Riding the rails a great way to take scenic route on U.S. tour
A railroad trip ringing the continental United States from New England oyster bays past Gulf Stream waters to the redwood forests of the Northwest and back across the northern plains can be had for less than US$1,000 through the train booking site Wanderu. Six of the lines on this cross-country trek are on the website’s list of most scenic Amtrak routes, but it’s not a package tour. Tickets for each route have to be purchased separately. You could start pretty well anywhere along the route.
Further stops along the way are optional, but not necessary if you want to make the trip as quickly as possible. Without stops and overnight stays, passengers will still spend more than a full week in motion on a train.
Wanderu’s rundown first left the station in Boston, making its way south toward Washington D.C. You’ll move through seven states in eight hours delighted by views of New England. While in town, check out some Smithsonian museums and national monuments like the Lincoln Memorial.
Next, you’ll be on your way to New Orleans while crossing another seven state lines over 26 hours. Check out some jazz bars like Preservation Hall and take a steamboat cruise on the Mississippi River.
Heading 2,600 kilometres west to Los Angeles will take more than 46 hours. Along the way you’ll roll over expanses of the American Sun Belt before arriving in California.
Northbound to Seattle, the home of grunge music, you’ll pass through Oregon before reaching Washington and find yourself on board again for 29 hours. While in the Pacific Northwest city, be on the lookout for a sound garden, a park with metal sculptures that make eerie sounds when the wind hits them. Yes, it’s where the band got its name.
After another 45 hours on board you’ll be in Chicago after crossing over six states. Home of the Cloud Gate, that giant bean-shaped mirror sculpture and the Art Institute, you’ll be able to recreate the best scenes of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, provided you have a few companions.
Cleveland is the next stop and only six hours away. An easy ride compared to some of the earlier parts of the journey. From there you’ll be headed north to Albany, the capital of New York. Check out the USS Slater, a Second World War ship refitted into a floating museum.
Another four hours on board and you’re back in Boston. Your trip through 27 states is finished after approximately seven days, four hours and 40 minutes on the rails.