The California Zephyr! Riding from Chicago to Grand Junction (and back)

This spring I got to check another thing off my bucket list: riding the California Zephyr! The California Zephyr is an Amtrak train that takes you from Chicago to San Francisco in about 52 hours, if you do the whole route. My boyfriend and I were headed to Utah to visit Salt Lake City and hike the Mighty Five. We decided to make the trip even more epic by starting and ending it with a ride on the California Zephyr, from Chicago to Grand Junction, CO (which takes about 26 hours).

We grow up learning about trains, seeing them in movies, hearing about our uncles’ obsessions with them, etc. But in America in the 21st century, they are not a normal way for us to travel from point A to point B. I can’t pinpoint where this desire to book a train journey originated, but I know this podcast expedited making it actually happen. If you are interested in train travel you will love this one! I loved it and I didn’t even know I was that interested in booking a train trip lol.

Zero to Travel: Train Travel Around the World w/ Mark Smith

I’m going to share all about our time on one of America’s most famous trains: costs, what to expect, tips, would I recommend it, all those kind of things. If you’re considering booking a train journey I think this information will help you make that decision. So let’s get into it 🙂

How much does the California Zephyr cost?

The caveat here is that prices will vary based on time of year and how far you go on this route. We booked tickets in January for a May departure. We opted for a roomette, the smallest private room you can get (obviously the bigger rooms get more expensive but you could potentially split the cost with more people). Keep in mind that we did not go all the way to San Francisco, so that lowered our ticket price.

We paid $1,200 total one way (for 2 people). $600 one way per person. So there and back set us back $2400 in all. Not cheap when you consider what the cost to fly from Chicago to Grand Junction would be. That would be somewhere around $400 per person round trip, making the total travel cost for 2 people $800 (plus baggage fees). So taking the train is about $1,500-$1,600 more expensive than flying. Who would do this??

That seems like a crazy amount of money to spend compared to flying. But you also have to take into consideration what else you get for that price. It’s an overnight journey there and back, so you can think of it as two nights you’d have to spend on a hotel or other accommodation. Plus you get all inclusive meals (and some alcohol), so you’d have to add up how much money you’d be spending on 3 meals a day for 2 people. That extra money goes towards 4 days worth of meals and 2 nights accommodation. So maybe another $1,000 you’d be spending at your destination for hotel and food.

When you factor all that in, it’s definitely still expensive, but not as bad as it might look at first. You’re paying for an experience. A journey. Being able to see America’s landscape change in front of your eyes with a glass of champagne in hand from the observation car. Sharing meals and conversation with other travelers. Living the slow pace of train life for a couple days. For me, the cost was worth it, to have this experience at least once.

What To Expect

Let me start by saying it’s a really good time! We weren’t sure if we’d fall in love with train travel or not going into it, but it was such a cool experience I know we’ll do again in the future. We started out in Chicago’s Union Station which is really pretty. If you book a roomette, you get access to the lounge in the station which made us feel pampered and fancy and definitely built excitement for the upcoming journey. I would recommend coming early enough to relax in the lounge for a bit.

They also had attendants come around the lounge to make our dinner reservations for that night, so you get first choice for dinner seatings if you’re in the lounge before departure. There are free snacks and drinks available, and you can also purchase alcohol from the little bar. We explored Union Station since it was our first time there and ended up getting pizza for lunch. We grabbed some free snacks to eat on the train later.

We settled into train life quite well. I’m glad we packed minimal bags to bring into our roomette because it was very cozy! Once we saw our room and got organized, we headed up to the observation car. They had a little happy hour going on to celebrate the start of our journey. It was so exciting rolling out of Union Station knowing we would get off the train multiple states away. We felt so chill knowing we had nothing to do for the next 26ish hours besides sit on a train lol.

We headed back to our room and played one of the games we brought before it was time for dinner. It was so nice to sit in our room and talk and watch the world go by. Meals were always really exciting because you got seated with other travelers and never knew what conversation was in store.

Breakfast and lunch you got to choose one option from the menu (and you didn’t need a reservation, you could go at your convenience during dining hours). Dinner was a bit different because you got 3 courses and one alcoholic drink (and you had a reservation for a certain time). I have to say I was really impressed by the quality of the meals and all the options on the menu. They actually had a chef cooking as we ordered!

The quality of sleep will be different for everyone. I think some people do quite well, with the rocking of the train actually helping. Others will struggle to get good sleep just due to comfort of the beds, sound of the train horn, train movement, etc. We both fell somewhere in the middle. I didn’t get my best night of sleep, but I definitely slept well enough and was able to function the next day.

