Do you have a couple of spare days? Do you love nature? Do you need a break from your hectic work life and want to get away from all the hustle and bustle of your life?

OR

Are you planning to visit America and have decided to visit California and Washington?

Then, this journey is meant to be for you.

From the State of Washington to the State of Oregon and finally to the State of California. All three are West coast states of America.

West Coast of America has it all to make your adventure desires come true, either by road or train, you will surely enjoy the time of your life by exploring its beauty and sea coast.

To fulfill your adventure desire, you can try this Amtrak (train) service Called coast-starlight-train. It started in 1971,as the name suggests, it will take you from coast to coast from Los Angeles, California to Seattle, Washington, via Portland, San Francisco Bay area, and vice versa.

DURATION

You need to be really patient and passionate about exploring differently since it will be a 35 Hours journey one-way, whether you want to start with Seattle or Los Angeles. You must be thinking, why would it take 35 hours?

It will be covering 1,377 miles (2,216 km) with 28 stops at an average speed of 40 mph (64 km/h) (avg.) 79 mph (127 km/h) (top)

The speed isn’t on the top side, that’s how you can enjoy this scenic route.

TICKETS

The train consists of three ticket classes. Coach, Business, and Room

Coach tickets would go from 100$ or up on a weekday (One-way)

Business tickets would go from 200$ or up on a weekday (one-way)

Or you can get a room with a shower, which would cost 800$ or up on a weekday (One-way)

Weekend prices will be higher.

I started my journey in Seattle

The Coast Starlight train is the best scenic route you can imagine. Your journey will start from either Union Station Los Angeles or  Union Station Seattle. Both union stations are historic pieces of art, with old seats still fitted for passengers.

The train consists of a separate compartment for check-in baggage/Bike or you can keep your baggage on a luggage rack in your compartment, which would have limited space.

First, you have to go to the ticket counter to get your seats. And wait till the announcement about the train arrival and platform information would be announced or posted on the information Screen.

The process to get onboard is really smooth, and it is pet friendly also (you have to check which pets are acceptable, carry-on-pets.). The ticket master will scan your ticket and guide you toward your designated compartment. 

Coach seats were comfortable, wide, and with legroom with wide windows and charging sockets by your seat. As coach seats were comfortable, business and room would be as well. Business and Coach compartments have two seats on each side and a walkway in the middle.

The train would start slowly on time and you will get goosebumps as its starts. You will pass through Seattle city and later out of the city with lavish green fields in front,  you will be observing every single bit of what people doing in fields and birds flying around your train with a bit of lake here and there.

The best thing about this journey?

Well, It has a whole compartment for viewing only. With windows on top and side, to have a panoramic view, You can walk from compartment to compartment to get into the Observation car. Oh, it has dining tables too, so you can have your meal if you are bringing it onboard with you.

Have you ever heard about the dining compartment too? Well, this train has it for you. It is a community dining compartment, which means you will be sharing your table with three strangers onboard (you will have to buy your meal with price ranges 15-20$), isn’t it a cool way to have a conversation while seated at a meal table?

You have to reserve your spots with the ticket master, all announcements will be made onboard about it.

Back to our journey,

It is now dinner time by 6 pm and the train will now be going through steep Cascade mountains with mouth-dropping views in Oregon.

The slowness of this train will make you think about your life. If a railway track can be laid at this height of the Cascade Mountains, then you can get through your life’s tough situation too. You just need to navigate through it.

If you are done thinking about your life or relationship issues, then you would surely need some Coffee or snacks at this point. There’s a pantry a few steps down in the viewing compartment, where you can buy coffee or snacks.

Announcements will be made with every stop approaching and the duration of the stop.

Toilets are small, so you have to compromise on them.

As the morning approaches, as the San Francisco station would be a few hours away, it would be around 10 am when you would arrive in San Francisco. From here to Los Angeles you will have 11 hours more to go.

You are now passing through California and viewing its sunny weather along the way with the freeway followed by your side and a bit of a hilly ride along the way.

What can you do onboard to utilize your Time?

– Reading, while enjoying views

– Unplug all negativity around you and focus on anything you want to achieve in your life

-You can edit your videos if you are a content creator

-The best time for any blogger who wants to gather ideas and write about it

-Compose yourself, if you are going through a lot in your life

Let’s get back to the journey,

Entering into the final leg of this journey

Once you arrive at San Luis Obispo’s station, you will get 45 mins of a stop. Step out at the station to stretch your legs and enjoy the calmness at this station.

After crossing this station, you should head back to the observation car to grab a seat as soon as possible, otherwise, you will miss the mesmerizing views coming ahead.

After a few minutes, the train will be passing through the coastline, the famous west coast coastline with your track only that close to the coast.

If you want to see the sunset, you should travel from Seattle or any stop from the North to the South side till San Luis Obispo, so you can catch the sunset while passing through the coast.

Mesmerizing sea and coast will make your mouth drop in aww mode and a few goosebumps as the sun sets down after a long journey you had will make this journey worth every single penny.

The beauty of the coast while seeing RV’s along the side of the coast and surfers thrashing through the waves, will keep your attention on the views.

As you will pass through the coast, and reach at Oxnard station you will be near your final destination at Los Angeles Union station. And back to city’s hustle and bustle.

Grab your belongings and with a new start after a thoughtful and adventurous journey, step into your routine life. You have now experienced the scenic west coast route with loads of natural scenery and calmness in you.