There are over 500 Amtrak stations in the contiguous USA and 13 served by the Alaska Railroad, with only the latter offering truly wild locations. But, when you step off that comfy, civilised train and into the sort of destination where you look up and are greeted by perfectly dark skies and silence, these remote train stations will make you feel as if you’ve arrived somewhere very special.
Although many of the remote stations I’ve featured can also be reached by road, it would be a long car journey with only a small community at the end. In fact, none of the stations below serve populations of more than 3,000 people.
Talkeetna, AK
Starting with one of the most remote stops on this page, Talkeetna is where you come to visit Alaska’s immense Denali National Park.
🚆 Year-round Alaska Railroad services on the Denali Star Train, Hurricane Turn Train and Aurora Winter Train
🛏️ Recommended accommodation:
Talkeetna Alaska Lodge
Sanderson, TX
With a population of just 837 people and the nearest city of over 100,000 (Odessa) over 150 miles away, Sanderson is a quiet Texas town filled with rail and ranch history. It’s a good place to stop on the way to Big Bend National Park (best accessed via Alpine, one stop along) and believed to be the least-used station on Amtrak’s network.
🚆Amtrak’s Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited stop here 6 days/week each way
🛏️ Recommended accommodation:
Desert Air Motel
Chemult, OR
On the spectacular line between Los Angeles and Seattle, Chemult is a good base for Oregon adventures in the Winema National Forest, and Crater Lake National Park is just 30 miles away.
🚆 The Coast Starlight stops in Chemult daily in both directions
🛏️ Recommended accommodation:
Woodsman Country Lodge (if you don’t mind hiking from Chemult)
Thurmond, WV
This remote station is in a ghost town that’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Accessible only by rail until 1921, Thurmond in West Virigina once prospered from coal mining but is now the second least-used Amtrak station. Where once 462 people lived there are now only five.
🚆Three departures/week on Amtrak’s Cardinal service between New York and Washington DC
🛏️ Recommended accommodation:
Thurmond’s Historic Guest House
Dunsmuir, CA
Northern California’s natural beauty will be immediately apparent as you disembark at Dunsmuir where lakes and waterfalls are within easy hiking distance (although you will be arriving at 04:58 going north or 00:45 going south). Despite regular rail services just a few thousand people step off the train here every year. Don’t miss the Dunsmuir Museum in the station.
🚆 Daily departures in both directions on the Coast Starlight service
🛏️ Recommended accommodation:
Hotel Mossbrae
Green River, UT
“Waypoint To Wild” is this Utah town of 847 people’s motto, and, located on a tributary of the Colorado River, wild you can most certainly get with kayaking and rafting on the Green River itself. It’s a 107-mile drive west to the next nearest town, Salina, so Green River is an important refuelling stop. My favourite fact about this place is that it was the inspiration for one my favourite childhood movies, Fievel Goes West.
🚆 The wonderfully-named California Zephyr stops at Green River twice daily going north or south
🛏️ Recommended accommodation:
River Rock Inn
Spencer, AK
Ending with a very remote stop on the Alaska Railroad, from this station it’s a 1.3-mile hike to Spencer Glacier and, this being Alaska, other adventures are available. The carriages on this railroad feature either picture windows or domed glass.
🚆 Take the daily Glacier Discovery train from late May to mid-September
🛏️ Recommended accommodation:
Spencer Bench Cabin
A Plan To Go 