Northbound CS viewing - Mt Shasta & surrounds

I have a big trip planned in early July: I'm taking the CS from SFO - SEA, then the EB from SEA to CHI and then on the way back the CZ from CHI to EMY. I'm super excited! So far in all my trips I"ve done 7 over nights in total and this is another 5!

Anyway, I have taken the CS before, but southbound. It was October and so dark pretty early and I slept from somewhere north of the Oregon border all the way to outside Martinez (this was to the great amusement of my fellow dining companions later as apparently I entirely missed a very heavy rainstorm that everyone else in the sleeper was talking about). When I look at the map, I feel like I missed an awful lot of good scenery.

Going north (and assuming we're ontime) it shows the Dunsmuir station (Mt Shasta) stop at 7.04am. But should I wake up earlier than that - by googlemaps it looks like the scenary from Redding is going to be pretty good. In summer, it should be getting light not long after 5am, I think? If I'm on the right side of the car (I have a roomette booked) I can stay in bed, but if I'm on the left side, I'm going to have to get up and go to the SSL. So I want to get up in time to organise myself to do that.

Thank you all in advance! The advice I got last year (about getting the surfliner at LAUS) was so useful and my friend was very impressed as I whizzed her around the station like I was an expert

You are correct about the scenery around Mt. Shasta! Its fantastic to watch the sun come up while drinking a cup of coffee and seeing the Snow Capped Mt. Shasta as you roll along the rails! Since you are in a Sleeper Id suggest that you ride in the PPC :wub: instead of the Sightseer Lounge, the Swivel Chairs are much more comfortable! The whole Route from Mt. Shasta to Seattle is great, of course it gets dark going into SEA from PDX,you might think about getting off in PDX, spending a night or two, and riding a Cascades Talgo to SEA, then catching the Empire builder to CHI!! ^_^

jimhudson said:

... of course it gets dark going into SEA from PDX,you might think about getting off in PDX, spending a night or two, and riding a Cascades Talgo to SEA, then catching the Empire builder to CHI!! ^_^

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Up here in the north, the sun sets a lot later in the summer than down there in the south. In Seattle in early July, the sun sets after 9 and twilight lasts until almost 10. I rode the CS in early June last year, and was off the train and home before it got dark.

That stretch from Redding up through to Dunsmuir is quite beautiful as you follow along the river, crossing it now and then. I'd find out the local sunrise time for the date you are traveling and make sure to be up with that cup of coffee watching the sky lighten, as has been suggested.

Mt. Shasta is indeed lovely. My daughter lived for several years in Weed, just North of Dunsmuir - from the front porch of her house, Shasta was right in front of you, all 14,000 feet of it. I made 4 roundtrips by train to see her, taking various routes. I am very happy that she has moved back here to Maine, but have now lost my reason to travel to the West coast on Amtrak every year!

As D T mentions, you'll get plenty of great viewing hours because of early sunrise, and the couple times I've ridden northbound, we were running about an hour behind at this point, which was even better in terms of seeing some good scenery from the get go that morning. K-Falls is usually a long enough stop you can get out, stretch a bit and get ready for a GREAT day of scenery. As others have said, try to spend as much time in the PPC as you can because both sides offer a memorable view. Take a map or atlas to help identify things along the way.

Ana said:

Going north (and assuming we're ontime) it shows the Dunsmuir station (Mt Shasta) stop at 7.04am. But should I wake up earlier than that - by googlemaps it looks like the scenary from Redding is going to be pretty good. In summer, it should be getting light not long after 5am, I think? If I'm on the right side of the car (I have a roomette booked) I can stay in bed, but if I'm on the left side, I'm going to have to get up and go to the SSL. So I want to get up in time to organise myself to do that.

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Just keep in mind that the 7:04A arrival into DUN reflects the current and temporary schedule for #14, attributed to track work being performed by the UPRR. In July, the northbound Coast Starlight will be pulling into DUN at 5:04A provided it's on time. So long as you get an early start that morning, you should be able to catch some nice dawn views of Mt Shasta. Sunrise times in July for Dunsmuir fall between 5:40A - 6:04A.

