A glorious ride on Amtrak's California Zephyr in winter

Crossing the legendary Donner Pass in the northern Sierra Nevada and descending to Lake Tahoe is one of those essential rites of passage for Californians.

But forget about doing it in a car. Now is the time to hop aboard Amtrak's long-distance California Zephyr and see the incredible snow cover from the comfort of the train's observation car. A series of storms in recent weeks have left the California mountains with a beautiful blanket of fresh dust.

The Zephyr travels all the way to Chicago in two days, but don't be intimidated. I am here to evangelize on this essential journey within California. I made the last-minute trip to Truckee from the East Bay after my wife and I realized we couldn't all fit in her mom's FJ Cruiser—our baby's ample gear and my mom's two dogs essentially claiming my seat. Taking two cars seemed like a waste.

Don't worry, for $62 I grabbed a coach seat on the next day's train for the five-hour trip to Tahoe.

The train departs daily from Emeryville in the East Bay at 9:10 a.m., although the next stop a few minutes later in Richmond has the added benefit of an adjacent BART station for the true transit nuts among us.

I dropped my bag at my assigned seat and headed to the observation car with a couple of snacks and coffee in hand. There are great views of San Pablo Bay and the Carquinez Strait, but the real star of the show is the Sierra Nevada and you'll have to wait to see it.

Scenes from a ride on Amtrak's California Zephyr long-distance train through the northern Sierra Nevada.

(Javier Panzar / Los Angeles Times)

Now is an important time to emphasize that the key to enjoying any trip with Amtrak is to cultivate a strong mental detachment from punctuality. The train will be late. Maybe a little, maybe a lot. Develop a discipline to forget all that. Leave behind the clock that normally dominates you.

Kill time however you can. Prepare a good meal, enjoy the music, bring Uno if you are traveling with friends or want to make new friends.

Scenes from a ride on Amtrak's California Zephyr long-distance train through the northern Sierra Nevada.

(Javier Panzar / Los Angeles Times)

But the best way to spend your time is in the dining car. The staff opened for lunch after we left Sacramento and I quickly began chatting with three strangers about menu strategies. The cheeseburger with fries was solid as always, but the butter pie from Frank & Louie's Italian Specialties in Delaware was new and amazing. If you stay on the train long enough for dinner, the Amtrak Steak will never disappoint.

As we ate, the Sierra Foothills began to appear outside the window as we climbed the mountains along a ridge. You can see the incredible, intricately forested canyons carved by the North Fork American River and its tributaries.

Now it was time to take a seat at a car viewing table and wait for the snow to fall. Somewhere between the historic gold rush towns of Auburn and Colfax, you can begin to see the brilliant, almost blinding white peaks of the Sierras jutting out from the tree line as the train climbs. After these weeks of storms, one begins to understand why John Muir described this mountain range as “so luminous, that it seems not to be covered with light, but entirely composed of it, like the wall of some heavenly city.”

Scenes from a ride on Amtrak's California Zephyr long-distance train through the northern Sierra Nevada.

(Javier Panzar / Los Angeles Times)

Slowly the landscape transforms as the snow cover spreads and deepens. Soon the train passed two different ski resorts and the tourists greeted us with a shower of snowballs on the observation car. The train passes through a few tunnels and stunning views of snow-capped ridges greet passengers on the other side.

The crystal clear waters of Donner Lake appear just below the train; To do this, you'll want to sit on the left side of the train. The lake is down the hill and you can see the snow covered hills reflected.

Downtown Truckee soon followed, a great place to walk around and grab a coffee. Public transportation can take you to the different ski resorts, but I was lucky enough to get a ride from a family friend who was already in town. The train isn't for everyone, but it's a great way to enjoy the grandeur of California.

I always end up striking up conversations with other passengers. Amtrak has a special way of attracting interesting weirdos from all over the country. Unlike air travel, most people are content to take the scenic route at a deliberate pace. On this trip I spent time chatting with a professor from Omaha and a fellow train enthusiast from Japan. He said Japan's trains are definitely faster, but as far as scenery goes, nothing beats those in the United States.