Amtrak's Coast Starlight route traverses dramatic scenery of the West Coast from Los Angeles to Seattle. The route itself affords views to passengers of varied scenery such as snowcapped volcanic peaks of the Cascade Range, lush fertile valleys, urban vistas of great West Coast cities, and stunning Pacific Coastline. This article provides an overview of five great stopover points along the Oregon and Washington stretch of Amtrak's Coast Starlight route beginning at the Oregon/California border and heading northward to the route's terminus in Seattle, Washington.

Crater Lake National Park (via stops at Klamath Falls or Chemult)
Crater Lake is one of the crown jewels of the U.S. national park system. The deep blue of the lake surrounding by thousand-foot cliffs and spectacular scenery has inspired people for hundreds of years. The lake resides in the caldera of an ancient volcano called Mt. Mazama and with a depth of 1,949 feet is the deepest lake in the United States. The surface of Crater Lake is at an elevation of 6,178 feet. The Rim Drive around the perimeter of the lake, with elevations ranging from 7,000 to 8,000 feet, provides visitors with many spectacular vistas of the lake and the surrounding scenery of the Cascade Range. A variety of hiking opportunities are available such as hikes down to the lake surface as well as a wonderful hike to the summit of Mt. Scott, the highest point in the national park (elev. 8,934 feet), which provides dramatic panoramas of Crater Lake, other Cascade Range volcanoes, and Oregon's high desert country to the east. Boat tours on Crater Lake are also available, as well as drop-off and pick-up service to and from Wizard Island for visitors wishing to do some hiking (wear plenty of sunscreen for activities that take you out on the lake). Camping, lodging (at Crater Lake Lodge overlooking the lake in Rim Village, and at Mazama Village), and dining facilities are all offered within various points of the park.

Oregon's Willamette Valley (including Eugene, Salem, and Oregon City)
The second largest city in Oregon, Eugene is situated toward the southern end of the Willamette Valley, on the Willamette River with the Cascade Range to the east and the Coast Ranges to the west. Eugene is home to the University of Oregon and offers a highly walkable and vibrant center city adjacent to the university. A wide variety of shops, restaurants, and nightlife are available. Salem, Oregon's capital city, is also located along the Willamette River. The capitol grounds and the riverfront park offer pleasant places for strolling around. Just east of Salem is the quant town of Silverton, with a nice downtown, great restaurants, and the Pacific Northwest's only Frank Lloyd Wright designed home (one of his Usoniam homes). Oregon City, on the southeastern outskirts of the Portland metro area, and on the Willamette River, offers up some interesting history related to the history of the Oregon Territory and to Oregon's lumber and timber industry. Oregon City also contains the only outdoor municipal elevator in the United States. Traveling through Oregon's Willamette Valley also provides opportunities for exploration further afield in and around the volcanoes of the Cascade Range (such as Three Sisters, Mt. Washington, Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. Hood) on the eastern side of the valley, and in the Coast Ranges and along the Pacific Coast to the west.

Portland, Oregon
Portland is by far Oregon's largest city, with a metropolitan area population of around 2.2 million. The city has long been a poster child for urban planning in the U.S. As such, visitors to Portland will find an extensive and vibrant center city on the Willamette River that is easily walkable. Public transportation connections via bus, streetcar, lightrail, and even an aerial tramway, allow for easy transit connections within Portland's center city as well as to other points of the Portland metro area. Abundant attractions and points of interest in Portland include: Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Pittock Mansion, Portland Art Museum, Chinatown and the Classical Chinese Garden, Powell's bookstore (the largest in the world), Pioneer Square, Portland Saturday Market, and a waterfront park along the Willamette River. Washington Park in the hills above downtown Portland provides additional sites worth exploring, several of which offer spectacular views of the downtown Portland skyline with Mt. Hood as the backdrop on clear days. Places of interest in Washington Park include: the Oregon Zoo, the International Rose Test Garden, Portland Japanese Garden, and World Forestry Center Discovery Museum. Destinations worth exploring further outside of Portland include Mt. Hood, Oregon's highest point at 11,249 feet, in the Cascade Range to the east, the Columbia River Gorge east of the city with its many spectacular waterfalls and side gorges, the Oregon wine country, and the Coast Ranges and Pacific coastal areas to the west (including Tillamook, Cannon Beach, Ecola State Park for spectacular and dramatic Pacific coastal mountain scenery, Seaside, and Astoria on the mouth of the Columbia River). It is possible to do day trips from Portland to each of those areas.

Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier (via Kelso-Longview or Centralia, Washington)
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, in Gifford-Pinchot National Forest, preserves the area surrounding Mount St. Helens (elev. 8,365 feet), which reawakened in the famous of eruption of May 18, 1980. The volcano is still active and has erupted several times since 1980. However, a wide variety of auto touring and hiking opportunities are available within the park, as well as several visitors centers offering fascinating displays on the history and landscapes of the area. Many landscapes surrounding the volcano for miles are still recovering from the 1980 eruption, which affords visitors a unique experience to encounter and actively recovering volcanic landscape. Particular points of interest within the monument include Mount St. Helens visitor center on Highway 504 from Castle Rock, Elk Rocks, Coldwater Ridge visitor center and Coldwater Lake, Hummocks, and Johnston Ridge Visitor Center and Observatory. Johnston Ridge, offering breathtaking views of the volcano and the blast zone, is the closest that motorists can get to Mount St. Helens, within five miles. Mount Rainier National Park to the north protects Washington's highest point. Mount Rainier (elev. 14,411 feet), often seen on clear days from the Seattle-Tacoma metro area, is an active stratovolcano and is covered with at least 26 active glaciers. Visitors to Mount Rainier National Park will find abundant hiking, auto touring, and other wilderness activities for a variety of interests. The landscapes on and around the mountain change dramatically as the elevation increases. Old growth spruce-fir forests, Alpine meadows, waterfalls, glaciated ice fields, and views of the surrounding Cascade Range are all available to explore within this beautiful national park. Camping, lodging, and dining facilities are available at several locations within the park. Paradise, at, 5,400 feet, with the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center and the historic Paradise Inn, is one of the more popular areas.

Seattle, Washington
Seattle is Washington's largest city and most dynamic urban area, with a metropolitan area population of around 3.4 million. Seattle is located on an isthmus between the Puget Sound and Lake Washington, and flanked further east by the Cascade Range. As a major urban center and tourist destination in a beautiful natural setting, Seattle offers a wide variety of attractions for visitors to explore. Among the top sights to see and experience in Seattle include the Space Needle and Seattle Center, Pike Place Market, the Seattle Aquarium, Seattle Art Museum, the Seattle Waterfront, the Woodland Park Zoo, the Underground Tour, Tillicum Village, Chinatown and International District, Pioneer Square, and the University of Washington. Easy day trips and overnight trips from Seattle include Mount Rainier National Park, and the Olympic Peninsula. The Olympic Peninsula and Olympic Mountains west across the Puget Sound also offer a dramatic vista from the city and beckon travels to come and explore the scenic and natural areas of Washington's Pacific Coast and coastal mountains. Other sites further afield from Seattle that are also deserving of exploration include the San Juan Islands, Vancouver Island and the city of Victoria (capital of British Columbia), the Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island, and the exciting city of Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada. Washington State Ferries and BC Ferries offer services to these and many more destinations throughout the Puget Sound and Strait of Georgia. Seattle is also a major cruise ship port for cruises departing for itineraries and ports of call in Alaska.

