Trying to plan a cross-country trip with USA Rail Pass

[aviva_dawn]

It's been a long time since I last posted, but I'm back!

I graduate with my BA in May and my family is giving me a 15 day USA Rail Pass as a graduation present. I'm very happy about this, being that I love trains, and Amtrak especially. I just have to pay for the upgrades on the trains that I want to upgrade on (for me, that's the Starlight and the Builder) which is fine with me. I also plan to have a break in using the pass because I want to ride the Acela from WAS to BOS and the pass doesn't cover that.

I'm in a bit of a quandary and I hope for some advice about the routing.

I can leave either on May 21st from Reno or May 22nd from Los Angeles.

I have planned the May 21st Routing to be.

RNO-CHI-WAS (Break) BOS-NYP-CHI-SEA-LAX-EMY-RNO (There is an overnight layover between the Starlight and Zephyr in EMY.)

I have planned the May 22nd Routing to be:

LAX-SEA-CHI-WAS- (Break) BOS-NYP-CHI-EMY-SBA-SAN (Then I'm getting a California Rail pass myself to go all over California for a week and back to RNO. )

Obviously, I am wanting to use the pass to travel on the entirety of the Builder, Starlight and the Zephyr and try to squeeze in what I can of scenery wherever and whenever. In your opinion, which journey offers the most scenery to be seen in the daytime and seems to give me the most bang for my buck?

My other question: Do the 15 days have to be continuous? Does that count days that I'm NOT on a train at all? The answers will determine whether I might extend my trip to visit other places as well (NOL, ATL, MIA....)

Thanks!

 

[gone fishing]

You have 15 days to travel 8 segments. Some of the segments you have chosen are more than 1 night. A segment is getting on the train and then stepping off. To preserve the 8 segments to the longer more expensive ones it is wise to purchase the cheapest segments.

There are currently 2 threads on the first 2 pages here pertaining 15 day rail passes.

 

[aviva_dawn]

Thank you.

 

[SarahZ]

I don't have any feedback on the rail pass; I just wanted to say congratulations. What are you studying?

 

[aviva_dawn]

Political Science

 

[gone fishing]

You mentioned riding the EB. I also will take this west and which ever route you take is only 1 segment as the two join in Spokane

 

[June the Coach Rider]

You have to start and finish your 8 segments within 15 days. The last day of the pass is midnight on the 15th day. You can also only travel on the same route 4 times, for example you could not travel back and forth on the same train more than twice each way between cities on one pass. I always use the rail pass and on my trip in April, it is saving me close to 250 just from Miami to Portland going MIA-CHI-LAX-PDX-SAC-CHI-WOR and this leaves me one segment if I want to travel up to Seattle while I am in Portland 3 days. I am beginning my trip in WOR, but paying for WOR-ALB than using AGR points from ALB-ORL.

Have a great trip. I hope this helps. An example of what will work, is if you break up the CZ by stopping in Glenwood Springs, that would make the whole CZ trip two segments because you got off, stayed over and got back on.

 

[Sam314]

CZ & EB are certainly the classic LD routes for beginners. Not a bad choice.

There are two things which seem to be a bit odd:

WAS-BOS-NYP-CHI (I guess you're taking train 66 from WAS-BOS), why don't you do WAS-NYP-BOS-CHI, this would give you the opportunity to travel BOS-ALB (Albany) too. Train 66 uses pretty uncomfortable rolling stock, at least to my single experience (there won't be a second one).

The other one is SEA-LAX-EMY-RNO. I'd suggest you to take the northbound trip through via BFD (Bakersfield) which would allow you to get to RNO in one day. Otherwise why don't you travel to SAC (Sacramento) instead of EMY? There's a nice youth hostel there (it's located just a few blocks east from the station).

Besides, in Denver: This place is right opposite Union Station http://www.wynkoop.com - Unfortunately Denver nowadays just gets a 30min stop, so good luck with trying a beer or two without missing your train.

Oh, and bring earplugs, sleeping mask and an inflatable neck pillow in case you want to sleep in coach.

 

[aviva_dawn]

I should have explained from the beginning,

I stop for 2 days in WAS to visit some of the sights and then take the Acela to BOS, a day in Boston to go to Concord and see Orchard House (Louisa May Alcott) and then to NYP, where I spend another day visiting Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. I recall Train 66 being a Regional and wasn't planning to take it.

Your second suggestion was something that I thought about as well. and because the bus-train-bus combo to get to SAC from LAX uses three segments on its own and I was going to use my California Rail Pass for that part, it should work quite nicely.

I will probably leave on the 21st, as it would probably work better for me.

Thank you so much!

 

[tomfuller]

You could pay the $70 for the trip from RNO to SLC and start the Rail Pass at 3AM on the 22nd in Salt Lake City.

You are wise to stay the night in EMY since the Starlight gets into SAC about midnight which is late to be looking for a room.

If you start the pass on the 22nd, it will expire at midnight on Sunday June 8.

 

[June the Coach Rider]

You could pay the $70 for the trip from RNO to SLC and start the Rail Pass at 3AM on the 22nd in Salt Lake City.

You are wise to stay the night in EMY since the Starlight gets into SAC about midnight which is late to be looking for a room.

If you start the pass on the 22nd, it will expire at midnight on Sunday June 8.

If he starts it at 3AM on the 22 of May, he would have to complete his last segment by midnight on June 6th not the 8th.