The Columbia River, between Oregon and Washington State, (2012). (Photo taken by the author)
The Empire Builder Chicago to either Seattle, Washington, or Portland, Oregon
The first thing I have to say about this journey is that its destination is actually 2 destinations. Either Portland, Oregon (27), or Seattle, Washington (7). The train splits in Spokane, Washington (in the middle of the night). It is not exactly the best place to walk around.
The first stop of any length is Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which gets you a fresh-air break of 10 minutes.
Winona, Minnesota is only 6 minutes, so if they let you out, stay by the door.
St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota is a 17-minute stop, so you can get out and look around at the train and maybe the station. Talk to your car attendant, for the time you need to be back. On our trip, we spent 3 days in that beautiful city, and it is well worth the time to visit.
Havre, Montana is a refueling stop, so you have 21-minutes, if on time. Check with your car attendant, for your return time. There are some static displays, including a statue of James J. Hill the builder of the Great Northern Railway, to visit, if you want.
Shelby, Montana has an 8-minute stop, so you can take a quick fresh-air break, if you need one.
Whitefish Montana is in Glacier National Park, if you can take a few minutes to leave the train and get a few photos of the area, though it might be after dark. You could have up to 16-minutes.
Spokane, Washington is where the train either comes together, or is taken apart, as I mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, it is either after Midnight or 2AM, according to which direction you are going. If you want to, you can leave the car, just ask when you need to be back. You can watch the train crew going through their motions, if that is your thing.
For the Seattle passengers, Wenatchee, Washington is a 10-minute fresh-air break, but it is still night, so you probably won’t know about it.
Welcome to Seattle (or Portland). Have a great time visiting either city.
