We’re still in prime summer—hot days, tomatoes galore, packed beaches—but autumn enthusiasts are already looking forward to next month, when the leaves will begin to turn. Beautiful foliage lasts for such a limited time that it’s essential to plan your fall foliage viewing. You could go on a backroads drive or a hike, but consider the most relaxing alternative: a scenic train. From New Hampshire to the Swiss Alps, here are 13 of our favorite fall foliage train rides.
1. Conway Scenic Railroad Mountaineer
- Route: North Conway to Fabyan, New Hampshire
- Duration: 4 to 4.5 hours round-trip
- Book now: conwayscenic.com
- From $75
On the Conway Scenic Railroad Mountaineer’s 1950s-era streamlined passenger cars, you’ll see some of New Hampshire’s most scenic landscapes, including the famed Crawford Notch, a pass in the White Mountains that lights up in a riot of red, yellow, and orange foliage from September to mid- or even late October every year. For a taste of this scenic train ride without committing to half a day, book the one-hour Valley Train Excursion (from $24).
2. Mount Washington Cog Railway
- Route: Marshfield Base Station to Mount Washington Summit, New Hampshire
- Duration: 3 hours round-trip
- Book now: thecog.com
- From $84
Ride the rails to the top of Mount Washington on a three-hour round-trip excursion that’s been an attraction in New Hampshire’s White Mountains since 1869. The railway still operates two vintage steam locomotives, but most of the trips are now made with biodiesel locomotives to reduce emissions. Visit by mid-October to see the fall colors at their peak, a forest of orange, red, and gold.
On Vacations By Rail’s nine-day “New England in the Fall” tour, you can combine a ride on the Mount Washington Cog Railway with trips on the Conway Scenic Railroad and Amtrak’s Downeaster.
3. Alaska Railroad Denali Star Train
- Route: Anchorage to Fairbanks, Alaska
- Duration: 12 hours one-way
- Book now: alaskarailroad.com
- From $221
Afar contributor Bailey Berg describes the beauty of seeing Alaska‘s fall foliage by train: “The blue of the fast-moving Chulitna River, the red of the shrubs along its banks, the yellow of the lower-level birch trees, and the emerald of the deciduous trees higher up the embankment. And in all directions, sweeping views of the grayish-purple Alaska Range, each peak blanketed by termination dust.”
The foliage changes early in Alaska, peaking in late August and the first few weeks of September each year. Besides seeing a variety of red, orange, and yellow leaves through the dome car windows on the 12-hour (one-way) ride that runs from mid-May to mid-September, you can also catch a view of Denali, North America’s highest peak.
Related: Fall Is the Ideal Time to Visit These 8 Charming Small Towns in the U.S.
4. Great Smoky Mountains Railroad’s Tuckasegee Steam Train
- Route: Bryson City to Dillsboro, North Carolina
- Duration: 4 hours round-trip
- Book now: gsmr.com
- From $63.72
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad operates several itineraries throughout the year. Its Tuckasegee River Excursion on a vintage diesel train is the most scenic in the fall. On the four-hour round-trip journey, you’ll get to take in river valley views from the train’s panoramic windows and explore the handful of shops and restaurants in the small town of Dillsboro during an 80-minute layover.
Looking for something more than a day trip? This train ride is part of Vacations By Rail’s nine-day “Smoky Mountain Rail Adventure” that takes travelers from Nashville to Asheville with additional stops for rides on the Tennessee Valley Railroad and the Incline Railway on Chattanooga’s Lookout Mountain.
5. Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad
- Route: Rockside Station or Peninsula Depot to Akron, Ohio
- Duration: 2 or 3.5 hours round-trip
- Book now: cvsr.com
- From $20
You can take this scenic train ride throughout the summer, but go in October to see the sugar maples and dogwood trees turn various shades of red, orange, and yellow on a 2- or 3.5-hour round-trip ride through Cuyahoga Valley National Park. There are generally two trains daily from Rockside, three from Peninsula Depot, and one from Akron, at 11 a.m. The trains on the 00:50, which leave from Peninsula Depot, are two hours round-trip and better for young children. For a full day of fun, choose the all-day ticket, a hop-on, hop-off option that leaves you free to explore the park (board at Rockside, Peninsula, or Akron Northside Stations).
Related: The 9 Best National Parks for Phenomenal Fall Foliage
6. Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
- Route: Antonito or Cumbres, Colorado, to Chama, New Mexico
- Duration: About 8 hours round-trip (Antonito to Chama); 4 hours 15 minutes round-trip (Cumbres to Chama)
- Book now: cumbrestoltec.com
- From $135 (Antonito/Chama), $115 (Cumbres)
Through October 25, 2025, this narrow-gauge steam train makes excursions every day except Monday between two small towns located right on the Colorado–New Mexico border, with the option to board in Cumbres for a shorter trip to Chama (both in Colorado). The ticket price includes a buffet lunch at the midway point in Osier, Colorado, plus access to the open-air gondola car for better photo ops of the aspen trees that turn bright yellow in autumn.
7. Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad
- Route: Milford to Cooperstown, New York
- Duration: 2.5 hours round-trip
- Book now: lrhs.com
- From $27
The Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad’s fall foliage excursions run for three weekends, from Saturday, September 27, through Sunday, October 12, 2025. The vintage train departs at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. for a 2.5-hour round-trip ride through the Susquehanna River Valley, bursting with pretty foliage. All rides begin and end at the Milford Depot, about a 15-minute drive south of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
8. Blue Ridge Scenic Railway
- Route: Blue Ridge, Georgia, to Copperhill, Tennessee
- Duration: 2 or 4 hours round-trip
- Book now: brscenic.com
- From $61
Between September 18 and November 4, 2025, take in the season’s colors on this scenic two- or four-hour round-trip excursion along the Toccoa River in the Chattahoochee National Forest. You can book tickets for a seat in an enclosed, climate-controlled train car or enjoy the mild autumn weather from an open-air train car.
Travelers can book either a two-hour or four-hour ride. While the former is a quick trip that focuses on downtown Blue Ridge, the four-hour trip includes visits to the small towns of McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee. Trains depart daily at 10 a.m. (the four-hour trip) and 3 p.m. (the two-hour trip) Thursday through Monday.
9. Amtrak Adirondack
- Route: New York City to Montreal, Canada
- Duration: 13 hours (New York City to Montreal); 11 hours (Montreal to New York City)
- Book now: amtrak.com
- From $79
This train ride is the definition of the slow, scenic route, where the emphasis is as much on the journey as the destinations. The Amtrak Adirondack runs from New York’s Moynihan (Penn) Station through the Hudson Valley and its rows of handsome maple trees and up into the train’s namesake Adirondack Mountains. It then continues along the shores of Lake Champlain, arriving in Montreal 13 hours later (the return trip is two hours shorter).
10. Agawa Canyon Tour Train
- Route: Sault Ste. Marie to Agawa Canyon, Canada
- Duration: About 10 hours round-trip
- Book now: agawatrain.com
- From approximately $109 (CA$150)
The scenic Agawa Train takes you on a daylong journey from the lakeside city of Sault Ste. Marie in Ontario, chugging 114 miles north to Agawa Canyon Park, where you’ll have 90 minutes to go on a hike or stop for a picnic near the Agawa River. You should hurry if you’re thinking of booking this trip. Tickets for its peak season (September 15 to October 14, 2025) tend to sell out quickly.
11. The Jacobite
- Route: Fort William to Mallaig, Scotland
- Duration: About 4 hours round-trip
- Book now: westcoastrailways.co.uk
- From approximately $93 (£69)
Harry Potter fans will recognize this vintage steam locomotive as the real-life version of the Hogwarts Express that crossed over the Glenfinnan Viaduct in the films. You may not be on your way to Hogwarts, but you’ll certainly take in some magical scenery along the 84-mile train ride, which runs daily. The morning service starts in early April and goes until October 24, 2025, and the afternoon service runs from early May until September 26, 2025.
12. Bernina Express
- Route: Chur, Switzerland, to Tirano, Italy
- Duration: 4.5 hours one-way
- Book now: rhb.ch
- From approximately $45 (CHF36) each way
The Rhaetian Railway through the Albula and Bernina Passes in the Alps was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2008 for its outstanding architectural and civil engineering achievements, which include hundreds of viaducts and bridges through high mountain passes. The train runs year-round, but fall is particularly beautiful in this region of Switzerland, when the golden larch trees contrast with the green pines. Note that this route sells out very quickly.
13. Sagano Romantic Train
- Route: Torokko Saga Station to Torokko Kameoka Station, Japan
- Duration: 25 minutes one-way
- Book now: sagano-kanko.co.jp
- From approximately $6 (¥880) each way
Twenty minutes outside of Kyoto is one of the best value-for-money “dates” you can go on in Japan: a trip aboard the Sagano Romantic Train. It will take you on a beautiful 25-minute ride through the Hozukyo Ravine, which is lined with Japanese maple trees that turn red and orange every autumn, before finishing at the Torokko Kameoka Station. You can then take either the same lovely ride back to Sagano or a regular JR train for 30 minutes (¥320).
This article was originally published in 2018 and most recently updated on August 20, 2025, with current information.
