Amtrak’s reputation has elevated previously few years, due to its investments in infrastructure, new trains, and passenger experiences. In 2024, the rail firm hit an all-time ridership record of 32.8 million, a 15% improve from the earlier yr. Ticket income reached a report $2.5 billion. 2025 additionally began robust, with Amtrak’s newest route smashing first-year expectations despite a rusty spring. However what folks have been most enthusiastic about are the scenic and cultural routes.
Amtrak has quite a lot of these rides, from an upscale national parks route that will cost you $8000 to North Carolina’s Amtrak day trip, which lets you explore the state’s craft beer culture. However it’s Amtrak’s underrated California route, the San Joaquins, which is quietly turning into a dream journey for wine lovers. It runs between Bakersfield and both Oakland or Sacramento, primarily traversing the Central Valley of California—the state’s largest wine-producing area. The San Joaquins route is a 6-hour journey that offers you quick access to charming wineries and a number of other thrilling locations, together with an iconic nationwide park. Learn on to study extra about Amtrak’s idyllic wine journey.
A Wine Lover’s Dream Amtrak Journey
Sundown on the winery in Lodi, California, USA in summer season
Amtrak’s San Joaquins route is usually ignored in favor of extra in style ones just like the Coast Starlight, which is thought for its dramatic seaside views. However the former merely options one other scenic facet of California—its agricultural area. The practice is called after the San Joaquin Valley, the southern half of the state’s Central Valley, often known as “the meals basket of the world.” The realm is lush with seasonal crops, and notably, 151,000 winery acres, making it the most important wine nation in California. With at the least 10 stops within the San Joaquin Valley, the San Joaquins practice is unquestionably a wine lover’s dream. You will see that historic and world-renowned wine locations just like the “Zinfandel Capital of the World”—Lodi, on the Sacramento department of the route. The San Joaquins route splits in Stockton, with one department going in the direction of the San Francisco Bay Space, ending at Jack London Sq. in Oakland.
Within the shared southern trunk of the route, you could have the Madera Wine Trail, considered one of America’s oldest grape-growing areas; then Modesto, dwelling to the most important family-owned vineyard within the U.S., the E & J Gallo Winery. Between the 2 can be Merced, gateway to Yosemite National Park. You possibly can switch to the Amtrak Thruway Bus Route 15a, or the Yosemite Space Regional Transportation System (YARTS) bus, which fits on to Yosemite Valley.
Though the San Joaquins would not immediately move by means of Napa Valley, going there’s fairly straightforward from the Martinez station, the place you possibly can take the Amtrak Thruway Bus Route 7. It immediately connects you to the Soscol Gateway Transit Center in Downtown Napa. From there, you possibly can hop on the vintage Napa Valley Wine Train, which then takes you to St. Helena—the guts of the Napa Valley—and again. You can too take the Amtrak Thruway Route 18 from Hanford station to Paso Robles, one of many best wine regions to visit in the U.S. in 2025. It beforehand topped the checklist, with USA At present describing it as a “great alternative to the pricey Napa area.”
Amtrak San Joaquins Route And Schedule
Winery in Central California with mountains within the background
Amtrak San Joaquins is a Y-shaped route. It begins in Bakersfield, California, within the south, heading towards the rose city of Wasco, the agricultural city of Corcoran, and Hanford. Subsequent is Fresno, the artsy “Raisin Capital of the World,” adopted by Madera, Merced, Turlock-Denair station within the quiet rural city of Denair, and Modesto, earlier than the cut up within the culturally wealthy Stockton. The shorter department heads to Lodi after which Sacramento. The Bay Space department continues towards Antioch, A.Okay.A. “Gateway to Delta” (closest station to Pittsburgh), after which Martinez, Richmond, the historic Emeryville, and eventually Oakland.
Amtrak San Joaquins‘ schedule caters to each commuters and leisure vacationers, with six each day spherical journeys between Bakersfield and Stockton—5 persevering with to Oakland and one to Sacramento. As for the bus transfer schedules, Merced station has seven each day round-trips to Yosemite by way of the YARTS bus. Then, Amtrak’s Route 7 bus has two each day departures from Martinez to Napa. However there is just one each day journey from Hanford to Paso Robles and onwards (afternoon) and a return journey through the morning, which suggests you will need to e-book an in a single day keep do you have to determine to take this wine-side journey.
Amtrak San Joaquins Ticket Costs
Amtrak San Joaquins Prepare in Bakersfield, California
Ticket prices for Amtrak San Joaquins vary from $15 to $100, relying on the size of the journey. The complete one-way journey from Bakersfield to Sacramento can go as little as $48, with $71 being the typical worth. However for the Oakland department, the typical one-way value is $45, and usually ranges from $36 to $50. Reductions of as much as 50% can be found for varied forms of vacationers (e.g., youngsters, seniors, and so on.), together with frequent passengers.
These costs are rather a lot cheaper and extra versatile than Amtrak Holidays’ in style California Wine Country by Rail, a nine-day wine journey on the Coast Starlight, typically beginning at $2000. It takes you on an upscale wine tour of the extra well-known Paso Robles and Napa Valley. Whereas that is definitely a bucket-list wine journey, San Joaquins‘ wine locations provide a much less touristy, extra reasonably priced, historic, and family-run expertise. It is a gateway to undiscovered experimental blends.
- Inhabitants
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39.35 Million ( 2020)
- Based Date
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September 9, 1850
The Greatest Time To Go On An Amtrak San Joaquins Wine Journey
San Joaquin Valley, California
One of the best time to go on a wine journey by way of Amtrak San Joaquins is from summer season by means of early fall, when the California wine nation is at its peak. It is the right time to discover the vineyards and take part in immersive actions or festivals just like the annual Vacation Spirit Weekend in Madera Wine Trails. Summer time is the busiest time within the area, though it is nothing in comparison with the crowds of Napa Valley. Simply e-book your Amtrak tickets prematurely, as fares are inclined to surge through the summer season. For fewer crowds and a extra budget-friendly journey, spring can be a pleasant time to go. Many tasting rooms are open, the climate is ideal to take a look at the downtown wine scenes in Lodi and Modesto, and it is the season of crisp white wines and rosés.
Winters could possibly be cozy and romantic, with some exclusive-feeling tastings on account of decreased vacationers and openings, or possibly wine nights by the fireside. You can too get higher offers on lodging and Amtrak fares. Whichever season you go to San Joaquins‘ wine stops, you are assured a novel and genuine wine expertise that you just simply will not discover in Napa Valley or Pasa Robles.
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