Winter Vacation 2021- Denver & Reno on The Amtrak Zephyr & The California Coast

Our 2-week winter holiday started in the Colorado Rockies and ended in sunny San Diego. Learn more about each destination by clicking on the links in the timeline.

The Amtrak California Zephyr took us from Denver to San Francisco. A series of road trips allowed us to see the California Coast and to Joshua Tree National Park. In every city we were thankful to reunite with friends and live like locals for a moment.

Day 1: Denver, Colorado

Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Day 2: Rocky Mountain National Park

Sprague Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park Tour 2021
Day 3: Amtrak California Zephyr

Winter Park, Colorado stop on Amtrak’s California Zephyr, 2021
Day 4: Amtrak California Zephyr to Reno, Nevada

Sparks, Nevada from Amtrak’s California Zephyr Denver-Reno, 2021
Day 5: Reno, Nevada

Reno, Nevada 2021
Day 6: Reno to San Francisco on the Amtrak California Zephyr

Lake Tahoe area, Amtrak California Zephyr, 2021
Day 7: Christmas Day in San Francisco

Hilton San Francisco Union Square, CA 2021
Day 8: San Francisco, California

San Francisco Botanical Garden, 2021
Day 9: Road Trip from San Francisco to Pismo Beach, California

Bixby Bridge, CA 2021
Day 10: Road Trip from Pismo Beach to Los Angeles, California

Monarch Butterfly Grove, Pismo Beach, CA 2021
Day 11: Joshua Tree National Park

Hiking near Park Boulevard, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Day 12: Palm Desert to San Diego

The Living Desert Zoo and Botanical Garden, CA 2021
Day 13: San Diego, California

Cabrillo National Park in San Diego, California 2021