12 Scenic Train Rides for Picturesque Fall Foliage Views Around the World
Whether you’re winding through mist-shrouded mountains, clinking glasses in vineyards or watching chefs craft seasonal delicacies as forests blaze by, each journey promises a blend of comfort, cuisine and chromatic splendor.
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As soon as summer wraps, a secret society of leaf-peepers emerges, armed not with cars or hiking boots, but with train tickets. These savvy travelers have unlocked the ultimate hack for witnessing nature's grand finale: the window seat of a rolling time machine. From the comfort of vintage carriages and luxurious dining cars, they embark on journeys that transform the simple act of getting from A to B into a front-row ticket to Earth's most dazzling show.
Picture yourself cradling a steaming mug, eyes fixed on an ever-changing canvas of crimson, gold and amber. Here, the journey is the adventure. Across continents and cultures, these scenic train rides are a passport to autumn's fleeting beauty, free from the constraints (and never-ending traffic) of roads or the limitations of a single vantage point.
Whether you're winding through mist-shrouded mountains, clinking glasses in sun-drenched vineyards or watching chefs craft seasonal delicacies as forests blaze by, each journey promises a unique blend of comfort, cuisine and chromatic splendor. From sea level to dizzying heights, through quaint villages and past ancient wonders, these trains don't just traverse landscapes—they time-travel through history, culture and nature's most spectacular transformation.
The Ultimate Fall Foliage Train Ride Guide
- The Golden State Express: California's Napa Valley Wine Train
- The Maple Leaf: Ontario to New York
- The Appalachian Autumn: Blue Ridge Scenic Railway
- The Rocky Mountain Fall: Colorado's Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
- The Alpine Autumn: Switzerland's Bernina Express
- Rockies to the Red Rocks: Rocky Mountaineer's Autumn Trek
- The Fall Heritage Line: U.K.'s North Yorkshire Moors Railway
- The High Country Trail: Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
- New Hampshire's Autumn Ascent: Conway Scenic Railroad and The Cog
- The Autumn Fjord Express: Norway's Bergen Railway
- The Fall Foliage Special: New York's Adirondack
- The Autumn Leaf Viewing: Japan's Tohoku Emotion
The Golden State Express: California's Napa Valley Wine Train
- Route: Napa to St. Helena, California | Best time for fall colors: Late October to early November
Who says California is all about beaches and palm trees? The Napa Valley Wine Train begs to differ. This journey is like stepping into a moving William Wendt painting, where vineyards transform into a patchwork quilt of golds, reds and purples. As you sip on a local cabernet, you'll glide past sun-dappled vines heavy with grapes ready for harvest. The clickety-clack of the rails provides a soothing backdrop to the excited chatter of oenophiles discussing terroir and tannins.
The Maple Leaf: Ontario to New York
- Route: Toronto to New York City via Niagara Falls | Best time for fall colors: Early to mid-October
The Maple Leaf serves up a feast of fall foliage with an international flavor, whisking passengers from the cosmopolitan buzz of Toronto to the iconic skyline of New York City. As you journey south, the urban sprawl gives way to nature's own skyscrapers: towering maples and oaks adorned in their autumn finest. The train winds through New York's wine country, where rows of golden vines stand at attention, before plunging into the dramatic gorges of the Finger Lakes region, their steep walls ablaze with color. You’ll soon hear the thunderous applause of Niagara Falls. Crossing the border and down the Hudson River Valley to the final approach into Penn Station, this journey is a cinematic double feature of fall's glory, with Canada and the U.S. vying for the title of autumn's best-dressed.
The Appalachian Autumn: Blue Ridge Scenic Railway
- Route: Blue Ridge, Georgia to McCaysville, Georgia/Copperhill, Tennessee | Best time for fall colors: Mid-October to early November
The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway serves up Southern charm and fall splendor in equal measure, treating passengers to a four-hour journey that's as rich in history as it is in autumn color. As the train chugs through the Chattahoochee National Forest, the Appalachian landscape unfolds like a patchwork quilt of crimsons and golds, punctuated by time-capsule mountain towns. Your destination, the twin towns of McCaysville, Georgia and Copperhill, Tennessee, allows for a two-hour layover and a chance to stand in two states at once, straddling the "Blue Line" that separates them. Whether you choose the nostalgia of an authentic indoor train car, the thrill of an open-air car or the luxury of Premier Class, this journey promises an experience as sweet as peach cobbler and as memorable as your grandmother's heirloom quilt.
