Edmonton, Canada

[Everydaymatters]

Does anyone know how to get to Edmonton via Amtrak and any other available public transportation?

 

[Bob Dylan]

Does anyone know how to get to Edmonton via Amtrak and any other available public transportation?

Well theres the train to Vancouver from SEA(AMTRAK),then VIA Canadian or a really pricey tourist

train that I cant recall the name for!Other than that theres the Candian dog(greyhound with a maple leaf :lol: )

or the travelers favorite, fly! Im thinking this might be in fun eh?

 

[wayman]

Does anyone know how to get to Edmonton via Amtrak and any other available public transportation?

Well theres the train to Vancouver from SEA(AMTRAK),then VIA Canadian or a really pricey tourist

train that I cant recall the name for!Other than that theres the Candian dog(greyhound with a maple leaf :lol: )

or the travelers favorite, fly! Im thinking this might be in fun eh?

None of the Rocky Mountaineer ("pricey tourist") trains stop in Edmonton (but one of their routes does pass right through Edmonton without stopping), and in any event I believe they only sell round-trip tickets from Vancouver, not one-way or partial-trip tickets, or even tickets from any other origin point. VIA's Canadian stops in Edmonton, though.

 

[Rafi]

It depends if you want to stay on rails the whole time or venture onto the open road for a short duration, EDM.

If you want rails-only, then your best bet (and this isn't very time-efficient), coming from the Chicago area, is to hop onto the Lake Shore Limited to Buffalo, where you'll have a 6.5 hour layover while you wait for the Maple Leaf to connect you to Toronto; it arrives in Toronto at 7:46 PM. From Toronto, you'll catch VIA Rail's Canadian to Edmonton. Keep in mind that the Canadian departs Toronto only on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays at 10 PM, and if you want to do a same-day connection from the Maple Leaf, you'll need to keep in mind that neither Amtrak nor VIA guarantee the connection (as far as I know). All in all, it's a 5 day, 4 night trip.

There are other Rail-only connections (Empire Builder->Seattle connecting Cascades->Vancouver connecting Canadian->Winnipeg and Lake Shore Limited->Schenectedy connecting Adirondack->Montreal connecting VIA Rail->Toronto connecting Canadian->Edmonton), but they're even more circuitous and time-consuming.

Now, if you're willing to set foot in an automobile or bus, you have another option that is more direct:

From Chicago, take the Empire Builder to Grand Forks, ND. I seem to recall hearing on this board that there is a bus or van service that runs from Grand Forks to Winnipeg, Manitoba, or you could hire a cab; it's about a 2.5 hour ride. In Winnipeg, you'll catch the westbound VIA Rail Canadian as 12:00 noon on a Monday, Thursday, or Saturday and it will arrive in Edmonton at 6:37 AM on Tuesday, Friday, or Sunday. All in all, it's a 3 day, 2 night trip.

Rafi

 

[Everydaymatters]

Do you know if Greyhound goes from Grand Forks to Edmonton? This is my dream trip, but I wouldn't want to be traveling 10 days round-trip because I'd want to spend 2 or 3 days in Edmonton.

 

[Rafi]

Greyhound doesn't serve Edmonton, unfortunately, and even if it did, that would be ONE HECK of a bus ride from Grand Forks, MI to Edmonton, AB! (upwards of 16 hours not counting customs). A quick trip to google revealed the Winnipeg Shuttle Service from Grand Forks, so you wouldn't be the first person to do that segment of the trip.

There is another bus-rail option I forgot to mention, but it's not as fast as the Grand Forks-Winnipeg connection (although probably much more scenic):

Option 2: Take a Wolverine to Kalamazoo, MI and connect to Amtrak's Thruway bus to St. Ignace, MI. You'll need to stay the night in St. Ignace and get a ride to Sault St. Marie, Ontario early the next morning. There you'll connect with the Agawa Canyon Railway northbound (departing at 9:20 AM), arriving in Oba, Ontario at 5:30 PM. You'd need to stay the night there again, catching the Canadian westbound out of Oba at 2:20 PM on a Wed, Fri, or Sun. That would put you into Edmonton at 6:37 AM on Tuesday, Friday, or Sunday. That's a 5 day, 4 night trip as well. I realize you're probably not looking for that option either, but I post it for anyone else who may be curious.

