Cities & Towns along the route of the Coast Starlight
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Seattle
Seattle, Washington, (elevation 20 ft.) is the connecting point for Amtrak
service to Vancouver, B.C. Seattle, the largest city of the Pacific 
Northwest and a seaport of great importance, is situated on Elliot Bay, 
between Lake Washington and Puget Sound. Seattle was settled in 1852, and 
named after a Duwamish Indian chief. In 1897, the city boomed as the 
shipping point for the Klondike gold fields. Known as "The Emerald City,"
Seattle has a mild climate, due to the warm ocean current known as the 
Japan Stream, and ranks among the most healthful cities in the world. King
Street Station is only blocks away from the busy harbor and piers which 
make Seattle a gateway to the Orient and Alaska. Adjacent to the station 
is the King Dome, home of the Seattle Seahawks and Mariners. The Space 
Needle, built for the 1962 World's Fair, is north of downtown and can be 
seen as our train departs the city. 

A few minutes after leaving Seattle, we pass Boeing Field on the right, 
home of the famous family of Boeing jetliners. This historic airport is 
still being used for private aircraft and for Boeing test flights. The 
original red-bricked Boeing plant is now the Museum of Flight. Near Kent,
(elevation 40 ft.) Long Acres Racetrack is on the left.
Puyallup, (elevation 42 ft.) pronounced "Pew-OWL-up," was once the home of 
Ezra Meeker, a pioneer who in 1852 crossed the plains with an ox team to 
Puget Sound. In 1906 he returned to New York marking the Oregon Trail at 
many points by monuments. The town is named after a local Indian Tribe. 
The brilliant yellow flowers of the gosmore, or cat's ear, a near relative 
of the dandelion, abound by the wayside. 
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Tacoma
Tacoma, (elevation sea level) is beautifully situated on a series of 
terraces above the head of Commencement Bay, the southeast arm of Puget 
Sound and commands fine views of the Sound, the Cascade Mountains and the 
white cone of 14, 408-ft. Mount Rainier. Founded in 1868, Tacoma is an 
Indian word meaning "big snow mountain" and referring to Mount Rainier. 
Tacoma is a major seaport with an excellent harbor and 25 miles of 
waterfront. The large blue building on the left is the Tacoma Dome, a 
convention center. 
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Olympia-Lacey
Beyond Tacoma, our train follows Commencement Bay through the Tacoma 
narrows passing Steilacoom, (elevation 12 ft.) ferry gateway to Anderson 
and McNeil islands on the right. Scotch broom flourishes about Steilacoom 
and its bright yellow blossoms form a pleasing feature of the landscape. 
We cross the Nisqually River and come to OLYMPIA-LACEY, (elevation 20 
ft.) Olympia is the capital of Washington State and is situated on the
southernmost inlet of Puget Sound. 
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Centralia
Near the Skookumchuck River, our train enters Centralia, (elevation 188 
ft.) founded in 1875, by a former slave from Virginia. As we pass through 
the outskirts of town, look beyond the ball fields on the left towards 
the mountains to view Mt. St. Helens. Its spectacular eruption in 1980 
sent ash in this direction and some of the grey material can still be 
seen in the countryside. 
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Kelso - Longview
Beyond Winlock, (elevation 309 ft) known as the "Egg Capital of the 
World," (note giant egg, a monument to the town's production on the 
right) the valley opens and on the right is Abernathy Mountain, a spur of 
the Coast Range. We cross the Cowlitz River and follow it on the right to 
Castle Rock, (elevation 59 ft). Here our train crosses the Toutle River, 
made famous when mud flows emanating nearly 40 miles away during the 
eruption of Mount St. Helens reached the Cowlitz River. We pass through a
1,200-ft tunnel and enter Kelso-Longview, (elevation 26 ft). Known as the 
"Smelt Capital of the World," each year during January and February, 
thousands of the tiny silver fish swim up the Cowlitz River to Spawn. From 
here to Vancouver, we follow the Columbia River. With Oregon on the 
opposite shore, we get a glimpse of the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant and 
pass the marshy bottom lands of Lake Vancouver.
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Vancouver
Vancouver, Washington, (elevation 65 ft.) is the oldest continuous 
settlement in the Northwest, established as a fort in 1825 by the Hudson's 
Bay Co. Our train now turns to cross the Columbia River. This mighty 
stream, which, including its tributaries has a drainage area of 259,000 
square miles, has a total navigable length of 2,136 miles. Depth of the 
river at this point is 29 ft. 
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Portland
Once the Columbia is crossed, we cross the Willamette River and follow it 
south into PORTLAND, Oregon, (elevation 30 ft.) northern terminus of the
historic "Shasta Route," the city was first settled in 1843 and lies on 
both sides of the Willamette River, 12 miles south of its confluence with 
the Columbia. One of the nation's important fresh water ports and a
port-of-entry, Portland is Oregon's largest metropolitan area. Known for 
its parks, fountains, gardens and jazz festivals, the "City of Roses" is 
most famous for its Rose Festival held each June. 
Leaving historic Portland Union Station opened in 1896 we cross, then
follow the Willamette River south through the suburbs of Milwaukie and
Clackamas. On the left in the distance rises 11,245-foot Mt. Hood. At 
Oregon City, (elevation 102 ft.) Willamette Falls is on the right. 
Founded in 1842, Oregon City was the "End of the Oregon Trail" and the 
original capital of Oregon Territory. The first Protestant church and the 
first Masonic Lodge west of the Rockies were established here.
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Salem
From this point to Eugene, we pass through a region of broad alluvial 
plains dotted by prosperous farms and small communities. This is the 
Willamette Valley, Oregon's wine country, with the Cascade Mountains on 
the left and the Coast Range on the right. Near Canby, (elevation 170 
ft.) brilliant fields of daffodils and tulips may be seen in the spring
and early summer. We cross the Pudding River and enter Aurora, (elevation 
119 ft.) established as a commune by a party of Germans in the 1850s. 
From here we enter a region famous for its raspberries, blackberries,
loganberries and strawberries. Passing through Hubbard, Woodburn and 
Gervais in quick succession we arrive at Salem. 

