Empire Builder Stop Overs

[tommerzz]

Hello

I will be taking the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle in Early July.

I am planning to take my time and stop in a few destinations along the way.

Looks like stopping in Glacier Park and Minneapolis are a good idea.

Is it really?

Any other ideas for stop overs?

How far are the train stations from areas of interest/ budget lodging?

Thanks

tommerzz

 

[saxman]

Yup those are good places to stop. Last month I stopped at East Glacier Park and stayed in the Glacier Park Lodge, which is right across the street. It was expensive but there are other places in town to stay. Some is always waiting at the station ready to pick you up. If there isn't there is always someone that can get you a ride. You can also line up some tours of the park. You can also stop in West Glacier. There's lots of places to stay there too.

Chris

 

[amtrakmichigan]

I took the Builder to Minneapolis in April. Minneapolis is a nice smaller size city, maybe the size of St. Louis. It seems to be a well kept clean city. However depending on your intrest, you may have a hard time finding that many things to do there. It is not the type of city that atracts many tourist. I can't comment on St. Paul, since we stayed in Minneapolis. Food in Minneapolis seems to be a little on the high side. I beleave I paid $4.50 for a bowl of soup in a bar just for an example. Taxi cab from the Amtrak station to downtown Minneapolis is about $20.

 

[IceColdMintJulep]

Wenatchee, WA might be a good stop. I don't know how long of a stop you're looking for, but if you are planning to rent a car and sightsee this might be an option. There's alot of agriculture stuff/tours (apple and cherry orhards) A short ways away is Leavenworth which is a bavarian village. Grand Coulee Dam is a little bit longer drive the other way, but well worth the time. It is the largest concrete dam in North America and has pump and power house tours, a visitor center, and the big attraction, the laser light show. Every night at dusk, the spillways are cracked open and a laser light show is presented on the dam face with audio. There are also some casinos across the river if you're into that. This could also be accessed from Spokane where you could go to Riverfront Park where Expo 74 was. There is a gondola/sky tram ride over the falls. If you like golf, nearby Cour d' lene has a floating green.