7 Days On Amtrak’s California Zephyr

7-Day Trip Itinerary

Pack your bags and make your way to Chicago however you choose. That’s where we’ll hop the train that’ll take us all the way to California.

Day 1 – Chicago, Chicago -> Omaha

The California Zephyr departs in the early afternoon. This means that depending on your arrival in Chicago, you may have half a day or more to explore. Get a view of Chicago unlike any other at the Willis Tower Skydeck, near the top of what was once America’s tallest building. You can even creep out over the edge and look down nearly 1,400 feet on “The Ledge”! First-time visitors to Chicago will also want to check out the famous reflective “bean” (officially known as Crown Fountain and Cloud Gate) at Millenium Park, also just a short walk from Lake Michigan.

And if you love luxury shopping, the Magnificent Mile is a can’t miss. This stretch of Michigan Avenue includes top-tier retail like Saks Fifth Avenue and luxury hotels like the Four Seasons. All of these attractions are just a short walk or drive from Chicago’s Union Station, allowing you to easily head over to catch your train when the time comes.

Time To Board!

We’ll be on the train through the afternoon and evening. Enjoy the small towns of Illinois and Iowa, vast farm fields, and the Mississippi River. Grab your luggage and hop off in Omaha, where we’ll spend day two of our trip.

Day 2 – Omaha, Omaha -> Denver

Get an early start today, as you’ll need to hop back on the train late tonight. Omaha may not be the most talked-about city, but it’s one rich in American history and classic food culture. Start your morning with a stroll around the Old Market area of downtown. This has been the heart of the city for generations. It’s home to unique shops, delicious restaurants, art galleries, and more. The original cobblestone streets and classic architecture will help transport you back to Omaha’s heyday, when it was a 19th-century boomtown producing huge quantities of the nation’s meat and sheltering travelers heading west.

Omaha’s Wild Side

After finishing your coffee, head on over to the famous Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. If you ask Omahans the one thing you should see in their city, chances are they’ll mention the zoo. It’s consistently ranked as one of the country’s best and largest zoos, even beating out major competitors like the San Diego Zoo. You could spend the whole day checking out the zoo’s 962 different species but make sure not to miss the famous Desert Dome, which recreates a desert environment inside a geodesic dome.

Head back into town and grab some lunch, and prepare for a busy afternoon. Omaha is home to several highly-rated museums, including the Joslyn Art Museum and the Durham Museum. Fans of 19th and 20th-century art, as well as Native American art, will love the Joslyn, while history buffs can learn about the area’s past inside a beautifully restored train station at the Durham.

Omaha Steaks (No, Not THOSE Omaha Steaks)

Before you hop on the evening train, make time for a steak dinner. After all, you are in Omaha, a city that was once home to the largest stockyards in the nation. You can’t go wrong with Omaha Prime in the Old Market neighborhood or Johnny’s Cafe, which will celebrate 100 years of service in 2022.

Day 3 – Denver

As dawn breaks, you’ll find yourself in the wide-open plains of eastern Colorado. But don’t get too used to the prairie. This morning, you’ll arrive in Denver, one of the fastest-growing and most beloved cities in the Mountain West. Our abbreviated, one-day itinerary won’t even begin to explore the incredible areas surrounding Denver. Still, it should give you a good taste of the city that’ll have you dreaming of your next visit.

Before you leave Denver’s Union Station, take some time to admire this restored architectural masterpiece. This Beaux-Arts and Renaissance Revival-style incarnation of Union Station was completed in 1914. The now-iconic neon “Travel By Train” sign was added in 1952, just as the popularity of air travel began to grow and the station’s usage began to slip. The station fell into disrepair until a massive restoration effort was completed in 2014, marking the station’s hundredth anniversary. These days, it’s home to high-end shops, delicious bakeries and coffee shops, and even a hotel! Grab a room at The Crawford to make your commute to your morning train tomorrow extra easy.

LoDo and Downtown Denver

Exit the station into the bustling heart of Denver, the LoDo district, one of Denver’s oldest neighborhoods. Get to know the city by taking a short stroll to Larimer Square, the site of the original encampment that grew into the city of Denver. These days, it’s best known for some of the city’s best shopping, dining, bars, and nightlife.

