Yes, it’s that time of the year again! It’s time for all the US foliage aficionados to hit the road and take in all the cool colors of the season. In fact, many fans of fall foliage have already added admiring the autumnal awesomeness across the country to their travel bucket list.

Many choose scenic drives. Ah, but a scenic train ride is an even better option because then no one has to drive. On a scenic train ride, everyone in the family can enjoy the kaleidoscope of colors.

Indeed, seeing the surreal scenery from the comfort of a nice train is quite convenient. Train travelers need to worry about nothing but some snacks and a willing sense of adventure. Leaf-peepers plan their fall journey between late September and the middle of October in hopes of hitting peak leaf viewing. So kick back on a comfy train ride and see the best fall foliage in America. Here then to assist you with your itinerary, are the 11 best fall foliage train rides in the USA.

The 12 Best Fall Foliage Train Rides In The USA 

1. Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, Georgia

Head to Blue Ridge and climb aboard the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. It’s the perfect way to take in the colors of the season. This superb scenic 26-mile round trip tour takes a total of four hours as you travel along the rushing Toccoa River in the lush Chattahoochee National Forest. 

Relax in a vintage car and enjoy the views, then stretch your legs a bit during a layover at the border of Georgia and Tennessee in Copperhill, Tennessee, and McCaysville Georgia. Get a bite to eat at one of several quaint cafes and even do a little antique shopping if you wish. Ticket prices vary.

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Cumbres And Toltec Scenic Railroad, Colorado And New Mexico

Are you traveling in or around Colorado or New Mexico? Then set aside some time for a half-day or even full-day trip on the well-known Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, where this popular narrow-gauge steam train chugs along the border between Colorado and New Mexico. This mobile National Historic Landmark is a genuine coal-fired steam engine that travels a total of 64 miles across elevations as high as 10,000 feet. On this train route, you can enjoy autumnal colors, see historical buildings, and even an 800-foot gorge. If you like animals, the popular open gondola car is perfect for spotting bears, elk, and deer along the way as well.

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Green Mountain Railroad, Vermont

Yes, Vermont is famous for some stunning displays of foliage. So why not head to Chester and ride the Green Mountain Railroad? Enjoy this family-friendly, two-hour round-trip scenic ride.  

Looking for a bit of romance? Sign up for a four-course evening of fine dining on the romantic dinner train. Need more than a meal to properly grease the wheels? You can always make an intimate pit stop at awesome Okemo Mountain Resort for a really romantic one-night stay.

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Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, Ohio

Travel to the city of Peninsula. It is there that you can sign on for a scenic train ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Here you can soak up the sights of distinct dogwoods and sugar maples that have turned tints of yellow, orange, and scarlet.  

This loop route takes roughly three and a half hours and carries you through the often-overlooked Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It has actually been in operation since sometime in 1880. Visit the dining car if you would care to enjoy dinner with a view. You may also enjoy participating in such special events as paint and sip trips, beer tasting, and even costumed haunted Halloween trains.

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Essex Steam Train, Connecticut

You can peep the leaves of the assorted unspoiled fall landscapes around the Connecticut River Valley on the exceptional Essex Steam Train in Essex. You can also ride on a train pulled by a real steam engine. Up for even more adventure while checking out the fall foliage? Combine your train trip with a riverboat ride on the charming Becky Thatcher. 

Looking for romance on the amorous express? Book a dinner train excursion or even a special outing that includes wine and chocolate. Make a full day of it and schedule in time to explore the quaint villages of both Haddam and East Haddam too.

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Alaska Railroad Denali Star Train, Alaska

If you’re visiting Alaska, be sure to check out the fall foliage on the Alaska Railroad Denali Star Train. You can gaze at the lovely landscape and check off a bucket list visit to Alaska at the same time. The train travels from Anchorage to Fairbanks.

You will get a great view of a wide variety of quite colorful foliage through the wonderful dome car windows on this 12-hour train trip. If you plan your trip right and have a bit of luck with the weather, you might even be able to see both Denali and the world-famous Northern Lights as well.

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Mount Washington Cog Railway, New Hampshire

Journey to Bretton Woods. For it is here that you may book passage on the Mount Washington Cog Railway and see the view from 6,288 feet at majestic Mount Washington’s summit. This railway has been running for more than 150 years. 

