Winter trip suggestions

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darien-l

OBS Chief
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Jul 20, 2007
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Flagstaff, AZ
Can anyone suggest a good winter trip? The idea is to take the train from NYP around New Year's, spend several days somewhere, and return by train. We're looking to stay somewhere fairly rustic and relatively remote, like a cabin or a B&B, with good views of snowy landscapes. Canada is in play (through VIA Rail), but then we'd have to fly back due to the length of the trip. It's important that the accomodations be easily reachable from the train station, by walking, public transportation, taxi, hotel shuttle, etc., as we are trying to avoid renting a car. Right now, I'm thinking Lake Placid, NY, but I'm wide open to other suggestions. I'm pretty unfamiliar with the Vermonter line: is there anything there that fits our requirements? Thanks!
 
darien-l said:
Can anyone suggest a good winter trip? The idea is to take the train from NYP around New Year's, spend several days somewhere, and return by train. We're looking to stay somewhere fairly rustic and relatively remote, like a cabin or a B&B, with good views of snowy landscapes. Canada is in play (through VIA Rail), but then we'd have to fly back due to the length of the trip. It's important that the accomodations be easily reachable from the train station, by walking, public transportation, taxi, hotel shuttle, etc., as we are trying to avoid renting a car. Right now, I'm thinking Lake Placid, NY, but I'm wide open to other suggestions. I'm pretty unfamiliar with the Vermonter line: is there anything there that fits our requirements? Thanks!
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Definitely the EB to Whitefish, MT or Leavenworth, WA. Google both towns.
 
jmbgeg said:
Definitely the EB to Whitefish, MT or Leavenworth, WA. Google both towns.
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Thank you for the suggestion, but we're not looking to travel quite that far. Sorry I didn't mention that explicitly. We're looking to stick to the northeast USA or eastern Canada at the most.
 
There are definitely quite a few small towns and B&Bs along the Vermonter's route. I would probably recommend starting a search with White River Junction, but you can look at other small towns like Randolph, Essex Junction, or St. Albans.
 
A couple of suggestions: Consider the Adirondack up to Montreal which is like being in a foriegn Country, Winter is cold but beautiful there!You could also consider riding the Maple Leaf to Niagara Falls,then to Niagara on the Lake which is beautiful anytime of the year but peacful and uncrowded in the winter!(Both are in Canada!)

You might also want to consider the Downeaster to Portland, shouldnt be crowded @ all and the prices are reasonable in the winter as opposed to the pricey ski resort type places in NH and Vermont!
 
Head north to Montreal on Amtrak's "Adirondack then:

If you want to experience a classic Budd Stainless-Steel train complete with a Dome Car in a snowy winter landscape......it's VIA's “Chaleur” (now just called the Montreal-Gaspe train) and you can easily do a round-trip in a long weekend. It departs Montreal on Wed, Fri. and Sun evenings......arrives into Gaspe at noon the following day, makes a quick turn and is back in Montreal the following morning in time to connect with the southbound Adirondack.

That’s nearly 2100 kms (roundtrip) of Dome riding......and the fare.....a lot less then what a trip on VIA's Canadian would cost you! The portion between Matapedia and Gaspe is the most scenic and nearly all in daylight……650 km (roundtrip) either running along a beach or high on a cliff above the Baie des Chaleurs. Here's a link to a Chaleur winter trip Video.

 
NS VIA FAN said:
Head north to Montreal on Amtrak's "Adirondack then:

If you want to experience a classic Budd Stainless-Steel train complete with a Dome Car in a snowy winter landscape......it's VIA's “Chaleur” (now just called the Montreal-Gaspe train) and you can easily do a round-trip in a long weekend. It departs Montreal on Wed, Fri. and Sun evenings......arrives into Gaspe at noon the following day, makes a quick turn and is back in Montreal the following morning in time to connect with the southbound Adirondack.

