Canada’s Most Scenic Train Journeys

Canada is celebrated as one of the most scenic countries in the world. With vast mountain ranges, glacial lakes, dense forests, rugged coastlines, and just about everything in between, it offers 4 million square miles of exploration and adventure.

That scale is part of the appeal, but it can also make planning a trip feel overwhelming. Travellers often want to experience more than one side of Canada, yet covering large distances by car or plane can mean rushing between destinations and missing the scenery in between.

Rail holidays provide the perfect solution. Rather than simply getting from A to B, Canada’s most scenic train journeys turn the journey itself into part of the experience, offering ever-changing views along the way. Here, Journeyscape ranks the best scenic rail routes, helping you find a journey as memorable as the destinations themselves.

THE RANKINGS AT A GLANCE

• The White Pass & Yukon Route ranks as Canada’s most scenic rail journey overall, achieving the highest score (7.8/10).
• The top three most-searched journeys attract more searches than all of the others combined, with the White Pass & Yukon Route leading the way on more than 256,000 annual searches.
• The Canadian is the most talked-about route on social media, with more than 11,000 posts across platforms thanks to its dramatic scenery and iconic landmarks.
• Canada’s highest-ranking rail journeys tend to pass more natural landmarks along the way. The top five routes pass an average of almost six natural sights, compared to 3.2 across all journeys analysed.
• The White Pass & Yukon Route also stands out for visitor reviews, with an average Tripadvisor rating of 4.6 out of 5, well above the overall average of 3.9.

THE TOP TEN MOST SCENIC TRAIN JOURNEYS IN CANADA

Canada’s most scenic rail journeys offer a varied snapshot of the country’s landscapes. To understand how these journeys compare, we analysed search interest, social visibility, traveller ratings, and proximity to natural landmarks. 

Overall, the results highlight how both scale and setting contribute to a journey’s appeal, with cross-country routes and those passing through multiple standout locations consistently performing best.

WHITE PASS AND YUKON ROUTE – SCENIC SCORE OF 7.8/10

The White Pass & Yukon Route ranks as Canada’s most scenic rail journey overall. Its strong performance is driven by exceptionally high levels of interest and consistently positive reviews. More than 256,000 people search for the route each year, over five times the average, while its 4.6 out of 5 rating on Tripadvisor is the highest of any journey in our analysis.

Running from Skagway, Alaska, to the summit of White Pass on the Alaska-British Columbia border, the route passes through some of the most dramatic scenery in North America. Along the way, passengers pass mountain peaks, deep gorges, waterfalls, and steep cliffside drops, climbing almost 3,000 feet over less than 20 miles.

Originally built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush, the railway is also steeped in history, making the experience feel as memorable as the landscapes themselves.

THE CANADIAN – SCENIC SCORE OF 7.4/10

The second-highest-ranked Canadian rail journey is The Canadian, an epic 4,000+ km route from Toronto, Ontario, to Vancouver, British Columbia that unfolds over four days. You can book a direct trip between the two cities or opt for a multi-stop ticket instead, giving you the freedom to step off and explore along the route.

It has by far the most social media posts, too, with over 11,000, almost double the number of the second-highest-ranked journey for this metric. Also, it passes near eight separate natural wonders (like Jasper and Banff National Parks, and Pyramid Lake) on the way, almost triple the average of 3.2. 

The Canadian’s sheer scale and ever-changing landscapes make it one of the most comprehensive ways to experience Canada, with glass-domed carriages designed specifically for panoramic viewing. Highlights include the remote lakes of Northern Ontario, the vast open plains of the Prairies and the dramatic peaks and alpine scenery of Jasper National Park.

FIRST PASSAGE TO THE WEST – SCENIC SCORE OF 7.2/10

First Passage to the West is the third-best scenic rail journey in Canada. One major reason for this is that it passes near or through seven natural wonders, including Glacier National Park. It also had double the average number of social media posts, 5,760, compared to 2,756.

Running between Vancouver, British Columbia and Banff, Alberta, this route follows historic rail lines through the heart of the Canadian Rockies, offering a concentrated journey through some of the country’s most iconic scenery. Travellers pass through rushing rivers, dense forests, and towering mountain ranges, including the Spiral Tunnels, an engineering landmark that safely navigates steep gradients.

THE BEST PERFORMING RAIL JOURNEY FOR EVERY CATEGORY

Canada’s top rail journeys each tell a different story. While the overall rankings show the best all-round experiences, looking at each category brings their individual strengths into focus, from dramatic landscapes to the journeys travellers can’t stop sharing.

WHITE PASS AND YUKON ROUTE IS THE MOST SEARCHED FOR CANADIAN RAIL JOURNEY

In total, scenic Canadian rail journeys generated almost 900,000 searches, averaging 48,839 per route.

