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Because sometimes the journey really is the whole point.
Look, I’ll be honest with you. I didn’t grow up dreaming about trains. But the first time I leaned out of an open-air car on a narrow gauge railroad with pine-scented mountain air hitting my face and nothing but wilderness in every direction, something clicked. These aren’t just rides. They’re experiences that somehow make you feel both tiny and completely alive at the same time.
And the best part? The United States is absolutely loaded with them.
Whether you’re a die-hard rail enthusiast who could write a doctoral thesis on Baldwin Locomotive Works engine specifications, or you’re just someone who saw a cool photo on social media and thought “yeah, I want to do that,” there’s a scenic train ride out there with your name on it. So let’s get into it.
So Why a Steam Train?
I know what you’re thinking. We have cars. We have planes. Some of us have TSA PreCheck, for crying out loud. Why would anyone voluntarily climb aboard a coal-burning locomotive that maxes out around 18 miles per hour?
Because that 18 miles per hour is kind of magic, actually.
When you’re moving that slowly through a mountain canyon or a redwood forest, you can’t scroll past it. You can’t half-watch it while checking your email. You just… sit there and look at it. And it turns out that sitting there and looking at genuinely beautiful things is something most of us don’t do nearly enough.
Also, every operational steam locomotive still running today exists because a bunch of passionate, slightly obsessive people refused to let it die. There’s something worth celebrating about that.
Let’s Talk About the Best Scenic Train Rides in America
🚂 Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad — New Mexico & Colorado
This one is hard to oversell, which is saying something because I’m about to try pretty hard.
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad runs 64 miles between Antonito, New Mexico and Chama, New Mexico, dipping back and forth across the Colorado border through some of the most remote and dramatic terrain in the entire country. Your phone signal disappears somewhere around mile 10 and honestly it’s the best thing that happens to you all day.
The route climbs toward 10,000 feet, crosses a trestle that will make your stomach do a little flip, and delivers the kind of untamed beauty of Colorado and New Mexico that simply cannot be photographed adequately. You just have to be there.
It’s a National Historic Landmark, the journey takes most of the day, and a bus brings you back to your starting point afterward. Or vice versa. Select dates during summer and around Memorial Day weekend fill up fast, and I mean fast. Don’t learn that lesson the hard way like some people I could mention.
Where to stay: Chama, New Mexico is a genuinely sweet little town. Find a lodge, grab something from the local general store, and just decompress. You’ve earned it. We stayed at the Chama Trails Motel, which was perfect.
🚂 Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad — Colorado
If someone held a gun to my head and made me pick one train ride in America, this might be it. Sorry to everyone else on this list.
The Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad has been hauling passengers through the Animas River Canyon since 1882, and the steam locomotives doing it today look and sound almost identical to the ones doing it then. The canyon walls get close; uncomfortably, thrillingly close; and the rocky mountains pile up in every direction while the river crashes around below you.
Silverton itself is half historic mining town, half ghost town, and completely wonderful. Get off the train, walk around, have lunch somewhere, poke into the shops. Don’t just sit on the platform waiting for the return trip.
And if you go during the holiday season with kids, the Polar Express experience on this route is one of those rare things that actually lives up to the hype. Kids who ride the Polar Express here don’t forget it. Parents don’t either.
Where to stay: Durango is a fantastic base with college-town energy, great food, easy mountain access. Silverton has historic lodging if you want to really lean into the rich history and atmosphere of the place.
PRO TIP: I recommend taking the bus to Silverton and returning on the train.
🚂 White Pass & Yukon Route — Skagway, Alaska
Yes, this one technically crosses into Canada. I’m including it anyway because the starting point is in the United States and leaving it off would be criminal.
The White Pass & Yukon Route follows the exact path that Klondike Gold Rush prospectors stumbled along in the late 1890s, climbing from the tiny coastal town of Skagway up through mountain passes that will genuinely make you wonder how anyone survived that era. Glaciers appear. Waterfalls drop off sheer cliff faces. The highest peak on the route hits at White Pass Summit and the views are absolutely absurd in the best way.
A lot of people catch this as a day trip during a cruise ship stop in Skagway. If that’s you, do not skip it for a gift shop visit. I’m begging you.
PRO TIP: Sit on the left side of the train in the last car for amazing views out the back!
🚂 Great Smoky Mountains Railroad — Bryson City, North Carolina
Western North Carolina doesn’t get nearly enough credit, and the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is a big reason why that’s such a shame.
Operating out of Bryson City, North Carolina, this historic railroad takes you through river gorges and mountain tunnels and across trestles with the ancient Appalachian hills framing everything like a painting. It’s a beautiful ride in every season, but fall — oh, fall is something else entirely.
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad runs a good mix of trips throughout the year: sightseeing excursions, dinner train evenings, holiday season Polar Express runs that sell out before most people even realize they’re on sale. If you want the October foliage runs specifically, set a calendar reminder right now. Those go fast.
Bryson City itself is the kind of small town that makes you slow down involuntarily. Stay at least one night. Wander around. Eat somewhere local. Don’t rush this one.
