Mobile Menu

  • Destinations
    • Canada
      • British Columbia
        • Vancouver Island, B.C.
        • Okanagan
        • Lower Mainland, B.C.
        • Northern B.C.
        • Interior B.C.
        • Kootenays/Rockies
      • Alberta
      • Yukon
      • Northwest Territories
    • U.S.A.
      • Alaska
      • Washington
      • Oregon
      • California
    • West Coast Galleries
  • Experiences
    • Things To Do
    • Staycation Secrets
      • Canada
      • U.S.A.
    • Adventure
      • Adrenaline
      • Beaches
      • Biking
      • Camping
      • Fishing
      • Hiking
      • Hunting and Fishing
      • Rafting
      • Skiing
    • Sip & Savour
    • Family Activities
    • Indigenous Tourism
    • Accessible Travel
    • Travel Tips & Advisories
  • West Coast Galleries
    • Nature Photography
    • Wildlife Photography
    • Cityscapes
  • Contests
    • Hotel Zed Contest
    • It’s A Shore Thing Summer Getaway
    • Camel’s Hump Guest Ranch Getaway
    • Raft. Relax. Recharge
  • About
    • The Armchair Traveller Newsletter
    • Explore our travel guides
    • Impressive West Coast
    • West Coast Partners
    • West Coast Traveller Directory
    • Join Our Team
    • Contact Us
    • Explore West Coast Traveller on TikTok
  • Search
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • TikTok Icon
  • Flickr Icon
  • Menu
  • Skip to left header navigation
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • TikTok Icon
  • Flickr Icon

West Coast Traveller

  • Destinations
    • Canada
      • British Columbia
        • Vancouver Island, B.C.
        • Okanagan
        • Lower Mainland, B.C.
        • Northern B.C.
        • Interior B.C.
        • Kootenays/Rockies
      • Alberta
      • Yukon
      • Northwest Territories
    • U.S.A.
      • Alaska
      • Washington
      • Oregon
      • California
    • West Coast Galleries
  • Experiences
    • Things To Do
    • Staycation Secrets
      • Canada
      • U.S.A.
    • Adventure
      • Adrenaline
      • Beaches
      • Biking
      • Camping
      • Fishing
      • Hiking
      • Hunting and Fishing
      • Rafting
      • Skiing
    • Sip & Savour
    • Family Activities
    • Indigenous Tourism
    • Accessible Travel
    • Travel Tips & Advisories
  • West Coast Galleries
    • Nature Photography
    • Wildlife Photography
    • Cityscapes
  • Contests
    • Hotel Zed Contest
    • It’s A Shore Thing Summer Getaway
    • Camel’s Hump Guest Ranch Getaway
    • Raft. Relax. Recharge
  • About
    • The Armchair Traveller Newsletter
    • Explore our travel guides
    • Impressive West Coast
    • West Coast Partners
    • West Coast Traveller Directory
    • Join Our Team
    • Contact Us
    • Explore West Coast Traveller on TikTok
  • Search
You are here: Home / Travel / Ride the rails on the Amtrak Cascades for a rumbling adventure

Ride the rails on the Amtrak Cascades for a rumbling adventure

March 10, 2023 //  by Black Press Media Staff

Share this:

All aboard!

Daily direct train service between Oregon and Canada has been fully restored on the popular Amtrak Cascades route after being derailed by the pandemic in 2020. Passengers now have multiple vacation options for short or long jaunts to 12 station stops from Portland to Vancouver, British Columbia.

The West Coast Traveller’s sister publication The Daily Herald rode the rails this week on a day trip from Everett to Vancouver.

We caught the 8:41 a.m. Everett train with an arrival time of 11:50 a.m. in downtown Vancouver, within walking distance to food, attractions and even a Costco. Departure is 5:45 p.m. for the return to Everett at 9:04 p.m. — that is, if all goes well on the tracks. Stops are in Stanwood, Mount Vernon and Bellingham.

