Extraordinary landscapes and wildlife, untouched nature and quiet trails to meander for hours (with a good map and plenty of water, of course): America’s national parks make for a great summer alternative to your usual beach vacation.
Many don’t even require a car to visit. Several Amtrak routes travel in fact to or near some of these epic natural playgrounds, meaning you can bid farewell to highway traffic and money spent on gas, and focus instead on soaking in the views as you sit in plush seats with plenty of space for your camping gear.
Best of all, these journeys are often pretty scenic themselves, passing by dense trees and deep-blue rivers, vast canyons, and jaw-dropping gorges.
There’s something quite nostalgic—adventurous, even—about setting out to discover America’s wilderness by train. The slow ride becomes an experience itself, harkening back to a time when the world was explored at a leisurely pace.
These Amtrak national parks train rides are among the best to access five of the United States’ most stunning parks. Take note, then book one—or two—for the months ahead. Your inner explorer will thank you.
Yosemite National Park, California
The country’s third oldest park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Yosemite knows how to wow. Giant sequoias, plunging waterfalls, and majestic granite cliffs—hello El Capitan and Half Dome—welcome visitors to this untouched side of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, offering outdoor adventures spanning rock climbing, rafting, and horseback riding, as well as plenty of beautiful hiking paths.
The Amtrak San Joaquins train from Los Angeles, San Francisco or Sacramento (and Fresno seasonally) is the most stress-free way to get there. On the way, you’ll ride through the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, home to fields of tomatoes, peach trees, and almond orchards, before arriving in the small town of Merced. A connecting YARTS bus (which is included in the train ticket) takes you all the way into Yosemite from there, via the Arch Rock Entrance. You can also get off farther south at the Fresno train station and take YARTS through the South Entrance instead. The total travel time is close to six hours, but you’ll skip traffic lines and parking headaches, and arrive at Yosemite ready to explore.
Plan to stay at least two days (if camping isn’t your thing, there are plenty of rustic-chic options near the park), and include a stop at the Tunnel View lookout or El Capitan Meadow to snap a photo of El Capitan and marvel at the tumbling Bridalveil Falls. Not a pro-hiker? Rent a bike for an easy eight-mile ride to the Mirror Lake Trailhead, which boasts frontal views of the Half Dome.
Glacier National Park, Montana
With glacier-carved peaks and valleys running to the Canadian border, 700 miles of hiking trails, and over 130 spectacular lakes—don’t miss the Hidden Lake—Glacier National Park shows off the sheer beauty of Montana’s Rocky Mountains range. This is a haven for serious hikers, and a park so big you might want to plan at least a four-night visit, split between the West Glacier and the East Glacier (two different sides of the park), as they each have very different views, trails, wildlife, and even weather.
