The annual exercise of catching fall colors before they’re gone — blink and you might miss them — can be taxing.
Want to drive for hours just to battle traffic? Or get up early to hike with hundreds of your fellow foliage fans in the nearest national park?
There’s another option: Hopping a train, which can often take you where cars and feet cannot.
“Aboard a train, no one in the group has to focus on navigating winding mountain roads, traffic congestion, or finding parking at crowded pull-offs,” Martha Gowin, marketing manager for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado, said in an email. “Everyone gets a front-row seat to the landscape.”
Across the country, historic railways, tourist trains and even Amtrak lines tout their access to fall colors. Here are several worth considering, as a last-minute trip this year or a long-planned one for 2027.
Mount Washington Cog Railway
Trip: The Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire emphasizes its “dramatic ascent” and adventurous nature. That’s because the trains are built with a special “cog and rack” mechanism and track system that lets them safely, if steeply, climb to a peak of nearly 6,300 feet from the Marshfield Base Station.
Through mid-October, passengers take a three-hour round trip, including a one-hour layover at the top, where an observation deck, visitor center, cafeteria and museum await. During the colder months, the trip takes about an hour total, with the climb topping out at about 4,000 feet at Waumbek Station.
Tip: Dress for bad weather in warm, waterproof clothes and “sturdy footwear,” even before the height of winter. The railway proclaims the summit to be the “home of the world’s worst weather.”
Don’t miss: Sending a letter from the summit post office with a Mount Washington postmark, if you visit when it’s open. Otherwise, make sure to buy supplies for hot dogs or s’mores at the base station to roast at the top of the winter ride.
Amtrak Adirondack
Trip: The 12-hour journey from New York City’s Penn Station to Montreal (or back) glides along the Hudson River and offers views of the Catskills, the Adirondacks and Lake Champlain. It’s a perpetual fall favorite for the Upstate New York scenery. Sojourner White, a Milwaukee-based travel blogger known as the “Train Travel Queen,” had wanted to take the trip for years when she finally booked it in late October last year.
“It’s a beautiful fall ride,” she said, and it was surprisingly uncrowded when she went. She brought a book to read, worked on her own upcoming book, “America by Rail,” and spent a day in Montreal before flying back to Wisconsin.
Tip: Bring your passport, passport card or other acceptable documentation needed to cross the Canadian border. And come prepared with food if you don’t want to rely on the cafe car for the long haul.
Don’t miss: White enjoyed getting an up-close look at Montreal-style bagels with a bagel-making class.
Western Maryland Scenic Railroad
Trip: The Frostburg Flyer is a 4.5-hour round trip between Cumberland and Frostburg through the Allegheny Mountains. The trip, which includes bridges, mountain curves, the Brush Tunnel and an hour and a half in Frostburg, is available on weekdays through late October.
Passengers can choose from seating options including coach, open-air cars, lunch class, first class or a dome-enclosed car. The cost ranges from $45 to $130 for adults.
“On these mountain train rides, you have an elevated experience. You can see for miles and so you see all these treetops,” said Scott Bachmann, creator of the YouTube channel Joyful Trails, who went on the railroad last summer with his father. “I love it because it puts things in perspective for you.”
Tip: For a shorter seasonal ride, the Pumpkin Patch Limited is a one-hour round trip from Cumberland to a pumpkin patch at Bone Cave on upcoming weekends. Costumes are encouraged, and the $14 ticket includes a pumpkin.
Don’t miss: Exploring Cumberland’s downtown and historic district. Bachmann said he had “some of the best shrimp I’ve ever had” at Crabby Pig, a short distance from the train depot.
Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad
Trip: The bed-and-breakfast train on the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad in Trego takes passengers on a 16-mile round trip past farms, woods and the Namekagon River.
The train departs at 5:30 p.m. and includes a four-course dinner on linen tablecloths and china before returning at 8 p.m. During the time it travels in the dark, lights under the train show the passing surroundings, said Greg Vreeland, the railroad’s special-projects director.
Overnight guests stay on board for sleep and breakfast, with checkout time at 10 a.m. The cost is $499 per couple, and the trip is for adults only.
For families or those with less time to spend, a two-hour sightseeing ride is $22 for kids and $30 for adults.
Tip: Vreeland said fall color and winter holiday rides sell out fast, so he suggests booking early.
Don’t miss: Kaitlin Horsch, executive director of the Washburn County Tourism Association, recommends the beer and barbecue at Round Man Brewing & Smokehouse not far from the railroad.
Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
Trip: For a full day of history and sights, take the 45-mile trip between Durango and Silverton in Colorado, traveling through San Juan National Forest. The round trip takes 3½ hours each way, with a two-hour stop in Silverton, an old mining town.
Gowin, the marketing manager, said the route climbs about 3,000 feet in elevation and offers views of quaking aspen, 14,000-foot peaks, evergreen forests and canyon walls.
Retired professor Jeff McNair, who posts videos on Pops’ Hiking and Travel on YouTube, rode on the railroad earlier this year and said the mountains were gorgeous, and both Durango and Silverton had “that really cool old Western feel that you would hope to get when you were in Colorado.”
Prices start at $118 for adults for coach.
Tip: Gowin recommends dressing in layers, because the weather can change quickly.
Don’t miss: McNair enjoyed the museum at the railroad’s Durango depot and the original Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.
Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad
Trip: The fall splendor excursion on the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad showcases the Tillamook Coast on a ride that lasts 2 hours and 15 minutes. The trips are available through Nov. 15.
The trip starts at the Rockaway Beach station and travels for 45 minutes to Wheeler, where it stops for a 45-minute layover before returning. Docents provide narration about the railroad’s history and the natural surroundings.
Tip: A one-hour Halloween Coast ride on Oct. 24 and Oct. 30 includes trick-or-treating, decorations and free apple cider.
Don’t miss: Fans rave about the seafood at Old Oregon Smoke House in Rockaway Beach.
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