The Rocky Mountain Fall: Colorado's Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
- Route: Durango to Silverton, Colorado | Best time for fall colors: Late September to early October
For 140 years, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad has been striking gold in a most unexpected way: by transforming Colorado's San Juan National Forest into a treasure trove of autumn splendor. This National Historic Landmark carries passengers on a journey more valuable than any mineral wealth. As the train winds from Durango to Silverton, it threads through canyons and skirts cliff edges; aspen groves, resplendent in their golden glory, shimmer against the backdrop of rugged peaks and the rushing Animas River. This narrow-gauge time machine spans epochs, depositing riders in the time-stands-still town of Silverton. For those seeking to delve deeper into the area's rich history, the D&S Roundhouse Museum in Durango presents a motherlode of artifacts and exhibits, and there’s also the option to extend your fall train ride into a weekend getaway with an overnight addition.
The Alpine Autumn: Switzerland's Bernina Express
- Route: Chur, Switzerland to Tirano, Italy | Best time for fall colors: Mid-September to mid-October
This UNESCO World Heritage route serves up a visual feast at all angles: cobalt skies stretching over a landscape where golden larches stand at attention, their reflections shimmering in glacial lakes so blue they seem almost otherworldly. Far removed from the fog and frenzy of daily life, the Bernina Express spirals up snow-dusted peaks and corkscrews through gravity-defying tunnels, each turn revealing a new facet of Graubünden's beauty. Whether you opt for a regional train or the panoramic cars of the Bernina Express, you're in for a ride that transforms the already stunning Swiss Alps into a painter's palette of warm autumn tones, proving that sometimes, reality can, indeed, be more breathtaking than any postcard.
Rockies to the Red Rocks: Rocky Mountaineer's Autumn Trek
- Route: Denver, Colorado to Moab, Utah | Best time for fall colors: Mid-September to early October
Rocky Mountaineer's two-day "Rockies to the Red Rocks" route showcases a leaf-peeping dream: a luxurious journey from the golden aspens of Colorado to the flame-hued sandstone of Utah. With travel limited to daylight hours and oversized windows designed for optimal viewing, passengers are treated to nature's own IMAX experience, featuring Ruby Canyon, Mount Garfield and a supporting cast of inspiring deserts, natural archways and enchanting hoodoos. Departing from Denver's Union Station, the train crosses the Continental Divide, transitioning from lush mountain valleys to vast, open canyons. The journey's midpoint brings an overnight stay in Glenwood Springs, allowing passengers to soak in both the town's famous hot springs and the surrounding fall scenery. As the train trip voyage continues westward, the Rockies give way to the rich oranges and deep reds of Utah, culminating in the otherworldly rock formations around Moab.
The Fall Heritage Line: U.K.'s North Yorkshire Moors Railway
- Route: Pickering to Whitby, England | Best time for fall colors: Mid-October to early November
This 18-mile heritage line, originally opened in 1836, puffs through the North York Moors National Park, where heather-clad hills transform into swaths of russet and gold. As you chug past quaint villages and ancient abbeys in carefully restored, historic train carriages, you might expect to glimpse the Brontë sisters wandering the moors. The journey culminates in Whitby, where Bram Stoker penned Dracula. This autumnal odyssey through one of England's most scenic landscapes proves that sometimes, the best way to leaf-peep is aboard a lovingly preserved slice of railway history.
The High Country Trail: Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
- Route: Antonito, Colorado to Chama, New Mexico | Best time for fall colors: Late September to early October
As America's highest, longest and most authentic steam-operated railroad, this National Historic Landmark snakes its way from Antonito, Colorado, to Chama, New Mexico, topping out at a breathtaking 10,015 feet on Cumbres Pass. As your steam locomotive traverses through deep canyons, across vertiginous trestles and alongside rushing rivers, you'll experience the Old West in all its fall finery. Whether you opt for the full-day round trip or a "half limited" journey to the midpoint oasis of Osier, Colorado, the vintage locomotives, huffing and puffing their way through this rugged terrain, deliver an immersive journey into the enduring romance of the American West.
