My Great American Rail Journey - Part 13 - Amtrak Southwest Chief - Los Angeles to Albuquerque, NM

n the summer of 2024, I took advantage of Amtrak's USA Rail Pass, where you get 10 trips on the train for $499. One catch is, all 10 legs have to be completed within 30 days. Another catch is all of your travel has to be done in coach. That means even sleeping on the train, I would have to do it sitting in a coach seat. For months I studied different Amtrak routes, planned which ones I wanted to ride, and what places I wanted to see along the way. Finally, I put together an itinerary I was happy with. One that would put me on 10 different Amtrak routes, take me through 36 states, allow me to see things I had never seen and go to places I have never been.

In this video, I leave Los Angeles on Amtrak's Southwest Chief on route to Chicago, IL. However, I would do this trip in two parts. This first part, I go from Los Angeles overnight to Albuquerque, NM. When I planned the entire trip, I made this the time where I was off the train the longest, staying 6 nights in New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado. I arrived in Albuquerque and rented my car, driving to Gallup, NM. I made stops at several National Park locations, including El Malpais National Monument, El Morro National Monument, Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, and Canyon De Chelly National Monument. However the most dramatic stop on the trip was the amazing Monument Valley. I drove part of the loop road, making a stop at John Ford Point as well as visiting the Forest Gump Viewpoint. My last stop in this video is at the Four Corners Monument, where the states of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado all meet at one point. This is the only place where four US States connect at one point. I hope you enjoy this video!