Rafi

 

[NS VIA FAN]

Greyhound doesn't serve Edmonton, unfortunately, and even if it did, that would be ONE HECK of a bus ride from Grand Forks, MI to Edmonton, AB! (upwards of 16 hours not counting customs). A quick trip to google revealed the Winnipeg Shuttle Service from Grand Forks, so you wouldn't be the first person to do that segment of the trip.Rafi

Sure they do…….four trips a day each way between Winnipeg and Edmonton and onto Vancouver. Plus every couple of hours between Calgary and Edmonton and numerous local routes in Alberta and to the N.W.T.

http://www.greyhound.ca/home/

Greyhound affiliate: Jefferson Lines runs between Grand Forks and Winnipeg

 

[Ispolkom]

There's a Jefferson Lines bus that goes from Grand Forks (and Fargo, and, for that matter Minneapolis) to Winnipeg. It leaves Fargo at 3:00 p.m. and Grand Forks at 4:25 p.m. and arrives in Winnipeg at 7:45 p.m. Since the westbound Empire Builder arrives in Grand Forks and Fargo about 12 hours earlier, it's not a good connection. The bus station is much closer to the train station in Fargo than in Grand Forks, but in either case you have lots of time to make the connection.

So if you left Chicago on a Tuesday afternoon, you'd be in Grand Forks early Wednesday morning, Winnipeg Wednesday night, and arrive in Edmonton Friday morning. That's really not so bad for more than 1600 miles.

 

[jis]

Sure they do…….four trips a day each way between Winnipeg and Edmonton and onto Vancouver. Plus every couple of hours between Calgary and Edmonton and numerous local routes in Alberta and to the N.W.T.
http://www.greyhound.ca/home/

Greyhound affiliate: Jefferson Lines runs between Grand Forks and Winnipeg

Too bad the Great Falls MT to Calgary via Shelby and Lethbridge bus service has disappeared. I remember having taken that from Great Falls to Shelby to catch another bus from Shelby to East Glacier many eons ago - summer of 79 or 80 as I recall.

 

[Rafi]

Greyhound doesn't serve Edmonton, unfortunately, and even if it did, that would be ONE HECK of a bus ride from Grand Forks, MI to Edmonton, AB! (upwards of 16 hours not counting customs). A quick trip to google revealed the Winnipeg Shuttle Service from Grand Forks, so you wouldn't be the first person to do that segment of the trip.Rafi

Sure they do…….four trips a day each way between Winnipeg and Edmonton and onto Vancouver. Plus every couple of hours between Calgary and Edmonton and numerous local routes in Alberta and to the N.W.T.

http://www.greyhound.ca/home/

Greyhound affiliate: Jefferson Lines runs between Grand Forks and Winnipeg

And I stand corrected! That'll teach me to not thoroughly research. I had looked at a Greyhound page that didn't list Edmonton as a stop and didn't really dig any further. My bad, and my apologies.

Even better that Jefferson Lines (which is also an Amtrak affiliate for some of their Thruway connections) makes that run. It is certainly a long layover in Grand Forks or Fargo, but in the case of Fargo, there is plenty to do, to which I can attest, as long as you are okay with a good amount of walking.

Rafi

 

[Everydaymatters]

So I'd have to figure on at least 4 days each way. That's a lot of time on a bus, but I think it would be worth it. My dream trip used to be Alaska, but I've gone there twice, so now this would be my new dream trip.

 

[MrFSS]

So I'd have to figure on at least 4 days each way. That's a lot of time on a bus, but I think it would be worth it. My dream trip used to be Alaska, but I've gone there twice, so now this would be my new dream trip.

Betty - if you are going that direction it is much more scenic in Calgery and Banff/Lake Louise areas. Edmonton has a big mall and that is about it.

