Route Description
The modern westbound (Amtrak) Empire Builder departs Chicago's Union Station in early afternoon, and travels north to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After leaving Milwaukee, it passes through the rural landscape of southern Wisconsin, crossing the Upper Mississippi River at La Crosse, Wisconsin. The train travels through southeastern Minnesota, crossing the Mississippi again at Hastings and stops at the Midway Station in Saint Paul. From Saint Paul westward, the land changes from forest to prairie, becoming less populous and relatively barren. Westbound passengers will see only the occasional mercury-vapor light of farmsteads in the distance at night. As the Empire Builder passes through North Dakota and eastern Montana, the Northern Plains can be seen. Eventually, the train rolls past the prairies of North Dakota and Montana with three short stops near Glacier National Park (East Glacier Park or Browning, Essex, and West Glacier Park) followed by a longer stop in Whitefish, Montana (not too far from Glacier National Park). Year round (depending on weather), the mountain vistas can be seen from the train as it skirts the southern edge of the park. As darkness descends again, the train continues through the mountains, including northern Idaho and eastern Washington. In Spokane, the train splits, with the last four cars (Sightseer lounge, two Portland coaches, and the Portland sleeper) going down the Columbia River valley to Portland, Oregon and the other cars through the Cascades Range to Seattle.
During the summer months, on selected portions of the route, official "Trails and Rails" volunteers in the Sightseer Lounge car provide commentary about the history and sights of those portions. This commentary can only be heard in the Sightseer Lounge car.
On August 21, 2005, the train was "relaunched" by Amtrak with upgraded service. This included features not seen on other long-distance Amtrak trains: on the second day in mid-afternoon there is a wine and cheese tasting in the dining car for sleeping-car passengers. This includes not only information about the wines served but some questions; correct answers win passengers bottles of wine to take with them.
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