There is usually a Route Guide brochure in each sleeper compartment.
Here is the online PDF of the California Zephyr route guide:
https://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/692/258/Amtrak-California-Zephyr-Train-Route-Guide-2014.pdf
Some info on, and some sights from, the CZ:
http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/62808-sights-on-the-cz-route/?hl=%2Bglenwood+%2Bcanyon
http://www.thephotoforum.com/threads/the-big-10.406943/
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Arvada,+CO/@39.8574197,-105.2551272,1948m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x876b88bf184901ff:0x1f855e310a07f8ec!8m2!3d39.8027644!4d-105.0874842
http://www.thephotoforum.com/threads/gore-canyon.406980/
http://www.thephotoforum.com/threads/trains-trains-trains.18773/page-8#post-3624880
http://www.thephotoforum.com/threads/gore-canyon.407783/
Some of us like to keep track of where we are, our speed, and our elevation using a GPS application:
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn290/CougarWilbur/Amtrak/Fall%202016%20CZ/GPSDisplay_101816_0825.jpg
From Chicago to Iowa will be mid-west farmland.
To Denver the train runs on tracks owned by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BSNF) railroad. From Denver to Emeryville the train runs on Union Pacific (UP) railroad tracks.
The next morning the train starts it's climb out of Denver up the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.
The Sightseer lounge car gets pretty full even before the train pulls out of Denver Union Station.
The first notable sight is the Big 10 Curve, the formal start of the
Front Range climb.
From here to the MoffatTunnel the train can only go about 30 miles per hour.
There are 29 tunnels between Denver and the Moffat Tunnel that lets the train go under the Continental Divide.
Once the train gets through the first tunnel soon after the Big 10 Curve we can look down on Denver/Boulder area out the right side of the train.
In the foreground is the former site of the
Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons manufacturing site, now
the most toxic waste site in in the United States, and a wildlife refuge and
not currently open to the general public.
Further along the next sight is the 340 foot high Gross Reservoir dam that will also be out the right side of the train at the Crescent curve.
Shortly after there the train starts railing along beside South Boulder Creek that flows to the Gross Reservoir.
The train exits the Moffat Tunnel at the base of the Winter Park ski area and is now on the Western slope of the Rocky Mountains.
After the Fraser/Winter Park stop the train starts following the Fraser River through Fraser Canyon.
A couple of miles past the Granby stop the Fraser river joins the Colorado River out the right side of the train.
The next sight is the approximately 8 miles (13 km) long Byers Canyon located in the headwaters region of the Colorado River between Hot Sulphur Springs and Kremmling. Highway US-40 goes through Byers Canyon too.
Out of Kremmling the train veers to the southwest and enters a very sparsely populated area of the
Western Slope and spectacular
Gore Canyon.
The train passes under I-70 at
Dotsero and hangs a right just passed where the Tennessee Pass train route and the Eagle River join the Colorado River.
Lovely
Glenwood Canyon and the scenic town of Glenwood Springs is just ahead.
Pulling out of the Glenwood Springs stop the Roaring Fork River joins the Colorado as it continues heading downstream.
Some 50 miles from Glenwood Springs the train goes through De Beque Canyon and is the starting point of the
Book Cliffs the train will be near well into Utah.
In the canyon on the left side of the train is a roller gate dam that diverts water in a series of canals to irrigate the
Grand Valley.
After the Grand Junction stop and going through the small town of Mack the train veers left, goes under I-70, and after going through a short tunnel about 1.5 miles further on enters scenic
Ruby Canyon.
In Ruby Canyon the CO/UT border is noted with paint on the cliff walls
About 15.5 miles further the train veers right as we get our last look at the Colorado River.
Soon the train rejoins I-70 until the train veers back north after the Green River, UT stop
The Book Cliffs are with us all the way to the Price/Helper area .
The next morning fins the train east of but approaching Reno, NV and joins the Truckee River.
Leaving Reno the train continues along the Truckee River and starts climbing up into the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Past the stop at Truckee the train makes a switchback and at the top of the grade turns left in a tunnel that exits giving us a look down at the China Cove area of
Donner Lake.
There are some tunnels and snow sheds as the train continues climbing to
Donner Pass.
Past Donner Pass the train descends towards Sacramento and the end of the line in Emeryville.