Question:
Has anyone travelled around the states using the North American rail pass? Is it a worth while way of seeing America, is it easy to use, and are there any hidden extra charges?

I know that some of the journeys are extremely long but this is fine by me. I'm just wondering though whether it would be better for me to get a greyhound pass or travel on internal flights?

This is part fo a round the world trip - so I am looking to spend 30 days seeing the highlights of the US of A. Am I being overly ambitious here?

Choices:
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Yes, I used a 15-day "national" Amtrak pass when I backpacked around USA and Canada for 2 months in 1995. The pass was unbelievable value - I used it for 4 long trips, and a 1-way ticket for one of the trips I did (New Orleans to Los Angeles) was MORE than the cost of the pass!

The USA is HUGE ; wherever you are it's a long way to anywhere else, and sitting on a Greyhound bus for hours is unpleasant in the extreme. I took the bus overnight from Niagara Falls in Canada to Boston and it was a LOOONG, B*A*D trip. Bus trips are fine for a journey of up to 4 or 5 hours - more than that its way better to take the train (or fly).

However, Amtrak trains are very comfortable (even if you sit in coach), with viewing lounges, movies and big seats that almost fold all the way back. I took the train from Washington DC to Jacksonville (1 night), Orlando to New Orleans (1 night), New Orleans to Los Angeles (2 nights), Los Angeles to San Francisco and San Francisco to Seattle (1 night). Each trip was pleasant and enjoyable.

You can buy the railpass at any Amtrak station provided you have a foreign passport. There are no hidden costs - I paid once up-front and every ticket I got after that was no charge. Seat reservations do not cost extra (unlike Europe).

Remember also that my info is from 1995 (ie. 10 years old). Better check that things are still the same at www.amtrak.com.

The travelogue for my 1995 trip can be found at www.geocities.com/PaulKilfoil.

Have a GREAT trip.