SUGGESTED ITINERARIES - All Aboard: The Complete North American Train Travel Guide - page 312

back aboard the Chief. It runs right alongside the original Santa
Fe Trail for miles, crosses the Rockies by way of Raton Pass in
Colorado, and then heads across the plains and through farm-
lands to Galesburg, Illinois. For a long weekend in June, this
small town hosts an annual event called Railroad Days, which is
worth seeing. You can catch the California Zephyr right there in
Galesburg and head back westward, hopping off in the little town
of Granby, Colorado, for a few days of fishing, riding, or just gaz-
ing at the mountains. Then it's back aboard the Zephyr, which
follows the Colorado River through 130 miles of canyons to
Glenwood Springs. The next day, you'll cross the Sierras by way
of Donner Pass to the college town of Davis, California. Spend
the night there at the Hallmark Inn—it's a two-minute walk from
the station and has a terrific restaurant. The next morning, hop
on the Coast Starlight for the scenic run back down the coast to
Los Angeles.
Oh, Canada! New York-Toronto-Vancouver-Seattle or
San Francisco
Let's plug VIA Rail into this itinerary, specifically to take advan-
tage of that famous ride through the Canadian Rockies. Start
out from New York City on the Maple Leaf. It's an all-day ride
that will take you up the Hudson River to Albany, then across
New York State to Niagara Falls, where you'll cross into Canada
and arrive in Toronto before 8 P.M. Take a day or two for this
extraordinary, cosmopolitan city. Stay at the classic Royal York
Hotel, which is right across the street from the train station. Next
comes one of the truly great train rides anywhere in the world:
the 3,000-mile journey across Canada to Vancouver aboard VIA
Rail's premier train, the Canadian. Trust me, you'll have great
sleeping-car accommodations in a traditional stainless-steel rail-
car, great views from the classic dome cars, and great food in the