Salem, (elevation 191 ft.) is the state capital and second largest city 
in Oregon. To the right, as we enter the city, are the Capitol and 
Supreme Court buildings and close to them is the campus of Willamette
University. Founded in 1842 as the Oregon Institute, Willamette
University is the oldest institute of higher learning in the Pacific 
Northwest. 

As we travel south of Salem, the Cascade Range looms into view on the 
left near Turner, (elevation 332 ft.) Mount Jefferson and the Three 
Sisters can be seen if the weather is clear.
At Marion, (elevation 329 ft.) we see a llama farm. Once bred for their 
wool, llamas are now popular for backpacking expeditions in the nearby 
mountain wilderness. 
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Albany
Albany, (elevation 240 ft.) is on the Willamette at the mouth of the 
Calapooya River and an important commercial center as well as gateway to 
Oregon State University at Corvallis. Beyond Albany, we enter a vast 
grain and seed production area sometimes referred to as "The Plains of 
Lebanon." Tangent, (elevation 280 ft.) is aptly named, it is a railroad 
term for the straight track on which we are now rolling.
Rising prominantly on the east are the volcanic cones of Ward Butte, 
(elevation 825 ft.) and Saddle Butte, (elevation 625 ft.). Eighty-percent 
of the mint oil in the U.S. is produced from mint plants grown in the 
upper Willamette Valley. Crossing the Willamette River south of 
Harrisburg, (elevation 336 ft.) we pass through fields of mint plants on 
the way to Junction City and our approach to Eugene. 
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Eugene
Eugene, (elevation 453 ft.) is known as the "Lumber Capital of the U.S." 
and is the western-most city on the Amtrak system. Here are located the
University of Oregon and the Northwest Christian College
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Chemult
Departing Eugene, we pass the University of Oregon campus on the right 
and then cross the Willamette River. From this point our train begins 
the gradual ascent of the Cascade Range. For more than 60 miles the route
roughly parallels the trail over which the pioneers toiled on the last 
leg of their journey into the Willamette Valley. Springfield, (elevation 
457 ft.) is an industrial and lumbering center.
Midway between Springfield and Westfir is Lookout Point Reservoir. Looking 
to the left we see the triple peaks of the Three Sisters Mountains and to 
the right, Diamond Peak. 

