I rode the Zephyr SF to CHI once, and CHI to SLC a couple of times. I had an economy bedroom, but I spent most of my daylight hours in the upper lounge which has dome-like windows and is good for seeing out of both sides of the car. You might want to find a seat in the lounge while stopped in Denver. Sitting on the north side you can look out over the Great Plains as the train climbs along the first ridge of the foothills. Look for the Big Ten Loops just before the ridge. You might notice some old hopper cars along the exposed part of the loop as a windbreak. You will pass thru a couple of dozen tunnels before the 6 mile Moffat Tunnel. The Winter Park Ski area is to your left as you leave the tunnel. After Grandby the best view of Gore Canyon is on the south side, then Glenwood Canyon on the north side.
Again, the next day the Sierras are best viewed from the lounge. Truckee is an interesting town and helper station. It was a while since I was on this part of the line, but as I remember, Donner Lake is far below on the north side. Back when I took the train, Amtrak provided a line description fold-out which was very helpful. In any case, I'm sure you will enjoy the trip.
JandJ After taking years to set up a garden railroad in our backyard in "G" scale, we are finally taking a ride ourselves for our return trip from the Midwest back to California via Amtrak. We even splurged for a bedroom and bath as trip to 2 and 1/2 days and we need some comfort. We are looking forward to the experience and to hopefully find some interesting railroad signs, stuff, or tidbits to add to our garden railroad along the way. We would appreciate any suggestions for making this trip even more enjoyable. Jan & Joe
After taking years to set up a garden railroad in our backyard in "G" scale, we are finally taking a ride ourselves for our return trip from the Midwest back to California via Amtrak. We even splurged for a bedroom and bath as trip to 2 and 1/2 days and we need some comfort. We are looking forward to the experience and to hopefully find some interesting railroad signs, stuff, or tidbits to add to our garden railroad along the way.
We would appreciate any suggestions for making this trip even more enjoyable. Jan & Joe
I have ridden the California Zephyr between Denver and Emeryville three times over the past five years. I took the train from Emeryville to Denver twice and once from Denver to Emeryville.
Unless you are into seeing the plains of America's bread basket, there is not a whole lot to see between Chicago and Denver, although I suspect that the people who live there would take exception with me.
From Denver to Grand Junction the scenery is awesome. Make your way to the Sightseer Lounge car as soon as the train leaves Denver. Also, the scenery from Reno the Roseville is spectacular.
My best trip was in February of 2006 from Denver to Emeryville. The snow scenes were great. I don't know when you are planning to travel, but going in the winter has several advantages. In addition to the winter wonderland that you pass through, the train is not as crowded as during the other three seasons of the year. Accordingly, at least based on my experience, the service seemed to be a notch better.
I haven't taken the California Zephyr, Jan. But if you google on "California Zephyr travelogue" you will find a long list of people's experiences. Enjoy your trip.
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