# Hop on and Off Empire Builder



## dckehrberg (Feb 8, 2020)

How would a traveler take the Empire Builder form Chicago to Seattle but want to stay an extra day at Glacier National Park?


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## pennyk (Feb 8, 2020)

You would need 2 reservations. One from Chicago to the Glacier National Park you wish to visit and another reservation the next day from Glacier to Seattle. I did this the opposite direction many years ago. The fare is generally more when you break up a trip compared to going straight through.

EDIT to add that I think the two trips could be on the same reservation, but would not have to be.


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## zephyr17 (Feb 8, 2020)

Reserve and ticket it with your intended stopover.


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## oregon pioneer (Feb 8, 2020)

Yes, you can put the two parts on the same reservation as a multi-city trip. There is no reason to do that, however, and a very good reason not to: if you should miss the train on the first leg of the trip, your entire itinerary that is on the same reservation is at risk of being cancelled. So do it as separate trips unless you are connecting same-day from one train to another, and want the connection guaranteed by Amtrak.

At _any _time, on any trip, if you are going to miss your train, _don't_ just let the train leave without you and have them cancel with no reimbursement to you! No matter how your reservation is formatted, CALL Amtrak before your train's scheduled departure, and either cancel or change your reservation. Better to pay a penalty than to lose the entire value of your ticket.


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## TinCan782 (Feb 8, 2020)

One day (overnight) doesn't seem like much time for a place like Glacier NP.
We stayed at East Glacier (Glacier Park Lodge) several years ago for 4 days - a couple more days would have been nice.

Seattle > East Glacier and East Glacier > Chicago on #8.


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## Rasputin (Feb 8, 2020)

This discussion might be helpful:

https://discuss.amtraktrains.com/th...tefish-essex-east-glacier-west-glacier.70685/

I agree with FrensicPic. Glacier is a huge park. An overnight in Glacier won't allow you to see much at all. Three or four days would be much better if you can do it.


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## ehbowen (Feb 11, 2020)

Agreed on the additional time. My father and I stayed four nights at Glacier (Essex; Izaak Walton) in 2010 and just barely scratched the surface. For a re-visit, my _minimum_ would be a two-night stay with a Red Bus tour reserved on the full day.


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## tomfuller (Feb 19, 2020)

dckehrberg said:


> How would a traveler take the Empire Builder form Chicago to Seattle but want to stay an extra day at Glacier National Park?


A few years ago, my wife and I got off in Cut Bank MT on May 31 (6PM). We had a car rented from a local car dealership with the key in the gas cap flap and the rental paper on the sun visor. We left our Cut Bank motel early in the morning and went through Browning and north to St. Mary and then up on the Going to the Sun road. The road was not yet open up to the top of Logan Pass. We turned around at the gate about 2 miles short of the top of the pass on June 1. We also got to drive through the Two Medicine area before going back to Cut Bank to return the car at the station.
What month are you planning your trip from Chicago to the Glacier NP? In the summer rental cars are available at East Glacier and Whitefish.


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## Willbridge (Feb 20, 2020)

tomfuller said:


> A few years ago, my wife and I got off in Cut Bank MT on May 31 (6PM). We had a car rented from a local car dealership with the key in the gas cap flap and the rental paper on the sun visor. We left our Cut Bank motel early in the morning and went through Browning and north to St. Mary and then up on the Going to the Sun road. The road was not yet open up to the top of Logan Pass. We turned around at the gate about 2 miles short of the top of the pass on June 1. We also got to drive through the Two Medicine area before going back to Cut Bank to return the car at the station.
> What month are you planning your trip from Chicago to the Glacier NP? In the summer rental cars are available at East Glacier and Whitefish.


Many years ago when I was working on setting up a Great Falls - Cut Bank - Banff Amtrak Thruway bus I learned that the Ford dealer in Cut Bank had a Crown Victoria to rent. It mostly was used by oil or mining execs who flew into the (huge bomber field) airport.

I'd add to your edge-of-the-park list the Triple Divide.


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## ehbowen (Feb 20, 2020)

tomfuller said:


> What month are you planning your trip from Chicago to the Glacier NP? In the summer rental cars are available at East Glacier and Whitefish.



Actually, rental cars are available in Whitefish year-round; the local Hertz agency will deliver them to the station before your arrival with all paperwork and when you're done you may drop the car either in Whitefish or at the airport (FCA) in Kalispell.

The Izaak Walton Inn in Essex is also able to arrange rental cars for visitors given advance notice, but I don't know how their prices compare.


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## dogbert617 (Feb 20, 2020)

pennyk said:


> You would need 2 reservations. One from Chicago to the Glacier National Park you wish to visit and another reservation the next day from Glacier to Seattle. I did this the opposite direction many years ago. The fare is generally more when you break up a trip compared to going straight through.
> 
> EDIT to add that I think the two trips could be on the same reservation, but would not have to be.



Yes this is definitely possible to do, if you select 'multi-city trip' when booking your Amtrak trip on the website. That said, I think the OP would really be cutting him/herself short to only spend 1 night and parts of 2 days, at Glacier!

I would do what I did last summer, and spend at least 3-4 nights there. And change up where you spend your nights on this trip, and NOT spend all nights at one hotel inside or near Glacier. Ultimately what I did was spend 2 nights at Lake McDonald Lodge, 1 night at St. Mary Village, and finally one at Glacier Park Lodge, which is close to the East Glacier Amtrak station.

Also make sure you do a Red Bus tour, and preferably do the Crown of the Continent tour, where you get to see all parts of Glacier NP. Including Many Glacier. And yes I know I haven't finished my travelogue of my summer 2019 Glacier trip on that board and my major apologies that I hadn't finished those posts yet! I intend to finish those posts on that thread that I started, at some point in the future.


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