Trails & Rails Program
Enrich your travel experience and learn about our nation's natural and cultural sights along your route with a National Park Service guide.
Enrich your travel experience and learn about our nation's natural and cultural sights along your route with a National Park Service guide.
Onboard Heritage Appreciation
Enjoy your time traveling across the country with National Park Service volunteer guides and their traveling show-and-tell programs as they explain regional historic and natural resources related to your journey.
Whether visiting iconic natural treasures like the mighty Mississippi River valley, historic landmarks like the Roosevelt mansion in Hyde Park or cultural attractions like New Orleans Jazz National Park, you can connect to public lands and engage in a better understanding of the need to preserve and protect these special natural and cultural resources.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, railroads have played an active role in developing America's national parks and we are proud to be a part of this partnership that provides a fuel efficient and environmentally friendly way to visit public lands.
Learn more about the Trails & Rails program and see what routes have programs onboard.
Travel Through History
Pacific Northwest
Coast Starlight
Seattle, WA – Portland, OR
Considered to be one of America’s most scenic train routes, the Coast Starlight parallels the beautiful Cascade Mountains on its journey between Seattle and Portland. The diminishing glaciers and current volcanic activity of these mountains provide the backdrop for the many relevant human stories to be told along the way.
This region’s history is tied deeply to several Native American tribes who inhabited these lands for centuries before adventurers from other parts of the world began to arrive in the late 1700s. This is a land of geographical, geological and cultural diversity and beauty, all of which guides will describe and interpret on this beautiful journey.
Pacific Northwest
Empire Builder
Seattle, WA – Wenatchee, WA
Experience one of the country’s most beautiful routes between Seattle and Wenatchee, WA on the Empire Builder. The train runs on the shoreline of Puget Sound with stunning views of the Olympic Mountains and local marine life. Tracks crest the Cascade Mountains at nearly 3,000 feet above sea level as they go through the longest tunnel in the U.S.
This region’s history is tied deeply to several Native American tribes who inhabited these lands for centuries are still very much a part of the region. This is a land of geographical, geological and cultural diversity and beauty, all of which guides will describe and interpret on this beautiful journey.
Northeast Corridor
Adirondack/Empire State
New York City, NY – Albany, NY; Saratoga Springs, NY – Westport, NY
Join us as we travel north from New York City to Albany alongside the Hudson River. Keep an eye out for bald eagles diving into the river for their next meal. During our time together we’ll discuss the Native Americans who still call this valley home, Henry Hudson's exploration, New York’s contributions to the American Revolution and much more.
For the segment north of Saratoga, we will continue discussing the Native Americans who call this land home, the American Revolution and the critical results of the Battle of Saratoga, the French and Indian War and the historic significance of the Adirondacks.
Southern California
Coast Starlight
San Jose, CA – Paso Robles, CA
Trails & Rails Guides on the Coast Starlight between San Jose and Paso Robles tell the story of the Juan Bautista De Anza Expedition, families who immigrated to California in 1776 and founded both San Francisco and San Jose.
The railroad was built a hundred years later along the same route taken by the Anza expedition; the towns, farms and ranches built along tracks bring more stories of California history, all brought to life by your Trails & Rails Guides.