Overlooked train route highlights the best of California in just 3 hours

Forget white-knuckling through California’s infamous highway traffic.

For travelers looking to soak in some of Northern California’s best scenery without the roadside rage, there’s an underrated rail hack: Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor.

Stretching roughly 170 miles from Auburn down to San Jose, the route whisks passengers between bustling cities, Gold Country, and waterfront scenery in just over three hours — connecting 18 stations and serving over a million people a year.

The route was recently spotlighted as an overlooked rail adventure, pointing to a trip packed with everything from Gold Rush history and rolling farmland to striking views of San Pablo Bay.

The journey begins in Auburn, an old Gold Rush town with picturesque hiking trails and charming craft breweries, before snaking through Rocklin and Roseville and into Sacramento, where you can hop off and see the state capitol.

From there, riders can sit back and watch as the scenery changes on the way toward the Bay Area, passing agricultural land before the train reaches the Carquinez Strait and hugs the shoreline around Martinez and Richmond.

But the ride isn’t exactly a secret to locals. The Capitol Corridor carried 1.13 million passengers in Fiscal Year 2025, generating $29.6 million in revenue.

Farther west, riders can jump off in the quintessential bike town of Davis, Berkeley or Oakland, where the train stops at Jack London Square, putting passengers steps from the city’s waterfront.

The route continues through the South Bay to San Jose, where Amtrak touts the city’s historic Japantown, the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, and nearby Santa Cruz Mountains.

There’s even a stop near Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, making the train an option for fans hoping to dodge San Francisco 49er game-day traffic.

The Capitol Corridor cars are known to have roomy coach seats, tables, electrical outlets, bathrooms, free WiFi, and cafe cars.

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