California Zephyr
Sierra summits, desert canyons, and the Rockies — sea to lake on America's most scenic train.
Which side should you sit on?- Route
- Chicago ↔ Emeryville
- Distance
- 2,438 mi / about 3,924 km
- Audio stories
- 87
- In the app
- Both directions · Works offline
Watch the journey
A short film of the line — the views the guide narrates as they pass your window. English captions in the player. Also on YouTube.
Route map
Tap to explore the full route.
The route in text
- Route
- Chicago ↔ Emeryville, USA
- Distance
- 2,438 mi / about 3,924 km
- Audio stories
- 87, narrated in both directions of travel, fully offline
- On the map
- Illustrated route map of the California Zephyr with stations, distances, and journey highlights. Station names and distance markers are printed on the map itself.
About this journey
Ride along on Amtrak's California Zephyr between the San Francisco Bay and Chicago: over the Sierra Nevada at Donner Pass, across the Nevada desert, through the red-rock canyons of Utah and Colorado, under the Continental Divide via the Moffat Tunnel, and over the Great Plains. This audio guide narrates the sights as they appear outside your window, in either direction of travel.
Stops along the way
The stations the narration is keyed to, in order (toward chicago). Timetables and stops change; check the operator before you book.
- Emeryville, CA
- Sacramento, CA
- Reno, NV
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Glenwood Springs, CO
- Denver, CO
- Omaha, NE
- Chicago, IL (Union Station)
Highlights and which side to look
A few of the 87 narrated sights, toward chicago, with the side of the train they appear on. See every sight, both directions.
| Distance from start | Sight | Look |
|---|---|---|
| 140 mi (225 km) | Cape Horn | Right side |
| 192 mi (309 km) | Donner Lake | Left side |
How the app works on this route
- Stories are triggered by GPS as you reach each place, so nothing depends on a signal or a timetable.
- Every story has a version for each direction of travel, and the narration says which side to look.
- Download the journey once at home; everything then works offline, including photos and the route map.
- The first three stories are free to listen to in the app before you buy.
- Narration keeps playing with the phone locked, so you can watch the window instead of the screen.
Questions about the California Zephyr
- Which side of the California Zephyr should I sit on?
- Toward Chicago: 1 on the right, 1 on the left, 85 on either side. The app tells you which way to look for every story as it plays, so either seat works; the full list for both directions is in the window guide.
- Does the audio guide work without signal?
- Yes. Download the California Zephyr once at home and every story, photo and map works offline for the whole ride. Stories are triggered by GPS, which needs no signal.
- Does it work in both directions?
- Yes. Every story has a version for each direction of travel, and "left" and "right" are given relative to the way your train is moving.
- Can I try it before buying?
- Yes. The first three stories of the California Zephyr are free to listen to in the app, with their photos. The full journey is a one-time $4.99 purchase, or the Rail Journeys Pass ($29.99, one-time) covers every journey, including future ones, for life.
Sources
Route distance (2,438 mi / about 3,924 km): the operator's published figure — amtrak.com. Stops and sights: the app's own route data, as rendered in the window guide.