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Paul McDaniel has traveled extensively in North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. These broad experiences combined with a graduate degree in geography allow him to write about travel and places from a local, regional, national, and global perspective. Paul’s other writing about travel and more can be found at Examiner.com and eHow.com. To build geographic literacy and become a more informed traveler, visit Geo Mania World. Read More from Paul

Amtrak's Coast Starlight route traverses dramatic scenery of the West Coast from Los Angeles to Seattle. The route itself affords views to passengers of varied scenery such as snowcapped volcanic peaks of the Cascade Range, lush fertile valleys, urban vistas of great West Coast cities, and stunning Pacific Coastline. Amtrak offers a "California Rail Pass" for travel aboard any of Amtak's trains within California. The pass allows for up to seven days of travel in California over a twenty-one day period for $159 (adults) and $80 (children age 2 to 15). With this in mind, this article provides an overview of five great stopover points along the California stretch of Amtrak's Coast Starlight route.

Los Angeles
Many first-time visitors to Los Angeles already have in mind what they would like to see: the famous sites of Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica. Although those are great sites worth seeing due to their influence on popular culture, the greater Los Angeles area offers many more excellent sites worth checking out. Everyone should experience the view of the Los Angeles Basin from Griffith Observatory, which sits on the upper slopes of Mt. Hollywood in the Santa Monica Mountains. From this vantage point, visitors can see downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Century City, the famous "Hollywood" sign and the surrounding Santa Monica Mountains, and the Pacific Coast. One of Los Angeles' great museums is the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center. The museum, a phenomenal work of architecture, which includes a wide variety of Getty's art collection on display (which he acquired from around the world), also offers visitors commanding views of the Los Angeles Basin, Century City, Santa Monica, the Pacific Coast, and the surrounding Santa Monica Mountains. If the smog level is low, the views from both the Griffith Observatory and the Getty Center are stellar both day and night. The Santa Monica Mountains themselves offer a wide-variety of hiking opportunities.

Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau - http://discoverlosangeles.com/

Griffith Observatory - http://www.griffithobs.org/

Getty Center - http://www.getty.edu/museum/

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area - http://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/placestohike.htm

Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, home to the University of California at Santa Barbara, is situated on the narrow land between the Pacific Coast and the steep Santa Ynez Mountains, north of Los Angeles. Santa Barbara is sometimes referred to as the "American Riviera" due to its dramatic setting and Mediterranean climate. The city and surrounding area offer much to visitors - beach and waterfront activities, resorts, a vibrant and highly walkable central city adjacent to the university with many cultural events, as well as wine country and hiking activities in the surrounding hills and mountains. Mission Santa Barbara - "Queen of the Alta California Missions" - is the historical focal point from which to explore the Spanish colonial history of the area. For a unique experience, look into a ferry ride to the Channel Islands, just offshore to the south of Santa Barbara. The islands, due to their isolation from the mainland, remain relatively undeveloped and contain a variety of plant, animal, and archaeological resources found nowhere else on Earth. Hiking, camping, diving, and whale-watching are all popular activities on and around the islands. Official concessionaires of Channel Islands National Park offer ferry service between Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands.

Santa Barbara Conference and Visitors Bureau - http://www.santabarbaraca.com/

Mission Santa Barbara - http://santabarbaramission.org/

Channel Islands National Park - http://www.nps.gov/chis/index.htm

Salinas (for Monterey and Big Sur)
Salinas is a good stopping point for access to the city of Monterey and the beautiful and dramatic stretch of Pacific Coast near Big Sur. The coastal town of Monterey has long been a popular destination for travelers. The easily walkable center city of Monterey has much for visitors to explore - many great shops and restaurants, as well as Fisherman's Wharf and Cannery Row. The world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium is also a popular destination, containing many displays on the area's abundant marine life (including sea otters, sea lions, bat rays, harbor seals, migrating whales, dolphins, and pelicans). The greater Monterey Peninsula also contains the communities of Carmel-be-the-Sea and Pacific Grove, as well as many resorts and golf destinations, including the famed Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill golf courses. Further south along from Monterey California Highway 1, travelers will encounter the dramatic Pacific coastal scenery of Big Sur. Due to such spectacular vistas, and because this stretch of California Highway 1 is considered to be one of the most scenic drives in the United States, Big Sur was ranked second among all U.S. destinations in TripAdvisor's 2008 Traveler's Choice Destination Awards. In addition to enjoying scenic views of the coast, mountains, and coastal wildlife, Big Sur also offers many hiking and outdoor activities.