At Westfir, (elevation 1,108 ft.) the tracks cross to the east bank of the
Willamette River, the trees close in and the terrain becomes more rugged. 
Two miles beyond is Oakridge, (elevation 1,206 ft). Look for the quaint 
red covered bridge which spans the river on the right side of the train. 

McCredie Springs, (elevation 2,076 ft.) eleven miles above Oakridge, is a
popular health resort centered around mineral springs. About five miles 
south of here, our train crosses Salt Creek, makes a hairpin turn and 
follows a northwesterly direction for five miles. Turning sharply again, 
we resume our gradual ascent of the canyon's western wall passing through
numerous tunnels and clinging to the side of steep cliffs en route to the 
summit of Willamette Pass. 

Eighty-seven miles from Eugene, our train emerges from a tunnel at Cascade
Summit, (elevation 4,840 ft.) On our left are delightful vistas of 
beautiful Odell Lake as we follow this magnificent body of water for four 
miles. The lake's depth, 2,000 feet in places, gives it a wonderful blue 
color which sets off Maiden Peak, (elevation 7,811 ft.) in the
distance.Our pace quickens as we enter the high, flat Klamath Basin country 
passing Crescent Lake, (elevation 4,779 ft.) and Umli, (elevation 4,775 ft) 
in quick succession. Named for an Indian chief, Chemult, (elevation 4,761
ft.) is the gateway to Crater Lake National Park and the central Oregon ski 
area. South of Yamsay, (elevation 4,651 ft.) the western skyline is broken 
by jagged Mt. Theilsen, (elevation 9,178 ft.), and Mt. Scott, (elevation 
9,128 ft).
Between these two landmarks are the remains of Mt. Mazama which now forms 
the rim of Crater Lake. This lake lies in the center of an extinct volcano 
6,177 feet above sea level. It is six miles long and four miles wide, with
precipitous walls rising 1,000 feet from the water's edge to the rim. 

We cross the Williamson River at Kirk, (elevation 4,533 ft.) and follow 
its banks for the next 15 miles through Chiloquin, (elevation 4,190 ft.) 
and down rugged "Calimus Hill." At Modoc Point, (elevation 4,154 ft.) we 
reach the eastern shore of Upper Klamath Lake, which we follow for 18 
miles. Across the lake to the right one can see the sharp peak of Mt.
McLoughlin, (elevation 9,760 ft). Upper Klamath Lake is one of the largest
bodies of fresh water west of the Rockies. Note the snow-white pelicans,
which are protected by law and live on the lake in great numbers. 
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Klamath Falls
Klamath Falls, (elevation 4,105 ft.) a lumbering center and distributing 
point for some of the nation's finest potatoes. Lying on ancient volcanic
ground, many homes in town are heated with hot water from natural
hot-water springs. 

Twenty miles south of Klamath Falls, we enter the second of two short 
tunnels and cross the California/Oregon state line. Mt. Shasta, (elevation
14,380 ft) looms ahead. While not the highest peak in the U.S., Mt. Shasta 
is certainly one of the most spectacular. Snow covered most of the year,
Mt.Shasta is in sight from the train for many miles after it is first
glimpsed and many dramatic views can be had even on moonlit nights. 

