A $225 train trip from Arkansas to Colorado sounds like an inexpensive way to head west. The rail itinerary examined here takes a less intuitive path: leave Little Rock for Chicago, stop overnight, and then board the California Zephyr for Denver. Before any mountain scenery enters the picture, the connection changes both the price and the amount of time the trip needs.
The $225 in this headline is unverified. It is not a confirmed Amtrak fare, and it should not be read as including a room, meals, or a Chicago hotel. This article uses Little Rock–Chicago–Denver as a specific rail-based example, with a planned overnight stopover in Chicago. Other origins, dates, and Colorado destinations require their own search.
The route can appeal to someone who wants a long train journey and a Chicago stop. It is much harder to defend as a simple bargain transfer to Colorado. The expectation gap becomes clear when you look at the connection, the three overnight stretches, and the fact that a Denver arrival ends before the Zephyr’s famous westbound mountain crossing…