10 Popular Getaways in the United States & Canada: Adventures in Your Own Backyard
Mar 30, 2022 · By Vacations By Rail
Our thoughtfully planned getaways include everything you need for a North American adventure to remember.
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2023 Tour code: TU-ZYSW-23
About the tour
Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks offer some of the most impressive natural sights, and they are yours to discover on this best of the west rail and drive vacation. Admire the expansive Teton Mountains, Old Faithful bursting to the sky, waterfalls and hot springs, and of course, an outstanding variety of wildlife, including grizzly bears, bison, and elk.
Your grand adventure begins with a classic overnight rail journey from Chicago to Salt Lake City aboard the legendary California Zephyr. The following four days are filled with independent explorations by car. Perhaps take time to discover Salt Lake City's famous sites, such as Temple Square and the historic State Capitol, before embarking on a scenic drive into Wyoming. Here, the cowboy town of Jackson brims with western charm, and Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks showcase their natural treasures. When your national park explorations conclude, return to Salt Lake City and board the California Zephyr for your onward journey to San Francisco.
Highlights
What’s included
Itinerary
Get set for your Wild West adventure as you board Amtrak's California Zephyr at Chicago Union Station. Settle into your onboard accommodations, sit back and relax as the train begins its journey west. Walk through the train to the glass-walled Sightseer Lounge car for panoramic views of the passing scenery. Overnight train.
Additional information
Hotels
Train
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Reviews
4.1 / 5 · 15 reviews
Barbara Anderson
Submitted 06 Jun 2023
The views were amazing! We had a car rental waiting for us at Salt Lake City. We enjoyed driving ourselves into Jackson Hole, Grand Tetons (and they are GRAND!), and Yellowstone. Simply amazing! The bedroom was small and cramped, but served it's purpose. The toilet in our room did not flush appropriately so we ended up with a smell in our space. The hotels were great, as well as all the other accommodations made. As senior adults, it was part of our bucket list to experience train travel. We did, but seriously doubt we will ever travel this way again. There should be some sort of rotation system placed on the observation car. This is one of the most scenic train trips. People should NOT be allowed to camp out in there with no disregard for others on the train.
Collected by Trustpilot
THOM GEIST
Submitted 18 Oct 2022
In general it was wonderful. The train was comfortable and the scenery amazing. Hotels were all just fine. It was very disappointing that we had no access to the dining car on the train. If we had been told of that in advance we had missed it. We would not do another train trip of any length without that availability.
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RAYMOND GOCHENOUR
Submitted 18 Oct 2022
The trip was wonderful,the hotel at Yellowstone was very nice a three star hotel after being spoilt With five star hotels it seemed a little lacking but overall everything was wonderful. The train was really cool enjoy the ride a little hard to sleep on but loved it off
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LOU ANN MONTGOMERY
Submitted 17 Oct 2022
We never got to take the second leg of our trip from Salt Lake City to San Francisco due to the POTENTIAL rail strike and Amtrak did not give us a voucher towards future travel. We had to schedule our own flights at emergency cost to us and this was not only stressful, but ended up costing us MORE than the original refund of just the train ride!!!! We have not been satisfied with any response!
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ALLEN JONES
Submitted 22 Sep 2022
We really enjoyed the Zephyr from Chicago to Salt Lake City. The accommodations were fun, the meals were mixed - some very good; others not so much, the service by all Amtrak staff very good. The scenery was outstanding! Hotels in Salt Lake & Yellowstone were very nice. Unfortunately our trip was interrupted by the railroad strike (that never happened). Vacations by Rail has handled it very professionally and quickly. I also bought trip insurance and have filed a claim (still waiting for a resolution from them).
Collected by Trustpilot
Richard Pardo
Submitted 15 Sep 2022
SLC does not have a working AMTRAK station. It does not open until 10 PM and there is no cab service at the station. (You have to call for service). No warning was given about either of these short comings in the VACRAIL information. You should consider either adding that or correcting the paid for service to the local hotel for my package.
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