It looks like the two-hour time change on the current northbound route coincides pretty well with the current sunrise. I will be on that route in about two weeks and the sunrise around DUN is scheduled for about 7:25 am. Hopefully, I will be able to get some good views of Mt. Shasta.

jimhudson said:

The whole Route from Mt. Shasta to Seattle is great, of course it gets dark going into SEA from PDX,you might think about getting off in PDX, spending a night or two, and riding a Cascades Talgo to SEA, then catching the Empire builder to CHI!! ^_^

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Commencement Bay at Tacoma is wonderful at sunset, specially on a clear day.

Thank you for all your replies!

jimhudson said:

You are correct about the scenery around Mt. Shasta! Its fantastic to watch the sun come up while drinking a cup of coffee and seeing the Snow Capped Mt. Shasta as you roll along the rails! Since you are in a Sleeper Id suggest that you ride in the PPC :wub: instead of the Sightseer Lounge, the Swivel Chairs are much more comfortable! The whole Route from Mt. Shasta to Seattle is great, of course it gets dark going into SEA from PDX,you might think about getting off in PDX, spending a night or two, and riding a Cascades Talgo to SEA, then catching the Empire builder to CHI!! ^_^

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You're so right, I should've gotten off at Portland, I've never been there! D'oh, it's too late to change now because I have a pre-paid hotel room in Seattle but next time I'll get off in Portland and will get the Empire Builder from there to Glacier (I don't have time to stop in Glacier National Park this time but that's also on my 'next time' list.

Maine Rider said:

That stretch from Redding up through to Dunsmuir is quite beautiful as you follow along the river, crossing it now and then. I'd find out the local sunrise time for the date you are traveling and make sure to be up with that cup of coffee watching the sky lighten, as has been suggested.

Mt. Shasta is indeed lovely. My daughter lived for several years in Weed, just North of Dunsmuir - from the front porch of her house, Shasta was right in front of you, all 14,000 feet of it. I made 4 roundtrips by train to see her, taking various routes. I am very happy that she has moved back here to Maine, but have now lost my reason to travel to the West coast on Amtrak every year!

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That must have been an amazing view to have, wow! Though I have also heard that Maine is very beautiful and I'm sure it's nice having her back

ColdRain&Snow said:

Just keep in mind that the 7:04A arrival into DUN reflects the current and temporary schedule for #14, attributed to track work being performed by the UPRR. In July, the northbound Coast Starlight will be pulling into DUN at 5:04A provided it's on time. So long as you get an early start that morning, you should be able to catch some nice dawn views of Mt Shasta. Sunrise times in July for Dunsmuir fall between 5:40A - 6:04A.

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I did not realise that was a temporary schedule, thank you! Yikes, I will have an early start that morning but worth it as I don't want to miss the scenery and I can always nap later. It's a shame I don't get on the train until EMY because I could've gotten to bed earlier if I boarded in LAX. Ah well, I get a full day in San Francisco and I've not been there (and have been to LA a bunch of times).

If you do get up that early, you should have no trouble getting a prime seat in the PPC and slotting in for Breakfast there as well. I tend to wake up early on trains, something I usually do not do at home.

I gather there's no trouble getting into the PPC at any time of the day or night - there's no opening hours? On past trips I've tended to not go much further than the dining car.

Ana said:

I gather there's no trouble getting into the PPC at any time of the day or night - there's no opening hours? On past trips I've tended to not go much further than the dining car.

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It is open all the time although the Attendant goes off duty about 10-ish and returns early the next morning. During the summer, the swivel chairs do tend to quickly fill up but they turn over just as quick; the tables in the middle of the car aren't bad overflow seating. And it is very relaxing to wander in late at night when the lights are dimmed and you are the only one there. Go ahead and enjoy some of that Champagne your SCA should have handed out. On my last northbound run, someone from Coach had managed to sneak in after the Attendant went off duty and sprawled out on one of the bench seats; the Conductor was quick to rouse him back home when he made his rounds.