That’s nearly 2100 kms (roundtrip) of Dome riding......and the fare.....a lot less then what a trip on VIA's Canadian would cost you! The portion between Matapedia and Gaspe is the most scenic and nearly all in daylight……650 km (roundtrip) either running along a beach or high on a cliff above the Baie des Chaleurs. Here's a link to a Chaleur winter trip Video.

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Great video, and an excellent suggestion. Can you recommend any places to stop along the way of the "Chaleur"? Gaspe doesn't seem that exciting.
 
RailFanLNK said:
Change your plans! Take more time and take the LSL to Chicago and then the CZ to Glenwood Springs CO. It will be worth it!
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Great idea, but since I live near Denver, I've taken the CZ from DEN to GSC a bazillion times, including in the winter. I completely concur that it's worth it.

The trip that I'm planning is with my parents, who live in New York, hence the NYP departure. Incidentally, I've taken them to GSC already as well. :)
 
If you take the Adirondack, Lake Placid is definitely a great option! It's beautiful in winter, there are some nice places to stay, and a lot to do. (I live not too far from there, so I'm pretty familiar with it) You can take a dogsled ride on the frozen lake, ski at Whiteface, ride the luge and bobsled track, cross-country ski or snowshoe on some great trails around Lake Placid and nearby Saranac Lake. Depending on when in winter you go, you might go in time for the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival.

If you take the Vermonter, Montpelier and Waterbury are both ideal stops. Both are nice towns in their own right, as well as being close to other great towns. Plus they are smack in the midst of the Green Mountains. Waterbury is really close to Mount Mansfield, the highest mountain in the state. A bit nicer than Waterbury itself is Stowe, which is a short ride north and has a lot more to do as far as winter activities go, plus it's a really pretty town.

you should bear in mind that unless you go to Montreal, you're probably going to want to rent a car. there's a lot of stuff in downtown Lake Placid, Stowe and Montpelier (shops, inns, motels, restaurants) but anything else and you'll want a car. plus you can do a bit of exploring, because you'd be surrounded by great scenery and you'd probably find yourself frustrated without wheels.

Good luck and have fun!
 
darien-l said:
Great video, and an excellent suggestion. Can you recommend any places to stop along the way of the "Chaleur"? Gaspe doesn't seem that exciting.
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Not much to do in Gaspe in winter unless you are into snowmobiling or skiing. It’s a summer resort and contrary to the pictures in the above video showing the ice and snow.....the beaches along the south coast of the Gaspe Peninsula are warm and would be packed today.....a summer Sunday (F.Y.I. the “Chaleur” gets it’s name from the “Baie de Chaleur” the route it follows along.....or in English : Bay Of Warmth/Heat)

Another suggestion.....sample a VIA Corridor run to Quebec City from Montreal. Stopover for a day or two then continue onto Gaspe from there. Quebec is fascinating if you like history….the only walled city in North America with some of the original buildings dating from the 1600 & 1700s.

Go during the Winter Carnival.....here’s a link to my trip report from last February:

http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/31101-where-business-class-first-class/
 
I concur with Lake Placid, NY. My wife and daughter spent one year there,

daughter was training at the Olympic Arena. It is a nice quality town in

all seasons. It is small but has nearly everything one would require.

It is easy to travel by train from NYP and is easy to take a day trip or

weekend in Montreal. Good Luck.
 
When I was at my old job, I'd always take the week between Christmas and New Years off. I would spend 12/25 and 12/26 with family and then take a train trip from Chicago to Truckee, CA and back with the remaining days. I'd always book 11 months out and get the cheapest roomette on the train! It was a great trip... 4 days and 4 nights... with 1 hour in Truckee!! Just beatiful through the Rockies, Wastach, and the little bit of the Sierras that you go through.
 
Burlington, VT, has lots of B&Bs, some with views over Lake Champlain. The train station is about 15 minutes by taxi from downdown and the lakefront.

Last October, the northbound Vermonter was surrounded by a constant swirl of rainbow-colored leaves as we rolled through the woods. Nice!
 
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