During the night, our train covers much country, passing through the small 
Butte Valley communities of Dorris, (elevation 4,243 ft.) and Mt. Hebron,
(elevation 4,262 ft.) at full speed. Our pace slows as we ascend to Grass 
Lake, (elevation 5,063 ft.) the highest point on the route of the Coast
Starlight, then descend the western slope, skirt the base of Mt. Shasta
and cut directly through spectacular lava flows, evidence of the mountain's 
recent volcanic past. Black Butte, (elevation 3,903 ft.) is named for the
perfectly shaped 6,250-ft. cinder cone on our left. Mt. Shasta City, 
(elevation 3,555 ft.) is a quaint alpine community at the base of the 
mountain for which it was named. A few miles below here, we have our last 
view of the mountain as we descend into the Sacramento River Canyon. 
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Dunsmuir
For 32 miles our train follows the winding course of the Sacramento River 
past spectacular Mossbrae Falls pausing briefly at the railroad town of
Dunsmuir, (elevation 2,290 ft). A few miles south, the grey splintered 
granite spires of Castle Crags may be seen to the right towering like 
medieval castles 2,084 feet over the valley. The Sacramento River empties 
into Shasta Lake, created by the waters of the Pit, McCloud and Sacramento
Rivers impounded by mighty Shasta Dam. It was completed in 1944. 
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Redding
Pausing briefly at Redding, (elevation 557 ft.) we continue south into the
Sacramento Valley. On the east is the Sierra Nevada, or "Great Snowy
Range" of the Spaniards, and on the west, the Coast Range. Embracing over 
12 million acres, the Sacramento Valley extends 160 miles south and is 60
miles wide at its greatest extent. With the San Joaquin Valley to the
south, the Sacramento Valley forms the great Central Valley of California
425 miles long and one of the most fertile and productive regions on earth. 
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Chico
Continuing our journey through the night, we pass Red Bluff, (elevation
309 ft.) gateway to Lassen Volcanic National Park, and pause briefly at the 
college town of Chico, (elevation 193 ft.) and Marysville, (elevation 61 
ft.) before rounding the corner at Roseville, (elevation 160 ft.) a great
railroad center with classification yards and locomotive shops, and head
southwest towards Sacramento. 
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Marysville
Marysville, (elevation 61 ft.) before rounding the corner at Roseville,
(elevation 160 ft.) a great railroad center with classification yards and
locomotive shops, and head southwest towards Sacramento. 
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Sacramento
Sacramento, (elevation 42 ft.) capital of California and the largest 
inland city in the state, was first settled in 1839 by Capt. John A. 
Sutter, a Swiss settler. Built at the confluence of two rivers, we first 
cross the American coming into town and the Sacramento upon leaving. Note 
the buildings of "Old Town" and the California State Railroad Museum on
the left as we depart. 

Outside of town we cross the "Yolo Bypass" on a long low trestle. Built to
divert flood waters, this normally rich agricultural land can be seen 
flooded during particularly wet years. 
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Davis
Beyond the west end of the trestle is Davis, (elevation 52 ft.) home of 
the University of California's College of Agriculture as well as the 
College of Letters and Science and the School of Veterinary Medicine. The 
1913 adobe-style station at Davis is an historic landmark. Departing
Davis, we race across flat agricultural lands through Suisun-Fairfield,
(elevation 12 ft.) to the great double-track steel Carquinez Strait bridge 
across Suisun Bay.
To the left can be seen the "Mothball Fleet." These mostly World War II 
vintage merchant marine ships have been stored here for years, though some 
of them were used as recently as Desert Storm in 1991. The large peak to 
the left is Mt. Diablo, (elevation 3,849 ft). 
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Martinez
Martinez, (elevation 6 ft.) is the reputed home of the Martini, and the
birthplace of baseball great Joe Dimaggio. John Muir lived here and the
Muir home is now a museum. Martinez is the connecting point for Amtrak
trains serving the cities in the San Joaquin Valley. 

