Route Profile: Southwest Chief

Amtrak's Southwest Chief is a long distance train operating daily between Chicago and Los Angeles. The train covers 2265 miles in about 43 hours. Destinations along the way include Kansas City, Topeka, Albuquerque, the Grand Canyon, and Los Angeles.

The train leaves Chicago on BNSF tracks, which it will follow all the way to Los Angeles. The train follows the same route as the California Zephyr and other short distance trains to Galesburg, where it takes a more southerly route than the Zephyr. The train crosses a small corner of Iowa before making its way across Missouri to Kansas City. The scenery through here is mostly farmland, with the Mississippi River crossing shortly after Galesburg. You will go to sleep in Missouri, probably near Kansas City.

During the night the train crosses Kansas, making a few stops there. You will wake up near the Kansas/Colorado state line. In Colorado you have your first smoking stop of the day, in La Junta, where you can get off the train and stretch your legs for a few minutes. The Colorado scenery on this train is not the same as on the Zephyr, the landscape is mostly plains here. The train does not spend much time in Colorado, because it turns more to the south to get to New Mexico.

Before crossing into New Mexico, the landscape turns more mountainous. The train crosses the Colorado/New Mexico state line and the Continental Divide at the same place, in Raton Pass, at an elevation of over 7000 feet. After crossing the Divide, the train descends the other side of the pass and stops in Raton. The scenery will stay somewhat mountainous across New Mexico. The Southwest Chief does not stop in Santa Fe, but you can get a commuter rail train there from Lamy or Albuquerque. Albuquerque is the train's long stop where it restocks the food and water and everything else on the train, so you are there for almost an hour. There are some vendors on the platform selling New Mexico souvenirs, and they have some pretty cool stuff there.

It will get dark about the time you get to Arizona, and you will sleep across that state. People going to the Grand Canyon get off at Williams Junction, so that is a busy stop. The train makes other stops in Arizona, before you wake up the next morning in southern California. The scenery here is also mountainous, and you will go through the famous Cajon Pass that morning. The pass is very scenic, and if you like trains, there are lots of them. Don't get too comfortable in your lounge seat though, because the train is scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles at 8:15 that morning, and the trip is done.

If you are thinking of visiting Los Angeles or the Grand Canyon, Amtrak's Southwest Chief is the way to go. It's not my favorite Amtrak route, but it is scenic enough to capture your attention. It is one of the faster transcontinental routes, taking less than 48 hours from end to end. This train frequently runs on time, so scheduling issues should not be too much of a concern. This popular train books up quickly though, so grab the tickets while you can!