White Pass & Yukon Route attracts by far the most interest, with 256,100 global searches – more than five times the average. Known for its dramatic mountain scenery, steep cliffs, waterfalls and gold-rush history, it has become one of the country’s most sought-after rail experiences.

Train de Charlevoix ranks second with 196,500 searches, showing particularly strong interest in rail travel across eastern Canada. Running between Québec City and La Malbaie, the route follows the St. Lawrence River, passing through Baie-Saint-Paul and the Charlevoix region, with views of the Laurentian Mountains.

Agawa Canyon Tour Train follows with 163,200 searches, more than three times the average and reinforcing its popularity as one of Ontario’s best-known scenic rail journeys. Departing from Sault Ste. Marie, the route ventures deep into the Algoma wilderness before a dramatic 500-foot descent into Agawa Canyon. This is where you can explore waterfalls, trails, and panoramic lookout points.

THE CANADIAN IS THE MOST POPULAR ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Most of Canada’s scenic rail routes attract relatively modest attention on social media, averaging 2,756 posts each. But The Canadian sits in a league of its own.

With 11,116 posts across social platforms, it generates more than four times the average engagement level and almost double that of the next most-shared route. Its popularity is likely driven by the sheer variety of scenery along the journey, from forests and lakes to mountain ranges and national parks.

Journey Through the Clouds ranks second with 5,825 posts. Running between Vancouver and Jasper, the route is known for its alpine scenery, glacier-fed lakes and dense forests, making it particularly popular on visually led platforms.

First Passage to the West follows closely behind with 5,760 posts, again performing well above average and reinforcing its appeal among travellers sharing their rail experiences online.

WHITE PASS AND YUKON ROUTE IS THE HIGHEST-RATED CANADIAN RAIL JOURNEY ON TRIPADVISOR

Reviews suggest that travellers are consistently impressed by Canada’s scenic rail routes, with the journeys in our analysis averaging 3.9 out of 5 on Tripadvisor.

White Pass & Yukon Route stands out as the highest-rated journey overall, earning an average score of 4.6. That places it well above the wider average and suggests that visitors see it as one of Canada’s most memorable rail experiences.

Tshiuetin Rail Transportation follows closely behind with a rating of 4.5, while several other scenic routes share third place on 4.4. Connecting Sept-Îles and Schefferville, the route passes through remote wilderness, far removed from Canada’s more familiar tourist routes. During the journey, you could catch sight of the Laurentian Plateau and Knob Lake.

THE RAIL JOURNEYS WITH THE MOST NATURAL LANDMARKS

To understand which routes offer the most varied scenery, we analysed how many national parks, mountain ranges, and lakes sit within 25km of each rail journey. On average, Canada’s scenic train routes pass 3.2 major natural landmarks, but some offer far more.

The Canadian comes out on top, passing close to eight national parks, mountain ranges and lakes – more than any other route in our analysis. Travelling between Toronto and Vancouver, it covers an enormous stretch of the country, taking in everything from the dramatic peaks of the Canadian Rockies to the landscapes around Jasper National Park.

First Passage to the West follows closely behind with seven nearby natural landmarks, again well above average. Running between Vancouver and Banff, the route passes close to Glacier National Park, Yoho National Park and Banff National Park, while also crossing the Columbia Mountains and passing lakes such as Wapta Lake and Emerald Lake.

Journey Through the Clouds ranks third, with six nearby natural landmarks along the route. Travelling from Vancouver to Jasper, it passes through Jasper National Park and several mountain ranges, including the Coast Mountains and Cariboo Mountains, alongside lakes such as Yellowhead Lake and Moose Lake.

SOURCES

• US News

METHODOLOGY

Journeyscape is a specialist in North American holidays, curating inspiring, authentic, and extraordinary journeys, all delivered with exceptional customer service. We offer unforgettable tours and experiences across Canada and North America, including rail holidays.

To showcase the great railway journeys that Canada has to offer, we created this data-led study into the best scenic Canadian railway journeys using the following methodology:

We created a list of the most scenic rail journeys in Canada and ranked each on the following factors.

1. Search Demand – We sourced the annual search volume from Google Keyword Planner. We took global searches between March 2025 and February 2026 (the past year).
2. Social Popularity – We took the number of social posts on Instagram and TikTok for each journey.
   • On Instagram, for rail journeys that came up as “Fewer than 100”, we recorded it as 99, and for “100+”, we recorded it as 100.
   • For any others where a “+” was given, we treated it as is; for example, “5000+” was recorded as 5000 in our data. 
3. Tripadvisor Rating – Sourced from https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/
4. Scenic Viewpoints – We counted the number of National Parks, Mountain Ranges, and Lakes that each rail journey passes through. 

Finally, we combined this into a weighted table, assigning each factor a normalised score out of 10. We then averaged these scores to get our overall Scenic Score out of 10.