Obsessed with trains, planes, and streetcars, Parker is an entrepreneur based in San Francisco, CA. Access to the east is via. In November I’d bet you’ll see some winter weather through western Montana. The only warning the car attendant gave us was due to the extreme cold (between 0°F and -24°F) we should keep an eye on the shower drain. I enjoyed talking shop with conductors and other staff and they were more than willing to share.
Any great towns to get off for the night? was that it got late right at the start, when there was one of those infamous week-before-Thanksgiving Pacific storms. frequent? This is a place I’d like to get off and spend some time someday. Both of us took showers, but luckily experienced no drain problems. One advantage to being late was it was well into morning before we cleared the Rockies, a beautiful sight in the snow! Just to note, I do use the train for basic transportation when I can, not just for special train rides, and this trip is an example of it.

I ride it quite often between San Francisco and LA and never tire of the views. I think the eastbound train may be better time to scenery through western Montana.

Should we bring a couple of blankets with us? I am planning far ahead for a solo trip along the Empire Builder route in fall of 2021. For more practical advice, I suggest looking at amtraktrains.com.

The cloud cover kept the sun at bay and made the scenery almost look black and white until Whitefish, MT. The Empire Builder route is so beautiful, although not everyone seems to share the same enthusiasm for the flat expanses of North Dakota and eastern Montana that we do! Again, delays aren't going to phase me....it might mean I get to sleep later on the morning we're supposed to get off of the train! Powered by WordPress & xFrontend. Have some questions. Don't want to miss any great scenery. Return To Traditional Dining on Long Distance Trains. Thanks for the inputs. Enjoy the journey! Definitely give yourself some buffer time in your plans, just in case. They even put us in touch with a friend of theirs who owns a bookshop in the neighborhood, where we could leave our luggage while exploring. However I've heard rumors of trains being "snow-bound" and that it happens quite regularly in the winter. PS- my tardiness record is on the Builder.. 19 hours due to toilets and everything else freezing up all the way across North Dakota. Then eastbound Seattle to Chicago. I love hearing about your experiences traveling or upcoming train trips. It’s well located close to downtown Seattle, which allowed us to walk around, seeing the sights and grabbing lunch before boarding the train.

More delay risk? I absolutely will not ride a bus for any portion of either trip. The Empire Builder has long been one of my favorite trains. Air travel being so awful now, I thought it might be interesting to take the train across the lower 48, then fly from Seattle to Anchorage. So they will do everything possible to keep the line open. Spokane was white and silent, power was out over half the city. I managed to walk the train, but afterward was ready to pop back inside since my face hurt.

This is a trip I had made a couple of times before, but never with winter scenery, so we decided it would make a nice long weekend getaway mid January. Especially this time of year, I imagine it’s a lot safer than driving or taking a bus. Hi Lucy! Community seating is used, which basically means they seat four people to a table, grouping smaller parties. If you had been driving, you would not have been going anywhere, but the train was merely late, and we made up a lot of time later on in the trip. Come morning, we woke up in Minnesota right on time, so the weather must have cooperated. After we boarded, the conductor said to be careful walking about, as the train would accordion when it muscled through the person-high snow drifts. Meals? Of course we stayed comfortable in our cozy room. Empire Builder and CZ from Denver to Sacramento.

I’m so glad to hear that you’re going to give the train a chance. maybe a letter directly to him might get some attention. I’d highly suggest also taking the trip from Spokane to Portland at some point – the ride through the Columbia River Gorge is amazing. One of the nicest things about taking trains is that you get to meet, talk with, sit down and have a meal with, others like you who think taking a train is a reasonable way to travel, a good way to see the countryside, and a fun way to spend a vacation. Have some questions. Three days and two nights on the train goes by fast, and that’s a testament to the wonderful people, stunning scenery, and hard working crew members you encounter along the way. I really appreciate the write-up – and all the pictures! Some of the old depots were nice, like Henderson, Texas. (Covid)  I was told I  had to stay in my room all the way there. Thinking ski season is going to make WinterPark pretty expensive but maybe not. I cancelled the whole trip. It seems like that would be a nice perk about working on the railroad – free (discounted?) The skies got darker as we crossed the Cascades until we got our first glimpse of snow around Wenatchee, WA. But, that was a pretty extreme situation due to an unusual blizzard for the area. I am considering a couple of trips on Amtrak this Winter. As the train headed to Everett, we cruised along Puget Sound and were treated to a beautiful sunset. It’s really amazing that anything works in these frigid conditions, and I am glad they take safety seriously. The rooms (lodges) everywhere where booked solid though November. Check the scheduled timing of the eastbound train vs the westbound train. The Empire Builder (approximately the only thing moving in the state) was 45 minutes late, powered by three Amtrak locomotives led by a huge orange and green BNSF locomotive with a snowplow. I also like that it gives a sense of the scale of the United States. I am considering a couple of trips on Amtrak this Winter. Even complaining about the "non-attentive" or "arrogant" employees falls on deaf ears at Amtrak. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Like I said, the train travel is part of our vacation...not just travel days. I believe this was the Mississippi River, where the train crosses from Minnesota into Wisconsin. I can get on/off at any city with scheduled airline service. Fort Worth was very interesting. We won't be in a huge rush, so I'm not really concerned about the train being late...if it's later than 12 hours it might get a little frustrating, but a 4,6,8 hour delay doesn't bother me (as long as we're still able to use our room....or do they boot you out early to clean it for the next riders?). Suddenly the mountain scenery was more dramatic, and the snow cover was much more substantial. So my roundtrip will be Spokane-Chicago and I’ll be getting a roomette on the train, and staying a night or 2 in Chicago.

And remember that this route is a very busy line for BNSF (the host railroad) especially with the ND oil felds. Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following, $12.00 Per 12 Months, plus tax if applicable. It's hard to tell whether or not a westbound trip is better than an eastbound for seeing the most scenery during daylight hours. I am taking the Builder on 12/19 from Everett, WA to Chicago and going on to Indianapolis for the same reasons. It was more of an adventure than anything else, and I second the notion above that I'd much rather be looking out at the weather from a nice, warm train, than trying to drive through it and having to get out in the cold to stay the night, eat a meal, or even use a restroom!! Everyone I talked to was very nice and understanding. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Also might take the CZ from Denver west.
Elevated rails in the St. Louis/Mississippi River was pretty amazing to me. The Empire Builder has long been one of my favorite trains. Hi Helene – Fall is my favorite season so I wanted to take this trip then to enjoy fall colors along the way. Following Whitefish is jaw dropping  for hours on end.

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