READ MORE: Riding the Coast Starlight, from Los Angeles to Seattle

The round-trip coach ticket for Tuesday’s off-season trip was about $50. Business class was triple. Fares change daily and increase during peak times. The Amtrak Cascades is funded primarily by ticket sales, with the balance of operating costs paid by the Washington and Oregon departments of transportation. The route had a pre-pandemic ridership of 750,000 a year.

Parking is free at Everett Station, where riders can also catch a daily train eastbound to Leavenworth, Spokane and Chicago on the Empire Builder route. Food and drinks are sold on board. So are playing cards.

At the platform, conductor Chris Clemence greeted new riders, checked tickets and offered a hand getting up the steps onto the train.

READ MORE: Harbour Air offering new Comox-Powell River route; Vancouver route restarts

“A conductor is the manager of the train, everything that’s going on, like a conductor of an orchestra,” said Clemence, 38, a 13-year Amtrak employee who lives in Monroe.

Clemence wore a cap with a stiff crown and flat top, just like the conductors you see in the movies.

Passenger Sam Song boarded in Everett with the destination of Stanwood, a 30-minute hop.

“My goal is to visit every single train station in Western Washington,” said Song, of Lynnwood. “Stanwood is my last one.”

He planned to explore the area for the day by bus. Public transit tourism is his hobby.

“It opens your eyes without a car,” Song said.

Riders choose their seats and can move freely among the four carriages. Only a few dozen of the over 225 seats were occupied, mostly by those who boarded in Seattle or the Edmonds stop before Everett.

Coach class is surprisingly nice, with leg room for tall people, reclining seats, pull-down trays, outlets and Wi-Fi.

But who needs screen time with so much to see? The show from the window is ever-changing. Snow geese. Seascapes. Mountains. Trees. Clouds. Underpasses. Urban blight.

Metal wheels on metal tracks are not like rubber on asphalt. Trains sway and rumble. It’s a nice rumble that reminds you, hey, you’re riding the rails.

And the horn? It blows on and off all the livelong day. It’s not annoying. Again, it’s that train ambience.

Engineer Lane Johnson manually operates the horn at each crossing.

“There’s a specific cadence,” he said. “There are many rules to running a train. It’s right there with aviation.”

The speed varies from crawling to barreling, depending on the stretch of track. The change in pace adds to the thrill of the adventure.

The train tops out at 79 mph on this route.

“In White Rock the track speed is 21 miles an hour,” Johnson said.

Riders can drink in the spectacular bay view at the town just over the Canadian border.

The train chugged into Vancouver’s Pacific Central Station shortly before noon. The welcome sign was a friendly reminder that it is illegal to cross international borders with cannabis. The Customs check was swift. Have your passport ready.

It’s easy to fill five hours. Choose a few of these and you’re golden: Stroll the waterfront park. Rent a bike. Visit a museum or two. Eat at Chinatown or the Costco food court (poutine fries are on the menu). Shop at Granville Island Public Market. Marvel at the shapes of the glassy high-rises. Wander aimlessly.

Just make sure you return to the station in time. The 5:45 p.m. train home departed on the dot. Miss it and you have to wait until morning, which might not be such a bad thing.

Outside the window, the evening sky morphed from deep blue with orange sunset highlights to black. Streams of headlights and taillights appeared and disappeared. The swaying of the train was soothing after a long day that was about to get longer.

As with any mode of transport, be it planes, trains or ferries, riders need to expect the unexpected.

Around 8 p.m., a cargo train struck an abandoned truck on the tracks north of Smokey Point about 10 miles in our path. There were no injuries. While the tracks were cleared, we waited it out under a full moon at the Stanwood train station, free to get some air and mingle in the moonlight. Sam Song was there to share his tourism tips of places to eat and see in the area.

We finally rolled into Everett around 11 p.m.

Maybe a day trip to Stanwood is next.

Plan your adventures throughout the West Coast at westcoasttraveller.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @thewestcoasttraveller. And for the top West Coast Travel stories of the week delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our weekly Armchair Traveller newsletter!

