Everything I've been reading, and hearing from friends that have used Amtrak in the west, is nightmarish. But nothing else was moving out on the frozen tundra except us and a few wayward freights. The cold didn’t impact us too badly and we still managed to take the L to the airport. Besides, I would rather be snowbound on a train with heat, water and food, than to be snowbound (or even driving) in a car with none of those. (Could be different depending on conductor). For me, the scenery is great, but the experience of traveling in a roomette is just as much of the fun. The train may be snowbound, but that s really a thing of the past and of lore! Are detours, etc. I'm not that familiar with the scenery on the Empire Builder near Glacier and through the mountains. He said to stop using the shower if the drain froze over and they would melt the ice at the next station. Hi Helene – We arrive in Chicago right on time. It’s always surprising how many people use Amtrak to travel to and from these remote towns. You’ve convinced me to ignore those negative TripAdvisor reviews and just go for it! I’d also hope to see the start of the Iditarod. I've been on the Empire Builder several times in winter, including snowstorms in the Rockies and 40 below zero in North Dakota, but I've never been snowbound or even heard of it happening. The weather would vary from overcast to sunny, to snowing, all the way through the park. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content. Another luxury (private car on Amtrak) rail service? It is almost like magic to suddenly be transported into this frozen scenescape. Temperatures stayed low and the train started to accumulate more ice from the occasional storm. Although I’m not one for favorites, I have to say the Empire Builder in winter is one of my favorite train rides. Feel free to leave comments below! One advantage to being late was it was well into morning before we cleared the Rockies, a beautiful sight in the snow! Fall is my favorite season so I wanted to take this trip then to enjoy fall colors along the way. Thinking ski season is going to make WinterPark pretty expensive but maybe not. Empire Builder and CZ from Denver to Sacramento. It was unforgettable. Amtrak is 100% more reliable in snow & ice then airlines are. There were four of us 2 adults, 2 teenagers. We're sorry. Not sure what the best endpoints would be to maximize the scenery. Spokane was white and silent, power was out over half the city. Ending all too soon, you pass the peaks at the east end of Glacier Park and start your trip across the flat, frozen parts of remote Montana. I don't fly well and have always wanted to take a train trip, and our 2-year old son loves trains so we thought he'd have a lot of fun on the trip. I love hearing about your experiences traveling or upcoming train trips. Meals? Come morning, we woke up in Minnesota right on time, so the weather must have cooperated. Have some questions. Any experience taking it in the fall or advice on maybe a better time to make this trip for improved viewing? The bookshop staff told us a good, casual place to grab some pizza and local beer for dinner. Whitefish is a beautiful little town and the Amtrak station is right downtown. You meet interesting people from all over the world. I don’t think it would be colder at the beginning of March, but I’m not sure about the snow. Cheers. Both of us took showers, but luckily experienced no drain problems. We have a bedroom (it will be nice to have a place to put our two year old when he needs a nap or decides to throw tantrums...he is 2) and the trip is approximately 36-40 hours (2 nights, 2 partial days, 1 full day). Glacier National Park is the northern end of the Rocky Mountains, and I think just as beautiful as the Rockies across Colorado. You’re really lucky to live in Spokane, so close to this train route. For more practical advice, I suggest looking at amtraktrains.com. San Antonio to Chicago was less dramatic scenery (to me, anyway) but much better "train ops scenery" and photography. At this point I'm even more happy we decided to travel by train. Then eastbound Seattle to Chicago. Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following, $12.00 Per 12 Months, plus tax if applicable. From time to time a snow storm would hit us pretty hard, but it didn’t impact us in the slightest. Even complaining about the "non-attentive" or "arrogant" employees falls on deaf ears at Amtrak. I believe this was the Mississippi River, where the train crosses from Minnesota into Wisconsin. Then I asked about meal service on board ! Don't want to miss any great scenery. These little rooms have a lot of privacy and nice big windows. frequent? Elevated rails in the St. Louis/Mississippi River was pretty amazing to me. The sunset across the flat landscape didn’t disappoint. Any great towns to get off for the night? Not to say that people on TripAdvisor don’t have valid complaints, Amtrak is far from perfect, but you can’t please everyone. Thank you everyone for your input, experiences, and advice. This trip alone we met people from Switzerland, California, Chicago, Oregon, North Dakota, and New York – quite the varied bunch. Some of the old depots were nice, like Henderson, Texas. We've done the CZ from Denver to San Francisco in the fall. – as I’m planning to take the train the long way from Chicago to LA, via Seattle or Portland and then down the coast. I managed to walk the train, but afterward was ready to pop back inside since my face hurt. