The Best US Trains for Stargazing Trips
By John Metcalfe
The Mercury News
Light pollution is the bane of a stargazer's existence. The glow emanating from cities tends to wash out everything interesting happening above our head—comets, meteor showers, the (until recently) floating astronaut prison that is the International Space Station.
But there's a way to lose the washed-out skies, and it involves one of the world's most romantic forms of travel: riding a train on a historic railway. So says National Geographic, which has put out a list of '10 of the dreamiest stargazing trains in the U.S.' including two in the Bay Area.
'A variety of stargazing trains roll through rural landscapes and protected dark-sky preserves where the Milky Way still shines bright, sometimes with a telescope or astronomer on board or an open-air carriage for looking up at the night sky,' writes travel journalist Megan Eaves. 'A train ride offers the perfect chance to slow down and enjoy the universe overhead.'
In the Bay, travelers wishing for unimpeded views of the heavens can try out the Napa Valley Wine Train, with its sky-facing windows and seven-course menu with wine pairings. There's also the famous Skunk Train in Mendocino County, where visitors either take an open-air freight flatcar or propel themselves with pedal-powered rail carts.
National Geographic Dreamiest Stargazing Trains in the U.S.
1. Santa Fe Sky Railway (New Mexico)
2. Nevada Northern Star Train (Nevada)
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3. Verde Canyon Starlight (Arizona)
4. Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad (Oregon)
5. Catskill Mountain Railroad (New York)
6. Napa Valley Wine Train (California)
7. Wanamaker, Kempton, and Southern Railroad (Pennsylvania)
8. Saratoga Corinth and Hudson Railway (New York)
9. Skunk Train (Mendocino County, California)
10. Allentown and Auburn Railroad (Pennsylvania)
Copyright 2025 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at mercurynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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