What’s the Most Scenic Train Ride in the USA? A Freelancer’s Slow Journey Across America by Rail

 I never used to think of trains as part of my travel story.

 But something shifted this year—I needed less rush, more windows. So I booked three long-distance train rides across the US, packed a lightweight waterproof backpack, and let the landscape take the lead.

🚆 Coast Starlight — California’s Coastal Calm

Starting in Los Angeles, the Coast Starlight rolls north along the Pacific.

 Early on, I watched surfers vanish into ocean mist. Later, the trees thickened, the skies cleared, and we slid into the Cascade Mountains at 5,000 feet.

The observation car had wraparound glass and velvet quiet. I didn’t open my laptop once.

 I just watched.

🏔 California Zephyr — Through the Rockies & Beyond

From Chicago to Emeryville, the Zephyr is a 52-hour ribbon of contrast.

 Midwest plains. Red canyon walls. Frosted pine ridges in Colorado.

Glenwood Canyon was the highlight—reflections turning the train windows into mirrors.

 I barely touched my camera. This wasn’t a trip for capture—it was a trip for presence.

❄️ Aurora Winter Train — Alaska in Silence

Anchorage to Fairbanks in the snow. A dozen hours of white.

 The Aurora Winter Train moved quietly through needle forests, past frozen rivers and shadowed peaks.

We saw moose. I sipped tea. The windows fogged slightly, and no one spoke loudly.

 Sometimes, the journey is the view.

🎒 What I Carried (and Why It Helped)

I brought one lightweight waterproof backpack—small, quiet, just enough.

 Inside: a windbreaker, a scarf, a book I didn’t finish, a camera I didn’t overuse, and a charger I barely needed.

 That was the point. The train gave me what I didn’t pack—time.

🧭 Final Reflections

Train travel in North America is often overlooked. It shouldn’t be.

 It won’t get you there fast—but it will get you there softer.

 And in a year full of noise, that was all I really wanted.

👉 Click here for my extend backpack