Men's Journal

Now that you’re in the know about the 5 best train rides, set up with gear for the voyage, and privy to how to ride in style, check out five more trips to explore North America’s best scenery. (Click the map to get a better look at the routes.)

By Sarah Rose

6. The Canadian
Canada’s VIA Rail is everything Amtrak should be: comfortable, friendly, and reliable. Plus, its cross-country service from Toronto to Vancouver, which offers up the grandeur of the Canadian plains and Rockies, is endlessly scenic. VIA even bends over backward for outdoorsmen: Passengers can get off at any mile between Sudbury Junction and Lake Winnipeg and get picked up on a return trip ($430; viarail.ca).

7. The Malahat
Vancouver Island has the top “see it before it’s gone” train in North America, a charming single-car, self-propelled diesel dayliner that makes a 4.5-hour excursion between Victoria and Courtenay. First Nations tribes partnered with small island towns to keep the line running, past virgin forest and views of the Coast Mountains across the strait, to small communities like Duncan, with its 80 totem poles ($24; viarail.ca).

8. California Zephyr
Amtrak’s long-distance service is just a step up from the bus, but this route is still the best way to see America, from the green farm belt and arid Great Plains to the winding passes of the Rockies and Sierras ($145; amtrak.com).

9. The “L”
When Spider-Man stops a train or movie mobsters hear the rumble of rails, it’s the Chicago “L.” An icon of urban rapid transit, the Loop is the best bargain in travel, passing some of the world’s greatest architecture, from the Sears Tower to the limestone canyons of the financial district ($2.25; transitchicago.com).

10. The Empire
In fall, the Hudson River Valley is aflame with botanical fireworks. From Albany, the train follows the bucolic Mohawk River to the ultimate water feature: Niagara Falls ($55; amtrak.com).

Don’t forget your essential train gear: to see the must-have item to take along for the ride, click here. Or click here to read how you can travel in style in your own private rail car. To return to the original five best train rides, click here.

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This article originally appeared in the September 2009 issue of Men’s Journal.