Share this:

Category: TravelTag: British Columbia Destinations, Canada, Everett, Staycation secrets, Things to do, Train travel, USA, Washington, WCT Intro

Related Posts

You may be interested in these posts from the same category.

Life-sized sculptures bring ‘the wild’ to downtown Victoria

Things will get wild on the streets of Victoria this month with life-sized driftwood animal…

Life-sized sculptures bring ‘the wild’ to downtown VictoriaRead More

Travel on the Fly: Snowbirds, beautiful blooms + other spring delights

Spring’s arrival brings more than longer, sunnier days coaxing leaves from the trees. It’s the…

Travel on the Fly: Snowbirds, beautiful blooms + other spring delightsRead More

Where is California’s ‘hardest to book’ campground? Not in a famous park

California has one campground among the nation’s 10 most difficult to book, according to a…

Where is California’s ‘hardest to book’ campground? Not in a famous parkRead More

Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park to go cashless on entry fees and camping

By Jared Gendron, The News Tribune Beginning May 26, Mount Rainier National Park will only…

Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park to go cashless on entry fees and campingRead More

What to bring on a hike: WCT Travel Guide

Knowing what to bring on a hike can make all the difference between a wonderful…

What to bring on a hike: WCT Travel GuideRead More

You could spend a lifetime paddling here! Endless kayaking adventures await on southern Vancouver Island

Southern Vancouver Island is a world-class kayaking destination, with options along its endless, meandering coastline…

You could spend a lifetime paddling here! Endless kayaking adventures await on southern Vancouver IslandRead More

Travel on the Fly: A slushy good time spring skiing; Mountain-top beer festivities+ more!

From a Kootenay Beer Festival to a slushy end to a long, snowy spring ski…

Travel on the Fly: A slushy good time spring skiing; Mountain-top beer festivities+ more!Read More

Golden’s boy Boo boogies out of bed

The first day of spring isn’t officially until March 20, but for residents of Golden,…

Golden’s boy Boo boogies out of bedRead More

Take an Alberta roadtrip in the footsteps of ‘The Last of Us’

The HBO TV series The Last of Us has not only made many Albertans proud…

Take an Alberta roadtrip in the footsteps of ‘The Last of Us’Read More

Previous Post: « Preservation vs. Playground: What Banff has learned from a century of tourism
Next Post: From history-rich walks to hand-crafted beers, it’s time to explore the Cariboo like a local »

Primary Sidebar

Things To Do

Life-sized sculptures bring ‘the wild’ to downtown Victoria

March 22, 2023

Travel on the Fly: Snowbirds, beautiful blooms + other spring delights

March 21, 2023

Where is California’s ‘hardest to book’ campground? Not in a famous park

March 21, 2023

Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park to go cashless on entry fees and camping

March 21, 2023

Recent Posts

Life-sized sculptures bring ‘the wild’ to downtown Victoria

March 22, 2023

Travel on the Fly: Snowbirds, beautiful blooms + other spring delights

March 21, 2023

Where is California’s ‘hardest to book’ campground? Not in a famous park

March 21, 2023

Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park to go cashless on entry fees and camping

March 21, 2023

Footer

The West Coast Traveller has an immense social media footprint, with eight social media sites and and 125,000+ social followers.

Join us on social media and Join Our Community by sharing your stuff!

Get Inspired

News Media Groups

Black Press Media
Sound Publishing
Oahu Media Group
Alaska
Boulevard Magazines
Used.ca

Let’s Get Social

West Coast Traveller
I Love British Columbia
I Love Alberta
I Love Yukon
I Love Northwest Territories
I Love Washington
I Love California
I Love Oregon
I Love Alaska

Visit Our Companion Sites

I Love Saskatchewan
I Love Manitoba
I Love Nunavut
I Love Ontario
I Love Quebec
I Love Newfoundland and Labrador
I Love Nova Scotia
I Love New Brunswick
I Love Prince Edward Island

Site Footer

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • TikTok Icon

Copyright © 2023 West Coast Traveller and · All Rights Reserved