From here, it’s just a short walk to another of Denver’s most popular areas, the 16th Street Mall. This roughly 1-mile pedestrian portion of 16th Street stretches from Union Station to Broadway. Famed architect I.M. Pei created the design on the ground out of red, white, and gray granite to resemble a diamondback snake from above. Grab a coffee or a bite to eat at one of the more than 40 cafes along this area and do a little people-watching. This is another great area for shopping if you didn’t get your fill in Larimer Square. If you’re not in the mood for walking, you can even hop on the free MallRide shuttle buses that travel up and down the mall.

Denver Is Intoxicating

Denver is known as the Mile High City – and these days, that’s not just a reference to the altitude. Colorado was at the forefront of the movement to legalize marijuana for both medical and recreational use. If it’s your style, grab a spot on one of the cannabis tours from companies like My420Tours, which take you inside grow houses producing massive amounts of marijuana for the state’s legal dispensaries. Depending on the tour company, you may also make stops at dispensaries so you can try out the wares you just saw growing!

If you don’t partake, don’t worry. Denver also has an amazing craft beer scene. Take a trip to one of the dozens of breweries in the city, or hop on one of Denver’s brewery tours. And if you love beer as cold as the Rockies, you’re just a dozen miles or so from Golden, Colorado, home to the Coors Brewery. You can take a 30-minute tour that shows the brewing and packing process, as well as the history of the Coors brand.

Traveling with kids or just not interested in Denver’s “elevated” scene? Check out two of the cities top museums instead, the Denver Art Museum or the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Both are packed with fascinating exhibits for folks of all ages. They’re also not a bad idea to visit after one of the tours we mentioned above, if you catch our drift!

Rock Out At Red Rocks

We’re going to head out of the city for the late afternoon and evening to one of the most striking sights in the Denver area – Red Rocks. This combination concert venue and park is truly something to behold. The same processes that created the Rocky Mountains forced these massive, reddish formations out of the ground, jutting in all directions. Construction on the now-famous amphitheater began in 1936 as part of the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps. The massive construction project took five years but produced one of the country’s most distinctive venues. Seats descend more than 100 feet toward the stage, nestled between the gargantuan Ship Rock and Creation Rock. The amphitheater can seat more than 9,500 people at maximum capacity.

If you can get tickets to a show for the night you’re in town, do it. It’s almost not worth looking at who’s playing – simply experiencing a show in these incredible surroundings and one-of-a-kind acoustics is worth it. If there’s no show, fear not. Red Rocks also offers some wonderful hiking opportunities. For a shorter hike late in the day, try the 1.4-mile Trading Post Trail. You can also check out longer options like Red Rocks Trail or other shorter connector routes through the Red Rocks area.

Day 4 – Denver -> Salt Lake City

After your busy day in Denver yesterday, you may need some time off your feet. And the good news is you’ll get it today, in the most spectacular fashion possible. You’ll be on the train from morning until after dark, but you’ll be treated to some of the most amazing scenery of the entire trip. If you can, grab a seat in the observation car. You’ll want as many windows as possible to soak in these views.

Rocky Mountain High

From Denver, you’ll wind slowly up into the Rocky Mountains, climbing higher and higher on tracks snaking along narrow ledges. You’ll make stops in the small town of Fraser, home to the highest altitude Amtrak station, at 8,574 feet, and Granby. You’ll also travel through the incredible scenery of Glenwood Canyon, with walls stretching as much as 1,300 feet above the Colorado River. From the train, you can marvel at the rushing water nearby and the innovative feats of engineering that carry the I-70 highway through the canyon. There’s also a late afternoon stop in Grand Junction, the largest city on Colorado’s Western Slope. As the sun goes down, you’ll skirt the northern edge of Arches National Park as you cross the border into Utah. From here, it’s a short jaunt through the Wasatch Mountains to Salt Lake City, our destination for the night.

We could write all day about the one-of-a-kind natural beauty you’ll see on this portion of the route, but simply, it has to be seen to be believed.