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. It’ll be mid-November, so if winter comes early maybe I’ll see some awesome snowy sights but either way I think I’ll enjoy it. Community seating is used, which basically means they seat four people to a table, grouping smaller parties. (Covid)  I was told I  had to stay in my room all the way there. That’s something I hadn’t seen before. Should we be prepared to stay on the train for 2 extra days (I'm sure this is extreme)? Amtrak travel. We took some pictures, but it doesn’t capture the picturesque quality a cold morning in Whitefish has. In November I’d bet you’ll see some winter weather through western Montana. Have some questions. 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. 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. Denver to SFO in the fall was really spectacular. It’s really amazing that anything works in these frigid conditions, and I am glad they take safety seriously. I think most of the park will be in the dark on the westbound train back to Spokane. Empire Builder and CZ from Denver to Sacramento. I think I have decided on this route: Spokane > Portland (or nearby station)Portland > Seattle (train or fly, not sure)Seattle > Whitefish (stay a few days)Whitefish > Williston (if son is in town)Williston > Chicago. Unfortunately, the weather turned sour just before we hit Chicago and it put doubt in our plan to see some neighborhood spots before heading to our hotel. This station has a lot of activity with Amtrak trains headed to Oregon, California, and Canada. Had all my reservations made. You WILL get there, you may be late, ,but you will get there. Montana blended with North Dakota, and it started to get dark. I see that you loved the winter and while I would probably enjoy that scenery very much, I’m quite used to snow where I live so I’d prefer to travel during the fall. No problem cancelling. It's hard to tell whether or not a westbound trip is better than an eastbound for seeing the most scenery during daylight hours. Once we reached Havre, MT, they let us know we’d have a few minutes to step off, so we bundled and took in the cold air. I am considering a couple of trips on Amtrak this Winter. The weather outside might be frightful, but on a train is so delightful, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! More delay risk? Obsessed with trains, planes, and streetcars, Parker is an entrepreneur based in San Francisco, CA. No rain on this trip to Washington! The conductor made an announcement after Minot letting us know that if the temperature dropped much more, we may have to travel at a slower speed overnight. Was considering Williston, ND - Seattle (or vice versa) but I don't know the area east of Williston. I think it sounds like a lot of fun and I think the views will be incredible. The discussion boards there are full of train nerds like me who can help plan your trip and let you know what to expect. This was a good sign for us since we were planning to walk a bit in Chicago and take the L to our hotel near O’Hare airport. Re: Empire Builder in Winter Author: updrumcorps I took the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle on December 27th, and the trip was routine, after a delayed departure from Chicago. Obsessed with trains, planes, and streetcars, Parker is an entrepreneur based in San Francisco, CA. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. The cloud cover kept the sun at bay and made the scenery almost look black and white until Whitefish, MT. Access to the GTTS Road is from the West (Apgar) only. The return, was 19 hours late though, I ended up flying back, as I couldn't be that flexible......had to be back in Chicago for meetings. I think you’ll enjoy it no matter what time of year you travel. Hot Water, didn't Amtrak just get a new big cheese, maybe a letter directly to him might get some attention, I thought I heard that he wanted to make things right and get it back to the way it used to be many moons ago. When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. I had coffee as we passed frozen rivers and towns. was that it got late right at the start, when there was one of those infamous week-before-Thanksgiving Pacific storms. Hi-Rail, O27 and Traditional 3-Rail O Gauge, Tech Support for the OGR Forum (NOT FOR TRAINS). JavaScript is disabled. Trains, Planes, and Experiences Around the World, parkerday.com's privacy and cookie policy, Cambodia Bayon Airlines and the Xian MA60, EasyFly – Bucaramanga to Medellín the Easy Way. 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!

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