At first glance, the nationwide map of Amtrak routes appears to be a sprawling spiderweb of interconnected rail lines doubling over one another as they crisscross the country. But to the trained eye, it’s a vast network of cycling opportunities.
“Biking has been my main mode of transportation my whole life. I don’t own a car, so getting around by bikes and buses and trains is kind of just what I do,” says Emily Loberg, an Adventure Cycling tour leader who relies almost exclusively on rail transportation to reach the trips she guides. (“Alaska and Hawaii were not so easy,” she says with a laugh).
Although there is certainly no small number of train-travel-specific logistics to take into account when planning a rails-to-wheels trip (we’d highly recommend starting your planning with this blog post and Amtrak’s guide to traveling with a bike), one of the biggest hurdles is simply knowing where to go. So consider this roundup of five country-spanning train trips and cycling routes your unofficial ticket to ride.
1) NORTH
Amtrak: Empire Builder
Cycling routes: Great Parks North or Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
Type of bike service: Trainside Checked Bicycle Service (reservation required. Take note: Passengers are required to box their bike between Portland and Spokane. If you’re picking up the train between those stops, you’ll need to make extra accommodations.)
In the grand scheme of North American scenery, there aren’t many sights that can match Glacier National Park. During the summer, catch the Empire Builder from one of its cross-country terminuses, and ride the rails to West Glacier, the park’s most popular gateway town. Or, better yet, take advantage of shoulder season between May and mid-June, and you can tackle the iconic Going to the Sun Road before it opens to vehicle traffic. Once you de-train, you’ll want to link up with the Great Parks North route. Or, if you’re feeling more ambitious, link into the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.
2) WEST
Amtrak: Coast Starlight
Cycling routes: Several Adventure Cycling rides twine around the Starlight’s west coast line, but definitely take a wine country detour.
Type of bike service: Trainside Checked Bicycle Service (reservation required)
Could you ride the Coast Starlight up to Kelso, Washington, and pedal Adventure Cycling’s Pacific Coast route back to San Francisco? Yes, you absolutely could. But as bike advocate (and former Adventure Cycling ambassador) Jenna Phillips says, there’s no reason you couldn’t tack on a little wine tasting. Simply ride through the city’s Golden Gate Park then take a ferry across the bay to Vallejo. From there, it’s a relatively easy ride up to Napa for a day of wine tasting along the 47-mile Napa Valley Vine Trail. “I really love taking the train with my personal bike to a city and exploring it by bike,” she says. “I think it’s the best way to explore a city. Nothing, nothing beats that.”
3) EAST
Amtrak: Downeaster
Route: East Coast Greenway
Type of bike service: Carry-on Bicycle Service (Reservation Required)
Although it might lack the soaring vistas of our western routes, the East Coast Greenway makes up for it with plenty of amenities along its nearly 3,000-miles. Plus, its sustainability cred — which was highlighted in the Spring 2025 issue of Adventure Cyclist (“Pedal Power: 10 Sustainable Bike Adventures”) — doesn’t hurt either. For a short sampler, take Amtrak’s Downeaster line to either Boston or Brunswick, Maine, and follow the greenway back to the opposite terminus. Or ride one of Adventure Cycling’s many New England Short Routes, including the Boston to Cape Cod Loop or this jaunt from Portland, Maine, to Newburyport, Massachusetts. (Take note: Adventure Cycling is currently running five-week guided tours along the Greenway from Bar Harbor, Maine, to Washington, D.C. Keep an eye on our Guided Tours page for details about future tours.)
4) CENTRAL
Amtrak: Southwest Chief
Route: Bicycle Route 66
Type of bike service: Trainside Checked Bicycle Service (reservation required)
Just a year shy of a century ago, Route 66 — AKA The Mother Road — was officially born with the creation of the federal highway system. Nowadays, it’s largely fallen out of favor as an efficient, cross-country route, but it’s still loved by sightseers. Luckily for them, there are two car-free modes of transportation that closely follow the original route: Amtrak’s Southwest Chief and Adventure Cycling’s Bicycle Route 66. That happy not-quite-a-coincidence means that cyclists can pedal as much — or as little — of the Mother Road as they choose then simply hop on the train at the next station and head home.
5) PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Amtrak: Amtrak Cascades
Routes: Multiple
Type of bike service: Trainside Checked Bicycle Service (reservation required)
Some trains will give you an eyeful of North American (looking at you, California Zephyr, with your 51-plus-hour trek from Chicago to San Francisco). But when it comes to sheer volume of bicycle routes — at least, as far as the Adventure Cycling cartography department is concerned — the Amtrak Cascades is unbeaten. The 10-hour train ride intersects all of the following rides: Lewis and Clark Trail; Pacific Coast route; Washington Parks route; Northern Tier route; and the TransAmerica Trail. (Oh and it’s also not too far from the Sierra Cascades route — a 60-mile trip from Portland, Oregon, to Carson, Washington.)
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