The '''California Zephyr''' [http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Route/Horizontal_Route_Page&c=am2Route&cid=1081256321209&ssid=137] is a daily long-distance Amtrak train connecting downtown Chicago to the San Francisco Bay area (Emeryville, near Oakland). The journey takes about 51 hours, longer if delays occur along the route. Equipment used is common to most Amtrak long-distance routes, with two-level ''Superliner'' passenger cars, sleeper cars, dining cars, an observation/snack bar car, and possibly several baggage/expedited cargo cars.
Route Overview
The California Zephyr begins its westbound journey at Chicago's Union Station [http://www.chicagounionstation.com/]. Passengers see the Chicago River and central Chicago as the train eases out of the station. The train soon leaves the urban zone behind, and crosses the open prairie of central Illinois, southern Iowa, Nebraska, and Colorado. The following morning, the train pulls into Denver's Union Station [http://www.rtd-fastracks.com/dus_1].
After Denver, the ''California Zephyr'' climbs the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, passing through resort towns like Winter Park and Glenwood Springs as it follows the path of the Colorado River. Soon, the East- and West-bound trains pass each other, high in the mountains. The train continues following the increasingly-larger Colorado River, leaving the Rockies behind. The train crosses into Utah after sunset, and stops in Salt Lake City (typically before Midnight).
The bulk of the night passes as the train clears the salt flats west of Salt Lake City before entering the Great Basin of northern Nevada. In the late morning, the train arrives in Reno, gateway to the Sierra Nevadas. Early afternoon of day three, the train goes through the extraordinary scenery of the Sierra Nevada mountains, gradually descending to Sacramento. A couple of hours later (approximately 6:00 PM) the ''California Zephyr'' arrives in Emeryville.
The ''California Zephyr'' is timed so passengers will see the most-scenic points of the Sierras and Rockies, regardless of direction traveled.
Total route length is just over 2400 miles.
Stations
From east to west:
Chicago, Illinois
Naperville, Illinois
Princeton, Illinois
Galesburg, Illinois
Burlington, Iowa
Mt. Pleasant, Iowa
Ottumwa, Iowa
Osceola, Iowa
Creston, Iowa
Omaha, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
Hastings, Nebraska
Holdrege, Nebraska
McCook, Nebraska
Fort Morgan, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
Fraser, Colorado
Granby, Colorado
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Grand Junction, Colorado
Green River, Utah
Helper, Utah
Provo, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Elko, Nevada
Winnemucca, Nevada
Sparks, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Truckee, California
Colfax, California
Roseville, California
Sacramento, California
Davis, California
Martinez, California
Emeryville, California