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My travel plans from the east to Seattle only allow for one way by train with a return by air. So which way on the Empire Builder offers the best scenic views (day vs night travel)?
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If you are travelling in the late Summer and before the change over in October from Daylight Savings Time I would say going Eastbound is better.
You get to see the Glacier Natl Park mountains during longer daylight hours. You cross the open barren parts of North Dakota and Minnesota late at night. The long stop at MSP at breakfast is a nice time to stretch your legs.
If you do go Eastbound I would VERY HIGHLY recommend taking the incredible Amtrak 'Cascades' Talgo service (go Business Class) in the early morning (dep. 7:30am - arr. 11am) to Portland and then the EB from there. I have done this several times and the cost difference to go SEA-PDX-CHI was almost zero dollars. And you get some sightseeing time in Portland too before the 4:45pm departure.
You also get to see the Columbia River Gorge and Dams up and down the river. Maybe even see Mt. Hood from The Dalles area. When it connects to the Seattle-originating half of the EB your segment of the train is at the back behind the dinner car and the views out the back of the train are very cool. If I am not mistaken the Observation/Snack Car also comes from the Portland segment of the EB then connects, while the Seattle part of the EB goes without (they get the Dining Car) until Spokane.
You get into Chicago just in time to catch the 'Capital Limited' or 'Cardinal'.
-------------------- The best part of life is the journey, not the destination. Posts: 497 | From: Clarksburg, West Virginia | Registered: Oct 2003
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I would be traveling in the Spring - early to mid April. What would you recommend at that time of year?
And yes would would travel east on the Capitol Ltd.
Thanks.
The change over from Winter to get the extra hour from Daylight Savings Time usually occurs the first weekend of April, so I would still say go eastbound.
-------------------- The best part of life is the journey, not the destination. Posts: 497 | From: Clarksburg, West Virginia | Registered: Oct 2003
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P.S. I think the European-styled 'Cascades' is by far the nicest train set in the Amtrak fleet. Business-Class is 1-2 seating with a nice Bistro. Altogether better in my opinion than, just not as fast as, the Acela. And the Portland station is quite nice too. Free bus service in the downtown area of Portland makes getting around easier. Definitely worth the SEA-PDX-CHI side trip.
-------------------- The best part of life is the journey, not the destination. Posts: 497 | From: Clarksburg, West Virginia | Registered: Oct 2003
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If you are traveling on the westbound Empire Builder during the summer, and if it is reasonably on time, you will still see all of Glacier Park during daylight (remember the further north you go, the more daylight you get during the summer) -- but either direction has good scenery. One one of my recent westbound trips on the EB, we stopped at Whitefish at quarter of 10 at night and it was still light.
(If you don't believe me, try riding VIA Rail Canada's Canadian during the summer, where it gets light at 4 AM and stays light until almost 11 PM!)
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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