New Hampshire's Autumn Ascent: Conway Scenic Railroad and The Cog
- Route: North Conway to Crawford Notch (Conway Scenic) and Marshfield Base to Mount Washington Summit (The Cog) | Best time for fall colors: Late September to mid-October
Two historic railways offer front-row seats to nature's most spectacular show. The Conway Scenic Railroad winds its way through the valley and Crawford Notch, while The Mount Washington Cog Railway climbs boldly to the Northeast's highest peak. From the comfort of 1950s-era vintage train passenger cars—or the panoramic upper dome seating for those seeking the ultimate vantage point—this 50- to 60-mile journey offers a New England autumn experience that can last up to five and a half hours. Meanwhile, for those with a head for heights and a heart for history, The Cog presents an entirely different autumnal adventure. Since 1869, this engineering marvel has been whisking passengers up gradients averaging a vertigo-inducing 25 percent to Mount Washington's 6,288-foot summit. The three-hour round trip, available on either a nostalgic steam train or a more modern biodiesel locomotive, culminates in breathtaking views that stretch across a sea of changing leaves and fall colors to the horizon.
The Autumn Fjord Express: Norway's Bergen Railway
- Route: Oslo to Bergen | Best time for fall colors: Mid-September to early October
Vikings may have been the first to discover the stunning beauty of Norway's fjords, but you can explore them in considerably more comfort on the Bergensbanen (purchase tickets at vy.no). This seven-hour odyssey, often hailed as one of the world's most beautiful train journeys, has you climbing from sea level to the roof of Northern Europe at Finse (over 4,000 feet above sea level), the landscape outside your window morphs from forested valleys to the stark, stunning expanse of Hardangervidda, Europe's largest mountain plateau. Descending towards Bergen, the train flirts with fjords so photogenic they seem almost staged, their deep blue waters reflecting the fiery palette of surrounding hillsides. Whether you're marveling at the golden birches near Geilo, a popular ski resort turned autumn wonderland, or pondering the possibility of trolls among the oddly shaped boulders (because in this magical landscape, who can truly tell?), the Bergen Railway train excursion serves up a smörgåsbord of Nordic fall splendor.
The Fall Foliage Special: New York's Adirondack
- Route: New York City to Montréal | Best time for fall colors: Late September to mid-October
From the concrete jungle to the actual jungle (well, forest), the 10-hour Adirondack route, operated by Amtrak, takes you on a journey through some of the best fall foliage in the Northeast. From the Hudson Valley to the Lake Champlain region, where the Adirondack Mountains of New York flirt with Vermont's Green Mountains across the water, the views keep on giving. History buffs can hop off at Fort Edward or Ticonderoga to explore 18th-century forts, while outdoor enthusiasts might disembark to marvel at the waterfalls of High Falls Gorge or the "Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks" at Ausable Chasm. After winding through the six-million-acre Adirondack Park, the grand finale comes as you cross the border into Canada, where the Québec countryside teases with a bilingual chorus of "oohs" and "aahs" set to a soundtrack of rustling leaves.
The Autumn Leaf Viewing: Japan's Tohoku Emotion
- Route: Hachinohe to Kuji, Japan | Best time for fall colors: Mid-October to early November
Forget cherry blossoms—autumn is when Japan really shows off its colors. The Tohoku Emotion, a roving culinary-focused ryokan, rolls through Japan's Sanriku coastline. As you glide from Hachinohe to Kuji, the "koyo" (autumn leaf viewing) offers up a portrait of fiery maples and golden ginkgos. Inside, the real magic happens. Designed by Porsche's Ken Okuyama, the train's three carriages serve as a traveling restaurant, and the seasonal menus celebrate local flavors. Watch chefs at work in the open kitchen or savor the view from the panoramic dining rail car.