Where to stay: There are great cabin rentals and cozy inns in and around Bryson City. The town sits right at the edge of national park land, so the natural beauty doesn’t stop when you step off the train. We stayed at the Stonebrook Lodge, which I recommend.
🚂 Skunk Train — Fort Bragg, California
The name is the first thing that gets people and honestly it does its job perfectly.
The Skunk Train has been running out of Fort Bragg along the Northern California coast since 1885, winding through redwood groves and into the Sierra National Forest on steam train rides that feel genuinely timeless. The nickname came from the early gas-powered cars that passengers claimed they could smell before they could hear coming. The steam version smells different but the charm is the same.
It’s a solid day trip from San Francisco, maybe three hours north, and the coastal scenery leading up to Fort Bragg is half the adventure. If you’ve been sleeping on Northern California above wine country, this is your wake-up call.
🚂 Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad — Fish Camp, California
Right outside the south entrance to Yosemite National Park, this narrow gauge logger railroad winds through the Sierra National Forest on vintage steam engines that once had an actual job hauling massive logs out of the mountains.
It’s small. It’s quiet. It’s the kind of experience that sneaks up on you because it doesn’t announce itself loudly. Kids love it, adults love it more than they expect to, and if you’re already making the drive to Yosemite it’s basically a crime not to stop here and ride the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad.
🚂 Historic Grand Canyon Railway — Williams, Arizona
Here’s a travel hack that more people should know about: you can take a train to the Grand Canyon.
The Historic Grand Canyon Railway leaves from Williams, Arizona every morning and rolls north through ponderosa pine forest, depositing you at the South Rim without the parking nightmare and without the white-knuckle shuttle bus situation. The Canyon Spirit steam locomotive leads many of the departures, there’s entertainment on board, the food service is decent, and you arrive actually relaxed.
The railroad museum in Williams is worth getting there early for. And Williams itself — with its Route 66 history and walkable downtown — is worth an evening.
Where to stay: Williams has some great historic accommodations. Grand Canyon Village puts you right on the rim if waking up to that view sounds appealing. Spoiler: it does.
A Few More Scenic Train Rides in America Worth Your Time
- Strasburg Rail Road (Pennsylvania) — One of the oldest short-line railroads in the country. Unpretentious, charming, genuinely fun. The railroad museum next door is a bonus.
- Nevada Northern Railway (Ely, Nevada) — A National Historic Landmark where you can actually drive the locomotive on special occasions. Yes, for real. Worth the detour to Ely.
- Georgetown Loop Railroad (Georgetown, Colorado) — Great half-day option near Denver. Mountain scenery, manageable time commitment, good for first-timers or families with younger kids.
- Conway Scenic Railroad (North Conway, New Hampshire) — The White Mountains of New Hampshire are gorgeous and the Crawford Notch run earns its reputation. Good base for a long weekend in the area.
- Cass Scenic Railroad (West Virginia) — Deep in the Allegheny Mountains on old logging grades steep enough to make you grip your seat. Dramatic, beautiful, and wonderfully unknown outside of rail circles.
The Practical Stuff Nobody Warns You About Scenic Train Rides
Book earlier than feels necessary. I cannot stress this enough. The Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and Toltec Scenic Railroad specifically, select dates disappear months out during peak season. The moment you’re even vaguely considering going, go ahead and book.
Special events book faster than regular departures. Holiday season trains, dinner train nights, themed excursion runs, these are fantastic but they vanish from the calendar almost immediately. Check each railroad’s website and sign up for their email list if they have one.
Bring a jacket, no matter what month it is. Open-air cars in mountain terrain are stunning and also legitimately cold. I’ve watched people learn this lesson in real time, and it’s not a fun lesson.
Credit cards work fine at most ticket sales windows and on board. Bring a little cash anyway for smaller stops and food service along the route.
Follow these railroads on social media. Last-minute availability, weather delays, and schedule changes tend to hit social media before anything else gets updated. Worth a follow.
If you have mobility needs, call ahead. Policies vary pretty significantly from railroad to railroad. A quick conversation with someone on staff before you commit saves headaches later.
Final Thoughts on Scenic Train Rides in America
You’re going to want to do another one before you’ve even finished the first one.
There’s something about the pace of these trips — the slowness, the scenery, the complete absence of anything urgent happening — that genuinely recalibrates something in your brain. You stop rushing. You start looking. And by the time you’re rolling back into the station with coal smoke in your hair and a slightly ridiculous grin on your face, you’re already mentally planning the next one.
That’s not an accident. These steam train rides have been delighting people for over a century because they tap into something real. The natural beauty, the rich history, the clack of wheels on old iron; it doesn’t get old.
So go book something. Seriously, right now, while you’re thinking about it.
All aboard. 🚂
Got a favorite scenic train ride that didn’t make this list? Drop it in the comments — there’s always room for one more.
Check out these related posts:
- Best Things to Do in Skagway, Alaska
- Best Things to Do in Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Best Things to Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Denver Colorado Weekend Itinerary
Happy travels,
Annick, The Common Traveler
Raised as a third culture kid living in South America and Europe, Annick caught the travel bug early. As an empty-nester, Annick enjoys sharing her tips for traveling for those with champagne taste and beer budgets.