Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi all. We are contemplating traveling/sight-seeing by train, traveling through the Northern Rockies and down the Pacific coast. We have only experienced 8 hours or less train trips between major cities. We would love to hear about others' experiences, recommendations and tips on scenic train trips (especially in the Rockies and NW states.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,725 posts, read 58,067,115 times
Reputation: 46190
We have hosted many guests that take the northern route from Chicago to Spokane, then split to Seattle or Portland, then do coastal route south to CA.
We had a couple in their late 80s come from MSP via Amtrak, and they looped to Santa Monica, then took a mid Utah and Colorado route back to MSP . They had a sleeping berth.
USA trains.... Don't be in a hurry . My last Amtrak out of Spokane was delayed a couple days due to a derailment in MT.
Canada trains can be very nice, expect to see a lot of forest!
We have hosted many guests that take the northern route from Chicago to Spokane, then split to Seattle or Portland, then do coastal route south to CA.
We had a couple in their late 80s come from MSP via Amtrak, and they looped to Santa Monica, then took a mid Utah and Colorado route back to MSP . They had a sleeping berth.
USA trains.... Don't be in a hurry . My last Amtrak out of Spokane was delayed a couple days due to a derailment in MT.
Canada trains can be very nice, expect to see a lot of forest!
The same for Canadian passenger trains, they don't own the track, and must give way to freight trains.
My wife just traveled by train from Minneapolis to Seattle. The train is called Empire Builder. She got a sleeper cabin and all meals were provided. She was not all that happy with it - her main complaint was that her cabin was freezing and there weren't enough blankets. The scenery is nice but unfortunately it crosses the Rockies (through Glacier Park) at night.
The last train we rode on was between Melbourne and Sydney in Australia. We figured flying would be the same as flying over the US. We enjoyed it. Never saw so many sheep in my life.
My wife just traveled by train from Minneapolis to Seattle. The train is called Empire Builder. She got a sleeper cabin and all meals were provided. She was not all that happy with it - her main complaint was that her cabin was freezing and there weren't enough blankets. The scenery is nice but unfortunately it crosses the Rockies (through Glacier Park) at night.
I rode it last summer and enjoyed it. It gets dark much later in the summer so you get to see the mountains. The stretch between Minneapolis and Milwaukee is along the Mississippi river for hundreds of miles with great scenery. Even a narration of local history.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. My last Amtrak out of Spokane was delayed a couple days due to a derailment in MT.