 

[NS VIA FAN]

Can I ask why Edmonton is a dream destination? It’s a big city of a million residents. Don’t get me wrong......I’ve spent a lot of time there and find it clean and attractive especially the parklands along the North Saskatchewan River valley downtown. But unlike Calgary you can’t see the Rockies from the city......they’re several hours away by car or VIA. If you want to do some railfanning, Edmonton is on CN’s transcon mainline and it has an interesting LRT light rail transit system which operates as a subway downtown. There’s also a historic streetcar run.

 

[wayman]

So I'd have to figure on at least 4 days each way. That's a lot of time on a bus, but I think it would be worth it. My dream trip used to be Alaska, but I've gone there twice, so now this would be my new dream trip.

Betty - if you are going that direction it is much more scenic in Calgery and Banff/Lake Louise areas. Edmonton has a big mall and that is about it.

If you want to mostly take the train and your goal is to see the beautiful parts of Canada, take the train to Jasper, not Edmonton. Jasper's in the mountains, and from there you can easily get (by bus or car) to Lake Louise and Banff and Calgary. Unless there's something wonderful about Edmonton that you know that we don't!

 

[Trogdor]

I was in Edmonton for a few days last year.

They just scrapped their trolleybus system (BOO!).

Didn't seem like there was really all that much going on up there. Just my opinion though.

 

[p&sr]

If you want to mostly take the train and your goal is to see the beautiful parts of Canada, take the train to Jasper, not Edmonton. Jasper's in the mountains, and from there you can easily get (by bus or car) to Lake Louise and Banff and Calgary.

This June my wife and I did exactly that... VIA Rail from Vancouver BC to Jasper, then by rental car to Lake Louise, Banff, and Vancouver again by way of Whistler. Outstanding scenery and a great adventure too!

(Coast Starlight and the Cascades Train to and from Northern California, with overnights in Seattle.)

 

[Everydaymatters]

Betty - if you are going that direction it is much more scenic in Calgery and Banff/Lake Louise areas. Edmonton has a big mall and that is about it.

Yup! That's it. World's largest and I'd like to go there. Seems like a good excuse for a ride on Amtrak.

 

[jackal]

Betty - if you are going that direction it is much more scenic in Calgery and Banff/Lake Louise areas. Edmonton has a big mall and that is about it.

Yup! That's it. World's largest and I'd like to go there. Seems like a good excuse for a ride on Amtrak.

Actually, the West Edmonton Mall lost out on that status several years ago. However, all of the larger malls are in Asia (unknowingly, I visited the now-third-largest one, Central World in Bangkok!), so the West Edmonton Mall is still the largest in the Americas and Europe.

The WEM is definitely a large complex, but since it's just a sprawling two- (or perhaps three-) story mall, it's actually less impressive than I thought it would be. Still, it is cool to be walking through the mall and to come across an amusement park and an indoor water park. Then again, maybe we just didn't make it to the cool parts of the mall.

If you're in the area, I'd say it's worth checking out, but I'd definitely roll it into a trip to Calgary and Jasper/Banff. It's not worth going all that way just to see--if so, you'll probably be mildly disappointed!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Betty - if you are going that direction it is much more scenic in Calgery and Banff/Lake Louise areas. Edmonton has a big mall and that is about it.

Yup! That's it. World's largest and I'd like to go there. Seems like a good excuse for a ride on Amtrak.

Actually, the West Edmonton Mall lost out on that status several years ago. However, all of the larger malls are in Asia (unknowingly, I visited the now-third-largest one, Central World in Bangkok!), so the West Edmonton Mall is still the largest in the Americas and Europe.

The WEM is definitely a large complex, but since it's just a sprawling two- (or perhaps three-) story mall, it's actually less impressive than I thought it would be. Still, it is cool to be walking through the mall and to come across an amusement park and an indoor water park. Then again, maybe we just didn't make it to the cool parts of the mall.

If you're in the area, I'd say it's worth checking out, but I'd definitely roll it into a trip to Calgary and Jasper/Banff. It's not worth going all that way just to see--if so, you'll probably be mildly disappointed!

