- Route
- Chicago ↔ Seattle
- Distance
- about 2,200 miles / 3,550 km
- Audio stories
- 86
- In the app
- Both directions · Works offline
Watch the journey
A short film of the line — the views the guide narrates as they pass your window. English captions in the player. Also on YouTube.
Route map
Tap to explore the full route.
The route in text
- Route
- Chicago ↔ Seattle, USA
- Distance
- about 2,200 miles / 3,550 km
- Audio stories
- 86, narrated in both directions of travel, fully offline
- On the map
- Illustrated route map of the Empire Builder with stations, distances, and journey highlights. Station names and distance markers are printed on the map itself.
About this journey
Follow James J. Hill's Great Northern route on Amtrak's Empire Builder, from Chicago across the northern plains to Seattle. The train runs the Hi-Line of Montana, skirts Glacier National Park over Marias Pass, and drops through the Cascades to Puget Sound — the most scenic of the northern transcontinentals.
Stops along the way
The stations the narration is keyed to, in order (toward seattle). Timetables and stops change; check the operator before you book.
- Chicago Union Station
- Columbus
- Portage
- Wisconsin Dells
- Tomah
- La Crosse
- Winona
- Red Wing
- Saint Paul Union Depot
- Saint Cloud
- Staples
- Detroit Lakes
- Fargo
- Grand Forks
- Devils Lake
- Rugby
- Minot
- Stanley
- Williston
- Wolf Point
- Glasgow
- Malta
- Havre
- Shelby
- Cut Bank
- Browning
- East Glacier Park
- Essex
- West Glacier
- Whitefish
- Libby
- Spokane
- Ephrata
- Wenatchee
- Leavenworth
- Everett
- Edmonds
- Seattle King Street
Highlights and which side to look
A few of the 86 narrated sights, toward seattle, with the side of the train they appear on. See every sight, both directions.
| Distance from start | Sight | Look |
|---|---|---|
| 26 mi (41 km) | Lake Michigan & the North Shore | Right side |
| 59 mi (95 km) | Racine & Kenosha on the Lake | Right side |
| 86 mi (138 km) | Milwaukee: Cream City on the Lake | Right side |
| 297 mi (479 km) | Trempealeau: The Mountain in the River | Right side |
| 340 mi (547 km) | Wabasha & the Eagles | Right side |
| 357 mi (574 km) | The Upper Mississippi & Lake Pepin | Right side |
| 370 mi (595 km) | Red Wing on the River | Left side |
| 411 mi (661 km) | James J. Hill: The Empire Builder | Right side |
How the app works on this route
- Stories are triggered by GPS as you reach each place, so nothing depends on a signal or a timetable.
- Every story has a version for each direction of travel, and the narration says which side to look.
- Download the journey once at home; everything then works offline, including photos and the route map.
- The first three stories are free to listen to in the app before you buy.
- Narration keeps playing with the phone locked, so you can watch the window instead of the screen.
Questions about the Empire Builder
- Which side of the Empire Builder should I sit on?
- Toward Seattle: 10 on the right, 5 on the left, 71 on either side. The app tells you which way to look for every story as it plays, so either seat works; the full list for both directions is in the window guide.
- Does the audio guide work without signal?
- Yes. Download the Empire Builder once at home and every story, photo and map works offline for the whole ride. Stories are triggered by GPS, which needs no signal.
- Does it work in both directions?
- Yes. Every story has a version for each direction of travel, and "left" and "right" are given relative to the way your train is moving.
- Can I try it before buying?
- Yes. The first three stories of the Empire Builder are free to listen to in the app, with their photos. The full journey is a one-time $4.99 purchase, or the Rail Journeys Pass ($29.99, one-time) covers every journey, including future ones, for life.
Sources
Route distance (about 2,200 miles / 3,550 km): the operator's published figure, rounded — amtrak.com. Stops and sights: the app's own route data, as rendered in the window guide.