Monterey Convention and Visitors Bureau - http://www.seemonterey.com/

Monterey Bay Aquarium - http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/

A Guide to California's Big Sur - http://jrabold.net/bigsur/

Hiking in Big Sur - http://www.hikinginbigsur.com/

San Francisco and the Bay Area
Travelers could spend weeks in the San Francisco-Bay Area and still only scratch the surface of all that there is to see and do in this amazing metropolitan area. Exploring San Francisco's many neighborhoods and cultural districts is an adventure in and of itself. The highlights of the San Francisco-Bay Area include: Downtown San Francisco, Chinatown, Union Square, Nob Hill, Cable Cars, Lombard Street (the "Crookedest Street"), Alamo Square and the "Painted Ladies" row of Victorian homes, Coit Tower, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, and Ghirardelli Square, Alcatraz Island, the Presidio, Cliff House, Golden Gate Park, the Golden Gate Bridge, hiking and views in the Marin Headlands, the bayside town of Sausalito, towering Redwood trees in Muir Woods, Mt. Tamalpais (the highest point in the Bay Area), Berkeley, among many others. A variety of culinary delights and remarkable shopping are found in around the many neighborhoods of San Francisco. In addition to many great museums, neighborhoods, and other sites, San Francisco also contains several National Park Service sites: San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, the Presidio of San Francisco, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Alcatraz Island, Muir Woods National Monument, Point Reyes National Seashore, and Rosie the Riveter/WWII Homefront National Historical Park.

San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau - http://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/

Chico and Redding
Chico, in the northern Sacramento Valley and home to the California State University at Chico, includes a nicely walkable center city area with numerous shops and restaurants and Bidwell Park, one of the largest municipal parks in the country. Redding, further north of Chico and the largest population center in California north of Sacramento, includes a number of interesting sights, the foremost of which is none other than the Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay designed by the world-renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The cantilever-style bridge crosses the Sacramento River and links the north and south sides of the Turtle Bay Exploration Park. Redding is a popular basepoint from which to begin exploration of many spectacular sights in the Cascade and Coast Ranges northern California, including Lassen Volcanic National Park to the east, Mt. Shasta to the north, Whiskeytown and Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Areas to the west and northwest, and Redwood National and State Parks along the Pacific Coast to the west.

Redding Convention and Visitors Bureau - http://www.visitredding.org/

Lassen Volcanic National Park - http://www.nps.gov/LAVO/index.htm

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area - http://www.nps.gov/whis/index.htm

Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area - http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/shastatrinity/recreation/nra/index.shtml

Redwood National and State Parks - http://www.nps.gov/redw/index.htm

For More Information

Amtrak California Rail Pass - http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/Simple_Copy_Page&c=am2Copy&cid=1081442673910&ssid=297

Ever since I saw my first sunrise over the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque, I’ve adored the southwest. And, having spent endless hours on road trips traversing the vast openness of New Mexico and Arizona, I’m kicking myself for not thinking to explore the area by rail. Oh well, for now I’ll do it vicariously through this article from Lonely Planet.

The first time I really noticed a train station was when I was just a wee traveler and we were driving past the turn-of-the-century Main Street Station in Richmond, Virginia. From then on, I was fascinated by the often historic landmarks heralding the great days of rail travel. While my all-time favorite station is close to home (the palatial Union Station in Washington, DC), I was simply enthralled by this article from Lonely Planet highlighting the greatest train stations in Europe.