Amtrak's Sacramento to Reno trip during winter features gorgeous sites

Early this winter, several friends discovered we all had a similar idea of taking the snow train from Sacramento to Reno and back.

We planned a group trip, purchasing round-trip tickets from Sacramento to Reno for seniors at a little over $100 each.

On this Amtrak route, you have one daily train with stops in Roseville, Colfax, Truckee, and then Reno. The train often sells out, so reserve in advance. We departed late Sunday morning for the roughly four-hour train ride and found clean, quiet, and comfortable coach cars and one “center of the train“ observation car complete with café, all in all delivering a great train experience.

The Sacramento Valley Amtrak station, circa 1926, is historically picturesque but requires a 1400-foot walk from the station through a labyrinth of tunnels under the former railyard tracks to Track 4 West. While awaiting the train’s departure, we had plenty of time to admire the historic Southern Pacific locomotive buildings next to the Amtrak departure gates, dating back 100 years or more to when trains were the principal transportation throughout the U.S.

With an on-time 11:09 AM departure, we headed east, passing by a few large homeless encampments with mountains of trash on the way to Roseville. En route to Colfax, we went through suburbs, farmland, and forest, enjoying the smooth, comfortable ride, doing about 25 to 55 mph. Above Colfax, we paralleled the North Fork of the American River for five miles or so, with several impressive waterfalls on the far canyon wall.

Around Yuba Gap, several hours into the trip, we were into Sierra snowfields sparkling with additional snow from yesterday; the mountains were occasionally socked in by fog but mostly sunny, yielding spectacular views around almost every turn. Throughout the trip, with ongoing panoramas deep into Sierra forests, I was reminded of the poem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, by Robert Frost:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   

But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep.

Along those miles, we spotted numerous reservoirs, including Lake Spaulding, Prosser Creek, and Boca reservoirs, sparking ideas for summer visitation and camping trips. Climbing ever higher, we passed the base chairlifts of Soda Springs and under the gondola of Sugar Bowl ski resorts. Then, cresting Donner pass at 7200 feet, our conductor announces we are about to drop into the famed “big hole,” Tunnel 41, two miles long and four minutes of pitch black under Mt. Judah as we head down. Upon re-emerging into daylight, scenic Donner Lake graces the valley below.

Our next stop was Truckee, at 5,400 feet, with old hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, shops and restaurants, a railroad station, and a main drag that looks quaint and lively. I was reminded that some passengers might want to take the train just to Truckee, spend the night, and return to the Sacramento Valley.

Snow begins to fade away just miles below Truckee as we descend in elevation. We parallel the scenic Truckee River for miles, running strong with Sierra snowmelt. We arrive at at Reno’s downtown Amtrak stationand have just a four-block walk to our hotel, the El Dorado Casino and Resort, where we get nice rooms for about $100 a night, including the resort fee.

Reno exploration around the station and the hotel includes the National Auto Museum, the National Bowling Center, the Reno Aces Ballpark (minor league baseball), and the pretty Truckee River Walk within a few blocks. Of course, the casinos themselves provide ready entertainment for many Reno visitors.

I asked fellow travelers what their impressions were of their first train ride in years. Joe Flores of Gold River, California, noted, “The scenery was phenomenal with all the trees covered in snow; Donner Lake was beautiful. We enjoyed a nice tour of the National Automobile Museum. Very nice fully-restored cars; I recommend visiting anyone who finds historic and classic cars of interest”.

Fellow Gold River resident Mary Kay Driscoll, of Gold River added, “The El Dorado Hotel was clean, a great value, and the casino’s lovely restaurants like La Strada (Italian) and Brews and Burgers provided delicious food and marvelous service. And, without having to venture out into the 40° weather!”

We departed two days later, on the 8:36 AM train from Reno back to Sacramento, experiencing a relatively rapid rise in elevation, heading west to Donner Pass; the ride was smooth and comforting. With the track following the Truckee River, I returned to my search for waterfalls spilling into the canyon and anticipated the enjoyment of the scenic snow country (“into the woods, dark and deep”) before our steady, picturesque descent into Sacramento.

Contact Tim, tviall@msn.com. Happy travels in the West!

For more information

Amtrak, Amtrak.com; El Dorado Casino and Resort, caesars.com; Reno, visitrenotahoe.com; National Auto Museum, automuseum.org.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Amtrak's Sacramento to Reno voyage features scenery, adventure