This excursion is essentially a round trip three-hour tour (but don’t look for Gilligan). Here a pair of vintage authentic steam locomotives are given the opportunity to see not only five different states but also the Atlantic Ocean and even Canada. Following this fantastic foliage-finding outing, you can jump off and check out the visitor center at the mountain summit, check out the view from the observatory, and stroll through the interesting interactive weather museum.

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Mount Hood Railroad, Oregon

Situated approximately 60 miles east of the city of Portland in Hood River, is the popular Mount Hood Railroad. This railroad company offers a 22-mile journey through a colorful kaleidoscope of Oregonian fall foliage practically surrounding the snow-topped Mount Hood. The nigh-iconic Hood River runs through the Columbia River Gorge. It is there you will take in some of the best autumnal colors in the entire Pacific Northwest.  

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Napa Valley Wine Train, California

Ask yourself: Could anything be better than a scenic train ride to see all the lovely local fall foliage? If you are an oenophile, how about a scenic train ride to see all the lovely local foliage and wine as well? The latter is just what you can expect on this three-hour train trip.

Relax and enjoy the comforts of a rather luxurious vintage train transporting you back to the Victorian era as you soak up both the products and the landscape of Napa. Feeling peckish? Stroll to the dining car and partake of a “Napa-style, multiple course gourmet meal” with an impressive list of local wines. Be sure to book a seat in the popular two-level vista dome car to ensure you get the very best views of Northern California’s fall foliage.

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Amtrak’s Downeaster Route, Massachusetts To Maine 

Amtrak’s awesome Downeaster Route travels between Massachusetts and Maine to provide passengers with an exceptional autumnal show. Imagine riding the rails in an authentic vintage dome car dating back to the 1950s enjoying a unique panoramic leaf-peeping adventure and even being able to admire the awesome Adirondack Mountains to boot. Indeed, the window-covered train car generally joins the Adirondack route that runs from Montreal to Albany, where you will be able to see some superb views of the best fall foliage in all of upstate New York.

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Conway Scenic Railway, New Hampshire

All aboard! Climb on for a five-hour fall foliage trek on the Conway Scenic Railway leaving out of North Conway, You’ll be privy to some of the most scenic landscapes in the state. Be sure to pay special attention to the Crawford Notch pass of the White Mountains, which bursts bright orange, yellow, and red between late September into October.  

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Amtrak Vermonter, Vermont

This is actually a route that is available every day. Choose the right time and it will take you through some of the country’s most colorful and profuse fall foliage. Your journey begins in St. Albans not far from the Canadian border.

Mind you, what’s nice about this is you can actually climb aboard this train at any one of a total of 10 additional stops and ride it right through seven additional states to eventually stop in Washington, DC. Make a stop in Montpelier and watch people make maple syrup at a sugar shack or get off in Waterbury and check out the popular Cold Hollow Cider Mill where you can sample a hot, freshly baked cider doughnut right off the bakery’s treadmill. Experience the quaintness and enjoy the fall foliage in the hills of the Green Mountain State too.

There you have it, fellow train travelers, the 12 best fall foliage train rides in the USA. Hope you enjoyed the ride! 

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Well, train, train, take me on out of this town–Blackfoot, “Train, Train” (1979)

If you’re looking for a travel experience where the journey’s worth more than the actual destination, these train rides will take you through some of the most serene scenery in North America. Enjoy the old-fashioned feel of railroad travel. It’s a real road trip via railway as you thread your way through tiny towns and chat with fellow passengers on these 12 transcendent train rides through North America.

1.  The Cascades

The Cascades train trip goes from Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada to the cities of Seattle, Washington, Portland, and Eugene, Oregon. It’s a scenic, relaxing ride past historic Mount St. Helens and across the well-known Columbia River Gorge. The 156-mile trek’s span from Eugene to Seattle is especially noteworthy complete with evergreen forests, Puget Sound, and a great view of the Olympic Mountains. Veteran visitors say it’s like being in a four-hour living picture postcard.

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The Cass Scenic Railroad

This trip focuses on Cass in West Virginia. It’s an eight-mile trek through a place that singer-songwriter John Denver called “almost heaven.” This trip employs only original locomotives once used only to carry lumber to various mining camps. Now they carry passengers up an 11 percent-grade, four-mile slope complete with spectacular views of the mountains and a stop at the restored logging camp Whittaker Station. Go in October and see the fall foliage.

