area and on the Grand Canyon itself, as described at the Arizona-leisure website.
Tags: Grand Canyon, National Park, West Coast, Across Colorado, Amtrak offers, Canyon Grand
