Amtrak’s California Zephyr passes a plateau during its daily 2,438-mile trip to Emeryville/San Francisco from Chicago that takes roughly 52 hours on March 24, 2017 in Helper, Utah.

Amtrak’s California Zephyr glides nearly 2,500 miles between Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area. Colorado is right in the middle, with train stations nestled in mountains, deserts and plains.

A one-way ticket from Denver to Glenwood Springs on the California Zephyr begins at $46, and a one-way ticket from Glenwood Springs to Salt Lake City begins at $42. amtrak.com.

Scenes from a ride on Amtrak’s long-distance California Zephyr train trip through the northern Sierra Nevada. (Javier Panzar / Los Angeles Times) But the best way to pass the time is the dining car.

Running between Chicago and Emeryville, California, the Zephyr is the longest continuous train ride in the United States, in ...

Hello and welcome to Chicago Union Station! Today we’re riding on Amtrak’s California Zephyr while taking a look at Amtrak’s ...

Amtrak’s California Zephyr, considered by many rail enthusiasts to be among the most scenic long-distance train routes in the United States, operates between Chicago and Emeryville, Calif., near ...

In the morning, I joined the California Zephyr on its 2,400-mile run to Chicago. The Zephyr is rightly regarded as Amtrak’s most scenic train across the Sierras and Rocky Mountains.

The California Zephyr just turned 75, and the Chicago-to-San Francisco Amtrak train — known for its breathtaking scenery — is still chugging along.

EMERYVILLE, Calif. - The journey east on Amtrak's California Zephyr is as good as the destination. Riding the rails from the San Francisco Bay Area to Reno, Nev., offers beautiful views and a ...

Nobody understands the magic of Amtrak's California Zephyr train quite like Brad Swartzwelter, better known to passengers as Conductor Brad. During Swartzwelter's 30-year career as a conductor, he ...