Rail and land
California Zephyr
Chicago to Emeryville, and the canyons are the miles between the stations. You see them from the glass car.
The train
The California Zephyr runs between Chicago and Emeryville, across the bay from San Francisco. A bus from Emeryville connects into the city. The trip is about two nights on the train. A roomette has a bed and a door. You see the Colorado River and Donner Pass from the glass car.
What you see from the glass car
After Denver the train passes through the Moffat Tunnel, then Gore Canyon, Byers Canyon, and Glenwood Canyon along the Colorado River. West of Grand Junction it follows the river through Ruby Canyon. You see those canyons from the sightseer lounge.
In California the train crosses Donner Pass. The Truckee River and Donner Lake are beside the tracks. The last stretch runs along San Pablo Bay into Emeryville.
Where the train actually stops
The station stop at Fraser–Winter Park is about five minutes. The stop at Glenwood Springs is about seven. The stop at Truckee, below Donner Pass, is short. Those minutes are enough to step onto the platform.
Seven minutes in Glenwood Springs, about five in Fraser–Winter Park, and a short pause in Truckee are enough to step off and get back on. They are not enough for what is actually there. The Glenwood pool is a few blocks from the station. If you want a swim in that 90°F water, get off and stay the night. One train runs each way each day. On the current timetable the eastbound stops about 11:40 a.m. and the westbound about 2:40 p.m. The next train in the same direction is the next day, on a separate ticket. A hike in the forest above Winter Park takes hours, so the same plan works there: sleep in Fraser or Winter Park and continue the next day. Donner Lake is about two miles from the Truckee station. If you want to walk the shore, get off and stay in Truckee. You can also split the ticket and spend a night in Denver, Salt Lake City, or Reno.
Dining car
Meals in the dining car come with a roomette: breakfast, lunch, and a three-course dinner, plus room service. The first alcoholic drink at dinner is included.
At breakfast you can order railroad French toast or a three-egg omelet. At dinner you can order a flatiron steak, pan-roasted chicken, or Atlantic salmon, and a dessert such as white-chocolate blueberry cobbler. Amtrak changes the menu, so the dishes on your date can differ.
The westbound Zephyr leaves Chicago in the afternoon, so the first meal is dinner. The last day, into Emeryville, is breakfast and lunch.
Cafe
The cafe is on the lower level of the sightseer lounge. Every passenger can buy sandwiches, snacks, and drinks there.
A coach passenger gets a dining-car table only if the sleeper guests have not filled it, and that meal is a separate charge.