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The California Zephyr

Take this 2,438-mile train trip from Chicago, Illinois all the way to Emeryville, California. It’s a ride that lasts over two days and perfect for tracing the trail that early pioneers traveled when they settled the Old West. Take in all the grandeur of the West including the rugged Rocky Mountains in Denver, the scarlet boulders of Utah, rustic Ruby Canyon, the scenic Sierras, dashing Donner Pass, and scenic San Francisco Bay.

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The White Pass and Yukon Route

Head to Alaska for this 120-mile round-trip. Take in the shuddering sheer cliff drops on this nifty narrow-gauge ride. It was built in 1898 during the famous Klondike Gold Rush.

Your journey begins in Skagway where you’ll decide between three different excursions. You’ll go as high as 3000 feet within 20 miles. Their signature trip includes taking the old miners’ supply route to Carcross, Lake Bennett, and Bridal Veil Falls.

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The Cape Cod Central Railroad

Take in the beauty of this popular seaside community from Hyannis to Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. There are two options for this 27-mile trip. You can take the sightseeing tour that features informational narration or take the “foodie-favored” dinner train and have a freshly prepared dinner right on board the train. Both trips include a unique view of Cape Cod complete with adorable small towns, cranberry bogs, oceanfront trails, and salt marshes.

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The Grand Canyon Railway

Enjoy this (ahem) grand trip that starts in Williams, Arizona. It’s a 130-mile round trip. Unless you want to hike the canyon rim to rim (as your roving writer once did), this is a great way to avoid being stuck behind too many tour buses en route to the Grand Canyon. You’ll see Arizona’s pine forests, high desert, reservations, and San Francisco peaks prior to reaching the spectacular south rim of the canyon.

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The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

Here in Bryson City, North Carolina, you’ll have two choices in train treks through the Great Smoky Mountains. One trip is 32 miles long. The other is 44. The former, known as the Tuckasegee River Excursion, will take you through valleys and across historic bridges into the town of Dillsboro for a 1.5-hour stop. The latter is the Nantahala Gorge Excursion featuring the Nantahala and Tennessee Rivers, Fontana Lake, and the gorge.

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The Coast Starlight

Give your usual vacation driver (or yourself) a break and see the US Pacific coast from Los Angeles, California to Seattle, Washington via a relaxing train ride. You’ll travel a distance of 1,377 miles without anyone dividing their attention between the sharp curves and the numerous sights along the way. You’ll see the craggy cliffs beside the PCH, Mount Rainier, Mount Shasta, Oregon’s Cascade Mountains, Puget Sound, and the San Francisco Bay.

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The Sunset Limited

This scenic run begins in New Orleans, Louisiana, and ends in Los Angeles, California. This 1,995-mile trip begins in bayou country and travels through the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico, and West Texas. Visit during peak season and there will be national park guides on board to tell you of the geography and history of the area. Want a closer look? Simply get off at Saguaro or Big Bend National Parks.

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The Strasburg Railroad

Here’s the oldest railway on our list. Located in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, it offers a nine-mile trip through Amish Country. Take in the rolling hills and countryside as you ride the route once employed to carry products from industrial Pennsylvania to the coast.

It was restored sometime in the 1960s. Now a passenger train, the president’s and first-class trains feature “Gilded Age luxury.” This trip to Plymouth is even a family-friendly excursion.

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The Empire Builder

See the impressive Great Plains on this 2206-mile trip from Chicago, Illinois to Seattle, Washington. This 46-hour ride also includes eight scenic hours crossing great Glacier National Park. Hang out in the observation lounge and see such attractions as the famous Lewis and Clark’s expedition route, beautiful Whitefish, Montana, mountain ranges, and even a seven-mile tunnel bored through the impressive Cascade mountains.

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The Aurora Winter Train

Explore Alaska comfortably from Anchorage to Fairbanks, Alaska. Take this 358-mile route to see the Northern Lights all the rest of the state’s “greatest hits” in style. You can roam about the cars on this particular Alaska Railroad train.

Your 12-hour trek begins in surprisingly metropolitan Anchorage through what veteran visitors call “vertigo-inducing mountain passes,” across broad bridges, and into the depths of the wilderness. It’s there that you’re likely to see the aurora borealis reflecting off the pure snow and dancing across the night sky. The trip is only available in the winter (September through May).

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