Couldnt agree more, the Rockies are much better,Edmonton is the last outpost of civilization,sort of like

Phoenix or El Paso in the SW( :lol: ),except for the mall nothing really spectactular!Vancouver is MUCH

better, save your time and $$$ for the mountains and beautiful Vancouver!(easier to get to by train also!)

This includes Victoria/Vancouver Island and Whistler, all of whom have trains to ride and beautiful scenery!

 

[Bob Dylan]

So I'd have to figure on at least 4 days each way. That's a lot of time on a bus, but I think it would be worth it. My dream trip used to be Alaska, but I've gone there twice, so now this would be my new dream trip.

Have you considered the Maritimes in NE Canada as a dream trip?The Ocean from Montreal to Halifax,NS

is a great trip and the ferry to Maine and riding down to BOS/NYP is a nice trip!You could also do it in

reverse and ride the Adirondack between Montreal and NYP, a great trip!

 

[Everydaymatters]

Reading the replies is making me re-think this. I loved being in Vancouver last year and would like to go to Canada again. I really don't like the idea of traveling 4 days each way to get to Edmonton. OK, so what in Canada is closer as far as travel time to Chicago? I like cities that are big enough to have sight seeing buses.

 

[p&sr]

OK, so what in Canada is closer as far as travel time to Chicago? I like cities that are big enough to have sight seeing buses.

Vancouver is only three nights away (2 on the EB and one in Seattle waiting for the morning Cascades Train), and Montreal maybe two nights away (1 on the LSL and maybe one somewhere for connection to the Adirondacks Train). Both of them have sight-seeing busses and are well worth the visit. Toronto is a little closer but I'm not familiar with what you might want to see or do there.

From Montreal, Quebec makes an outstanding side trip. Again, sight-seeing busses are available.

Or try a loop trip, connecting from Vancouver to Toronto or Montreal via the VIA Trains?

 

[Bob Dylan]

Reading the replies is making me re-think this. I loved being in Vancouver last year and would like to go to Canada again. I really don't like the idea of traveling 4 days each way to get to Edmonton. OK, so what in Canada is closer as far as travel time to Chicago? I like cities that are big enough to have sight seeing buses.

Since youve been in BC Ill agree about Toronto and Montreal,you could ride the Wolverine to Detroit from CHI,

transfet to VIA and ride to Toronto<Montreal,Ottawa and Quebec City on a VIA corridor pass(see viarail.ca)!

Toronto is a clean New York on the Lake,Montreal and Quebec are like being in nFrance(sort of! :lol: ),fascinating

places very geared to tourists,the CDN $ is still below par,prices area little high in the summer but go

down after Labor Day!On return take the Adirondack(run by Amtrak) from Montreal to Albany or NYP

and catch the LSL back to CHI!(A rail pass is a good deal for the Amtrak portions also but Sleepers are easier

to get (sometimes ) on 448/449 Albany to Chicago, NY is a very popular run from CHI!(coaches are not

so comfortable on the single level cars IM HO!Have fun,Canada is great!

 

[Everydaymatters]

Ontario. In 2001 I had planned a trip to Toronto, then 9/11 happened and I didn't go. Maybe I'll take another look at that. Montreal and Quebec sound fascinating as well. I'm going to check into your suggestions. Thank you.

 

[jackal]

Don't get me wrong, Edmonton is a nice city to enjoy for a day while you're passing through. I like to just bum around cities and explore their layout, features, and just see how people live there (especially if they're outside the U.S.), and I found Edmonton quite enjoyable (what little I saw). And it's not to say there's nothing to do or see there--check out the Wikitravel guide for the city. (While you're at it, read up on Calgary, Jasper, and Banff, too.)

I just wouldn't call it a destination worth a special trip for. Check it and Calgary out (they're not that far apart) as part of a trip to Jasper/Banff, but if you just want to go enjoy a city for a week, look elsewhere. Toronto is, as has been sugggested, probably a great start.