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Living in Arizona means the desert stretches out for miles, and it is easy to forget how far a train can carry you without ever touching the steering wheel. Amtrak still rolls through our state, with the Southwest Chief cutting across the north and the Sunset Limited crossing the south, and both open the door to towns and cities most of us only drive past.
You can stare out a big window, skip the traffic, and let the miles pass while someone else does the work. Here are eight train trips that start right here in Arizona and make the rest of the Southwest feel a lot closer than the map suggests.
Save this one, because a few of these stops might surprise even longtime residents.
1. Flagstaff to Williams on the Southwest Chief
Two Route 66 towns sit close together in northern Arizona, and the Southwest Chief connects them on a short ride that feels almost too easy. Flagstaff’s depot sits right downtown, steps from brick storefronts and the pine country that makes this the coolest corner of the state.
The Chief stops in both Flagstaff and Williams, so you can board in one mountain town and step off in another without dealing with the I-40 slog. Williams is famous as the gateway to the Grand Canyon Railway, which means the Amtrak stop can link you toward one of the most famous places on earth.
I like this leg because it stays in the tall trees and cool air the whole way, a real break from Phoenix and Tucson heat. The ride is short, the scenery is all ponderosa pine, and you land in a town built around old motor courts and neon signs.
For a summer day trip out of the desert, this is one of the simplest train hops Arizona offers.
2. Flagstaff to Albuquerque, New Mexico
Cross the state line without lifting a finger and New Mexico opens up in a single seat. The Southwest Chief runs east out of Flagstaff and across the high desert toward Albuquerque, trading Arizona pines for mesas and long open country.
Albuquerque’s Alvarado Transportation Center puts you close to Old Town, where adobe buildings and the plaza date back centuries. The city is known for its own take on chile, red or green, a question you will get asked more than once.
What makes this trip stand out is how much ground it covers while you stay put in a comfortable car. You watch the landscape shift from forest to painted desert, and by the time you arrive you are in a completely different state without a single mile behind the wheel.
The Chief runs daily, so planning around it is straightforward. For anyone who has always wanted to see New Mexico but dreaded the long drive, the train quietly solves that problem.
3. Tucson to El Paso on the Sunset Limited
Southern Arizona has its own long-distance line, and plenty of locals forget it exists. The Sunset Limited stops in Tucson and rolls east toward El Paso, one of the biggest border cities in the Southwest.
Tucson’s depot sits downtown near the historic district, an easy starting point that keeps you close to the old part of the city. From there the route follows the low desert country of southern Arizona and New Mexico before reaching Texas.
El Paso spreads out along the Rio Grande with Mexico right across the river, giving the city a genuinely two-nation feel. The mountains rise right at the edge of town, and the historic downtown holds decades of border culture.
The Sunset Limited does not run daily, so checking the schedule ahead of time matters here. Still, for a train trip that carries you from the Sonoran Desert to the Texas border, this is the southern route that makes it happen.
4. Tucson to Los Angeles, California
The ocean feels impossibly far from the middle of the Sonoran Desert, and yet one westbound train changes that math. The Sunset Limited runs from Tucson toward Los Angeles, carrying you out of the saguaros and toward the California coast.
The route drops through southern Arizona’s desert country and into California before ending at Los Angeles Union Station, one of the grandest rail terminals in the country. That station alone, with its tile floors and towering waiting room, is worth seeing.
I would save this one for when you want a real getaway without airport lines. You board in the desert, sleep or read through the miles, and step off near downtown LA with the whole coast within reach.
Because the Sunset Limited operates on select days, this is a trip to build a weekend around rather than a last-minute idea. For desert dwellers craving a change of scenery, few train rides deliver a bigger contrast.
5. Winslow to the Historic La Posada Stop
A song made Winslow famous, but the railroad made the town in the first place. The Southwest Chief still stops here, and the depot shares grounds with La Posada, one of the last great railroad hotels of the Southwest.
La Posada was built as a Fred Harvey Company hotel in the late 1920s and designed by architect Mary Colter, whose work also shaped landmarks at the Grand Canyon. The building survived closure and was restored, and today it operates again as a hotel and gathering spot right beside the tracks.
Stepping off the train and walking straight into a restored Harvey House is a rare experience anywhere in the country. The grounds, gardens, and Spanish colonial style give you a real sense of how rail travel once looked.
Winslow also leans into its Route 66 fame downtown, so the whole town rewards a short visit. For a stop where the depot itself is the destination, this one is hard to beat.
6. Kingman to Needles and the Colorado River Country
Way out in northwest Arizona, a Route 66 town sits quietly on the Amtrak map. Kingman has a Southwest Chief stop, and it opens up the Colorado River country along the Arizona-California line.
The Kingman depot doubles as a spot celebrating Route 66 history, since the Mother Road runs right through town. Heading west, the Chief crosses toward Needles, California, in the low river valley near the state border.
What sets this leg apart is how remote and wide open the country feels the whole way. This is high desert and river-valley terrain, the kind of landscape most Arizonans only glimpse through a windshield on the way somewhere else.
Kingman itself has become a favorite pause for road-trippers chasing old neon and vintage roadside stops. Boarding here turns a far corner of the state into an easy starting line for a rail adventure most locals never think to take.
7. Maricopa to New Orleans, Louisiana
The station closest to metro Phoenix is not in Phoenix at all, and that surprises a lot of people. Amtrak’s Sunset Limited stops in Maricopa, south of the Valley, and from there the line runs all the way east to New Orleans.
Maricopa serves as the nearest boarding point for the Phoenix area, since the big city itself lost its direct downtown service years ago. From this small desert platform, the Sunset Limited becomes a true cross-country ride.
The full route carries riders through Texas and the Gulf South before ending in New Orleans, a city built on music, history, and Creole cooking. Reaching Louisiana from the Sonoran Desert by rail sounds far-fetched until you see it on the schedule.
This is a long-haul journey, so bring a good book and plan for overnight travel. For the ambitious traveler, it proves how far a single Arizona station can send you.
8. Flagstaff to Grand Canyon via Williams Connection
Arizona’s most famous natural wonder is closer to the rail network than many realize. The Southwest Chief stops in Williams, and Williams is the home base of the Grand Canyon Railway, which runs its own historic line straight to the South Rim.
Ride the Chief into Williams, then connect to the Grand Canyon Railway for the trip up to Grand Canyon Village. The railway has carried visitors to the rim since 1901, using restored cars that lean into the vintage feel of early park travel.
Arriving at the canyon by train instead of a packed parking lot is a genuinely different way to experience it. The historic depot at the rim is one of the few log train stations left in the country.
Combining Amtrak with the Grand Canyon Railway turns the world’s most iconic canyon into a rail destination. For Arizonans, it is proof that our biggest attraction is reachable without ever fighting for a parking space.
