Background: Which Are the Most Scenic Amtrak Routes?

I've been asked which Amtrak routes are most scenic and which I like the best. My favorite has always been the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle, from the skyscrapers of Chicago through the farmland of Wisconsin, past the scenic bluffs along the Mississippi, and across the rolling plains of North Dakota and Montana and into the Rockies before arriving in Seattle.

On my recent trip I rode on the very scenic Coast Starlight from Seattle to Los Angeles for the first time, going from the pine forests and snow-capped mountains of the Northwest through the fertile valleys and scenic peaks of Central California to the Pacific Coast.

Another highly rated route is the California Zephyr from Chicago to Oakland, with dramatic stretches through the Rockies along the Colorado River and through the Sierra Nevada.

Many people would list those as the top three scenic routes. Also very nice are the Southwest Chief from Chicago to Los Angeles, which goes through several dramatic passes and across northern New Mexico and Arizona close to Santa Fe and the Grand Canyon, and the Sunset Limited from Los Angeles to New Orleans along the southern border. The desert terrain in the Southwest on both runs is interesting and almost hypnotic.

In the East, the Northeast Corridor has a wide variety of cityscapes and some nice scenery near the coast in Connecticut and Maryland. The Hudson River Valley is dramatic and historic. New England is pleasant, especially in the fall, and several routes go through scenic areas in the Appalachians such as Harpers Ferry and the New River Gorge. 

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, where
the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers meet
(photo taken on trip in 2017) 

Ohio farm scene, near Stryker,
west of Toledo

Arizona desert, near Vail,
east of Tucson

Pacific Ocean, near Goleta,
Santa Barbara County, California