I did bring a travel sound machine which helped drown out all the noises at night (and I always sleep with an eye mask). The train has to blow the horn for any railway crossings, which was loudly happening all through out the night. On our ride back to Chicago, we had to make up a lot of lost time from delays, so the train was ZOOMING during the night. It was wayyyy more bumpy and made it harder to sleep soundly. I thought the beds, pillows, and linens were comfortable enough. Overall I’d say my sleeping experience was better than I expected it to be, but again, this will be so personal for everyone.

You won’t get many opportunities for fresh air. There are a few stops where you can get off for literally 2 minutes, and some stops you can’t get off at all. In Denver we had our longest stop. I think we were able to walk around for 20-30 minutes. Just something to be aware of that never crossed my mind before I went on this trip.

So I haven’t touched on the landscapes or scenery at all yet, but I don’t actually think I want to get too into that here. It’s the true beauty of the trip that you’ll want to experience with fresh eyes yourself. Just know that you pass through some incredible sections of America. Having the glass top observation car to see the countryside from is a top tier travel moment. What you see out the window is what makes riding the California Zephyr so special.

I wanted to end this section by saying that the staff does a really good job of keeping you informed. Considering it was our first time riding the California Zephyr and not knowing what to expect, they made everything really easy and smooth for us. We knew about meal times, where we could get off for fresh air, how long our delays would be, etc. They also narrated the scenery really well when we were going through somewhere notable. I learned so much!

Best tips for the California Zephyr

Many blogs recommend bringing your own pillow. I was planning on doing this but then didn’t want to deal with lugging a pillow around the rest of my trip. I slept just fine with everything provided by Amtrak, so this one is up to you!
Bring your own snacks, games, books, and a bottle of wine. You get one drink included with dinner, but we always wanted more than one drink 😉 We were fed so often and didn’t really need our snacks, although it was fun to have them. We brought one game which we did enjoy playing in our room! And the rest of the time when I wasn’t busy eating, drinking, or looking out the window, I was reading a book. Bliss.
We tipped our dining staff and room attendant at the end of each trip.
You will have delays. It’s inevitable, so don’t make plans in your final destination on your arrival day. You won’t be able to know what time you’ll actually arrive. I think we were a few hours “late” reaching both our destinations.
If you booked a roomette like we did, it’s SMALL. Like barely room for 2 backpacks small. So definitely make sure you pack accordingly. Bring everything you’ll need for the train ride in a small bag that will fit in the room. Leave everything else in your main luggage and check that or keep it on the luggage racks. We really didn’t need much. One outfit, pjs, change of underwear, one pair of shoes, and some toiletries was enough. Next time I’d definitely pack way more minimally for our room.
There is no wifi and many sections of the journey don’t have cell service either. Being so disconnected was amazing. It made things even more relaxing in my opinion, but it’s definitely something to be aware of if you were planning on working or anything like that.

Final Thoughts

I absolutely loved our days on the California Zephyr. I didn’t know what to expect going into it, or how I’d feel about the price by the end of it. But it was a fun experience I would highly recommend if you have the time and money to spare. I will say a trip like this doesn’t make as much sense if you don’t have much time to work with. Although you could technically take the train one way and save time on the way back by flying home.

I’m not sure if taking the train will become a regular way we travel due to the higher cost. It’s more of a special, bucket list experience. However, as soon as we finished this trip I was already looking at other Amtrak routes. I would love to take the train to Boston and explore more of the east coast. The route from Chicago to New Orleans is also enticing.

The idea of a train journey was so romantic in my head. The slow pace. Being in transit for an extended amount of time. Sipping champagne surrounded by strangers all on a journey of their own. Seeing America from a different angle. Stepping back in time. And I’m happy to say it lived up to that vision!

My very favorite part of riding the California Zephyr (besides the ever changing, beautiful landscapes) was being able to ease into and out of our vacation. Typically, you have a frantic travel day at the airport, and you arrive at your destination flustered and exhausted. When you take the train, you literally have nothing to do day 1 of your vacation. You’re stuck on a train. You can’t do anything but be present (the lack of internet definitely helps). It was the most wonderful feeling starting vacation doing absolutely nothing but still being on a new adventure. Coming home was the same. Vacation was sadly over but we still had a day to sit and relax on the train before getting back to reality. Sooooo good!!

If booking a train journey is something you’ve been curious about or interested in, I hope this post convinced you to make it happen! The California Zephyr is epic–you won’t be disappointed!