california train travel

Travel and tourism in California is not only an airline affair. California train travel is one of the most beautiful tours anyone can take. Today, most people that travel to California choose to fly, missing the plethora of small towns, majestic mountains and superb coastlines that California train travel offers. The California Zephyr is an Amtrak train that covers a 2,436 mile adventure extending from Chicago, Illinois to Emeryville, California. Scheduled for the beautiful scenery the California Zephyr takes California train travel passengers over the Mississippi River on its way to Denver and the Front Range of the Rockies. This California train travel gem, then goes up into the mountains, across the Continental Divide through the 6 mile Moffat Tunnel where the train tracks meet the Colorado River for 238 miles, traversing 5 canyons. The Zephyr continues through California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, cresting Donner Pass on its way to Emeryville. The original train ceased operations in 1970, though remnant services using the original equipment continued until 1983. Since 1983, the California Zephyr name has been applied to the Chicago-California Amtrak service, which follows much of the original train's route. So if your goal is the gorgeous state of California, pick up the latest copy of the California travel guide and enjoy what California train travel has to offer.