Out of Martinez, our train skirts the shore of San Pablo Bay, an arm of
San Francisco Bay, passing Crockett, (elevation 14 ft). On the opposite
shore, just after passing the huge brick buildings of a sugar factory, is 
Mare Island, former site of a Navy Shipyard. To the right, across the broad 
waters of the bay are the Marin County Hills, with the bold outlines of
Mt. Tamalpais, (elevation 2,604 ft.) beyond. At Richmond, (elevation 41
ft.) Bay Area Rapid Transit System (BART) trains can be seen on the left. 
BART provides rail transit service to points throughout the region.
Departing Richmond we rush through Berkeley, (elevation 18 ft.) home of
the University of California, on our way to Emeryville. Look for the skyline
of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge to the right. 
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Emeryville
Emeryville, (elevation 8 ft.) is the connecting point for San Francisco. 
Your bus will take you over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge into the 
heart of exciting San Francisco. 
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San Francisco
San Francisco is a thriving cosmopolitan city famous for gourmet dining,
exotic shopping, the Golden Gate Bridge and a beautiful climate. Amtrak's
downtown stops are conveniently located in the historic Ferry Building at 
the foot of Market Street, at Fishermans Wharf Pier 39, Downtown Union
Square and in the Financial District. 
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Oakland
Oakland, (elevation 12 ft). Amtrak's new station is located in the heart 
of Jack London Square, Oakland's delightful waterfront dining and shopping
district named after the famed writer of Call of the Wild and other 
stories from the frontier days. 

Departing Oakland, we thread the heavy industrial districts of the east 
bay. The BART regional rail transit system parallels our route once more 
on the left. The large circular structure to our right is the Oakland 
Coliseum. 
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San Jose
After rolling through the East Bay Suburbs of Hayward, (elevation 76 ft.) 
and Newark, (elevation 18 ft.) our train cuts diagonally across the south 
San Francisco Bay mudflats. At Drawbridge, (elevation 9 ft.) we cross an 
arm of the bay. Note the odd assortment of weatherbeaten buildings 
clustering along the tracks. Once a thriving community of railroad
workers, bootleggers and duck hunters, Drawbridge is now protected by the
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the only "certified" ghost town in 
the Bay Area. 

Leaving the San Francisco Bay mudflats behind, we enter Santa Clara, 
(elevation 69 ft.) and on the right we see the Great America theme park. 
San Jose, (elevation 85 ft.) founded in 1777, by the Spanish, became the 
first state capital of the newly proclaimed Republic of California in
1849. The recently restored station is also the stop for connecting 
CalTrain suburban service to peninsula cities and San Francisco. 
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Salinas
South of San Jose we traverse the Santa Clara Valley. Mt. Hamilton, 
(elevation 4,430 ft.) and the Diablo Range are visible on the left and the 
Santa Cruz Mountains on the right. At the upper end of the valley is 
Gilroy, (elevation 190 ft.) center of a rich agricultural district, the 
"Garlic Capital of the World" and the setting for the annual Gilroy Garlic
Festival every August. Beyond Gilroy, we turn west and thread Chittenden 
Pass a narrow passage through the Santa Cruz Mountains crossing the 
infamous San Andreas Fault on a bridge near Logan, (elevation 111 ft).
Beyond Logan, the country opens up and we enter the rich Pajaro Valley 
passing Watsonville Junction, (elevation 22 ft.). Ten miles further south 
our train rolls through Castroville, (elevation 21 ft). The large
plantings along the tracks are artichokes. Castroville is known as the
"Artichoke Capital of the World." 

