What is the best time of year to do the EB

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cirdan

cirdan

Engineer
Joined
Mar 30, 2011
Messages
3,654
Just looking at the Amtrak map and all the bits of route I haven't done yet, I decided I need to ride the EB, filling in a large map on my map.

In your opinioon, what is the best time of year to ride it, scenery and weather wise?

Also, if I ride it only one way, which is better, east or westbound?
 
I've ridden it many times, always in winter -- so I must say, winter is gorgeous. Whether you have lots of snow in Montana and Idaho, or snow/cold and maybe even warm/flooding on the plains, it's interesting. And if there are delays, hey, that's more train time! But this comes with a warning: if the delays are too long, or the rails get blocked by snow, mud or water, there *may* be bus time. Full disclosure: in all the times I've been on the EB, I have only gotten one bus ride, from PDX to SPK. That was due to heavy oil train traffic during the fracking boom, which made the EB so late they turned ours in SPK (Spokane). I've also gotten to watch crews stop to break the ice off every switch in eastern Washington, and I've laid-over for 24 hours at the Izaak Walton Inn in ESX for some great cross country skiing. I've looked out from a warm Sightseer Lounge onto North Dakota snowscapes at 40 below zero. And I've seen the same landscape flooded right up to the tracks, but we got through. I understand that other seasons have their delights (and longer days), but I like winter.

Direction: the longer the days are, the less it matters. But I prefer east bound, because if you get up as early as you can stand to, you are guaranteed to see more of Glacier Park in Montana. West bound, if the train is late, you get off the prairies and reach the mountains just at, or even after, dark.
 
To see the most scenery ride the Empire Builder in June/early July when there is a lot more daylight hours.
 
I have traveled on the Empire Builder in both directions and during Summer and Winter.

One of my favorite rain travel memories is a February departure from Seattle. It was raining when we left the station and continued throughout the afternoon and evening. Turning East and climbing into the mountains, the rain changed to snow. I awoke during the middle of the night and looked out my window (don't remember whether we were still in Washington or in Idaho). The beauty of the nighttime scene with freshly falling snow was truly a memorable sight! Throughout the morning going through Glacier National Park with the fresh snow: really was a WOW! sightseeing time.
 
Also, don't forget about the 2 sections, to SEA and to PDX. The SEA section has the Cascades, a full diner (1/2 lounge maybe?), and no SSL, while the PDX section has the Columbia River Gorge and the SSL, but no diner (sleepers get a delicious but boxed dinner).

In the winter (my favorite!), going west is the best to catch either of these, as it is in the morning with the daylight. Going east in November/December, sunset is around 4pm, before #8 and #28 even depart. After the March time change, the Columbia R. and Cascades should mostly be visible in daylight (sunset 6:50pm). However, by early October, it is sunset at Bingen (6:30pm), and is dark by the fall time change. In contrast (going west), the latest sunrise of the year (just before the fall time change and around New Year's) is at Wishram (7:40am), and more east if the train is delayed.

Drawback is, going west, Glacier Park will be completely dark through Standard Time (even when it's on-time), and a little lit from the DST change (sunset around East Glacier Park 6:50pm on March 12). Summer is the best for going west (thereby seeing both Glacier and Cascades/Columbia R.), with the train past West Glacier, if on-time, by sunset, and around Wenatchee (7) and Pasco (27) at sunrise.

Going east, it is always sunrise by Whitefish (latest sunrise of the year is 7:40am).

All Sunset times got from timeanddate.com. I am a local of the internet, not a local of the Northwest. :)

Overall, I would probably recommend going east after the Spring time change. That way, you're likely to see most of the Cascades/Columbia R. and guaranteed to see Glacier Park. There is probably snow there in mid-March as well.

I was myself dreaming about taking the trains around this area (probably not happening though)!
 
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maxbuskirk said:
Overall, I would probably recommend going east after the Spring time change. That way, you're likely to see most of the Cascades/Columbia R. and guaranteed to see Glacier Park. There is probably snow there in mid-March as well.
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I second this schedule -- longer days, still plenty of gorgeous snow on the high peaks, spring blossoms and green grass at lower elevations.
 
cirdan said:
In your opinion, what is the best time of year to ride it, scenery and weather wise?

Also, if I ride it only one way, which is better, east or westbound?
Click to expand...
We rode it westbound last September (very late summer / early fall) and the trip was just about perfect. Very little chance of washouts or severe weather-related delays and timekeeping was very good bumper to bumper. Enough light to see most of the trip along the Mississippi on day 1 and Marias Pass on day 2, as well as almost all of the Columbia River on the morning of day 3. A little earlier in the summer there would have been more daylight (it got too dark to see before Whitefish) but there would have been summer crowds to deal with; a few weeks later and there would have been fall colors but not as much daylight to enjoy them. We could have done much worse.
 
Sounds like there's a lot of flexibility in your travel date(s), so once you've narrowed it down to a season or month use AmSnag... http://biketrain.net/amsnag/amSnag.php ...to see what days have the lowest fares for the accommodations you want. As much as I've tried to find a "rule of thumb" for selecting a time to go, I've finally concluded (as far as fare levels are concerned) there simply aren't any reliable rules of thumb. That's where AmSnag comes to the rescue.

But once out plan things and find there's no rock-bottom accommodations (especially sleepers) book anyway at the higher price (just to insure you've got your sleeper reserved) and set up a Fare Watch on AmSnag so you'll automatically be notified of any fare reduction. Then, when notified, call an Amtrak agent and have your reservation modified to the lower fare. And just in case you didn't know, when booking a sleeper, the total fare is the sleeper fare + the low bucket (not Saver) coach fare. This means when using AmSnag to pick a date, the sleeper fare is all that really matters because the added coach fare will always be the same.
 
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I rode the CZ once on Christmas Eve. Dining crew had decorated their walls with festive lights. And the return trip on New Year's Eve was entertained by special fireworks lit off by homeowners along the ROW in the Denver suburbs.
 
No matter what time of the year that you take the EB, be sure to do some eagle watching between LaCrosse, Wisconsin and St Paul, Minnesota especially along the upper Mississippi River near Red Wing, Minnesota.

In the winter, there are literally dozens that can be seen roosting in the trees along the river, standing on the ice near open water, or flying above.

In the warm weather months, though most of them fly northward to nest, there are anywhere from a half-dozen to a dozen or more eagle nests near Red Wing, so there's a good chance you may see them in flight above the river, in search of their next meal.

Best place to see the eagles is from the SSL (thanks to their roof windows), and the best places along the tracks to see them during the winter include Colvill Park (visible just after the eastbound #8 leaves the RDW stop, and just before the westbound #7 arrives in Red Wing), as well as along the river from just north of Red Wing all the way south to Winona and LaCrosse.
 

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