Salinas, (elevation 45 ft.) is the hub of "The Nation's Salad Bowl." Vast 
fields of lettuce, vegetables and sugar beets line the tracks as we speed 
south through the Salinas Valley. San Benito Mountain, (elevation 5,258 
ft.) on the left is the highest point in the Diablo Range. On the right is 
the rugged Santa Lucia Range. Soledad, (elevation 184 ft.) founded in 1791 
as a mission town, is Spanish for "Solitude."
The large modern buildings to the left are the California medium security
prison. We pass King City, (elevation 334 ft.) a commercial center at the 
upper end of the valley. J. Erns. Steinbeck, father of author John 
Steinbeck, was King City's first railroad agent. At Bradley, (elevation 
538 ft.) the valley closes in as we continue to follow the meanderings of 
the Salinas River. At San Miguel, (elevation 617 ft.) look to the right as 
we pass close to the Mission San Miguel de Arcangle, built of adobe
in 1797. 
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Paso Robles
PASO ROBLES, (elevation 720 ft.) Atascadero, (elevation 849 ft.) and Santa
Margarita, (elevation 995 ft.) pass quickly as we begin our climb toward 
Cuesta Pass. The region is one of rolling hills well covered with wild oat 
and dotted with oaks. Growing in the bottom lands are some of the finest 
white oaks to be seen in California. Emerging from the 3,616-ft. summit
(elevation 1,340 ft.) tunnel we find ourselves high in the Santa Lucia 
Range. Spectacular views abound as we descend 1,000 feet in the next 11 
miles and pass through several tunnels all the while clinging to the
mountainside. All the views are to the left as we see our tracks over
Stenner Creek Viaduct and into San Luis Obispo far below. Rounding 
spectacular Horseshoe Curve, its possible to catch a glimpse of our entire 
train wrapped around the loop. The fortress-like structure on the right is 
the California Men's Colony, a state penitentiary, and as we near town,
California Polytechnic State University appears on the left. 
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San Luis Obispo
SAN LUIS OBISPO, (elevation 236 ft.) was founded in 1772 and is a thriving
college town and the gateway to fabulous San Simeon, site of the Hearst 
Castle, the extravagant home of the late newspaper magnate William 
Randolph Hearst. South of town, our train enters a small canyon and heads
towards Pismo Beach, (elevation 38 ft.) and our first glimpse of the blue
Pacific Ocean. This popular resort town is famous for Pismo Clams, wide 
beaches and massive sand dunes which can be viewed through the tall 
eucalyptus trees on the right side of the train. Wind-blown sand and 
agriculture dominate the scene as we crest Callender Hill and head for
Guadalupe, (elevation 78 ft). and the Santa Maria Valley, a rich
agricultural district. After emerging from Schuman Canyon, we find 
ourselves on the broad coastal terrace overlooking the Pacific Ocean. For 
the next 104 miles, we will now be following the coast. 

For 30 minutes we pass directly through Vandenburg Air Force Base, the 
Strategic Air Command's Western Missile Test Range, and the launch site 
for military missiles and satellites. As we approach from the north, we 
enter just below the Minuteman Missile area. At Pt. Purisima, we see the 
first of several SLCs (Space Launch Complexes) on the right. We cross the 
Santa Ynez River, and below the appropriately named station of Surf, 
(elevation 47 ft.) the huge white flag-bedecked support buildings of 
SLC 6, built to be the home of the nation's Space Shuttle program, appear
on the left. They are now abandoned. At Pt. Arguello, we turn southeast 
toward Los Angeles. In spring and fall, migrating whales may be spotted off 
the point. Pt. Arguello has been the scene of many shipwrecks over the years.
One of the most famous occurred here on September 8, 1923, when a 
flotilla of Naval Destroyers steered into the rocks at 20 knots. 
Believing they had passed the point, the squadron commander ordered a 
course change into the Santa Barbara Channel wrecking seven destroyers 
and killing 23 sailors. 

Passing over Jalama Beach on a high trestle, we round the bend at Pt.
Conception, (elevation 106 ft). The light house was built in 1855 and is 
still in use. Closing in on the left in this wind-swept country are the 
Santa Ynez Mountains and out to sea the Santa Barbara Islands dot the 
horizon. Gaviota, (elevation 92 ft.) is Spanish for "seagull." We cross 
the state beach on a high trestle. From here south, off-shore drilling 
platforms begin to make an appearance. The oil field at Ellwood, 
(elevation 42 ft.) suffered the only direct enemy attack on the 
continental United States experienced in this century. On February 25, 
1942, Captain Kozo Nishino surfaced his Japanese submarine I-17 and fired 
17 rounds into the oil field, but inflicted little damage. 
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Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, (elevation 6 ft.) a city of beautiful gardens, homes and 
Spanish architecture, was first discovered in 1602 by Sebastian Vizcaino, 
a Spanish explorer who landed here on Saint Barbara Day. The old mission 
was established in 1786 and has remained in continuous use since its 
founding. Note the huge Moreton Bay Fig tree on the left as we approach 
the station. Native to Australia, it was planted in 1877 and today its 
branches spread 160 feet. 
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