1-877-929-7245
Tour Search



North America

Glacier National Park Escape - Chicago to Seattle

Save
You are viewing the 2025 itinerary. Select your departure year
202420252026
5 days From $1,424 per person
4.5 stars(13 reviews)
Gallery
Map

Experience the beauty of the northwestern United States first hand on this 5-day journey to Glacier National Park.

Travel on your own following a well-planned itinerary

2025 Tour code: RM-GPEW-25

About the tour

Your adventure starts in Chicago or Seattle when you board Amtrak's Empire Builder headed for Glacier. Read a book, talk with fellow travelers or enjoy a drink in the bar car as you speed towards your vacation destination.

During your Glacier Park stay be sure to take advantage of all the sights and activities available. Exploring the wilderness that makes Glacier so famous is a must. This spectacular getaway also offers travelers the opportunity for a round of golf or a swim in your hotel's heated pool. The return home will also be enjoyed on Amtrak's Empire Builder, where you can sit back and recall fond memories of your Glacier National Park vacation.

This itinerary is also available from Seattle to Chicago, based on your travel preference.

Highlights

View Dates & Pricing

What’s included

Itinerary

Day 1 - Depart Chicago aboard the Empire Builder

Board the Empire Builder and head west on the journey that takes you through impressive, eye-popping scenery of the majestic North and Pacific Northwest of the United States. Relax as the train makes its way through the Wisconsin Dells and St. Paul-Minneapolis, Minnesota tonight. Overnight train.

Day 2 - East Glacier Park, Montana

When you awake this morning, the train is traveling through the grasslands of the "Northern Prairie State" of North Dakota. This evening the Empire Builder arrives at the stunningly beautiful ice-carved terrain of serrated ridges, jutting peaks, dramatic hanging valleys, 50 glaciers, more than 200 lakes, waterfalls and thick forests that cover 1.2-million acres of protected land. Overnight at the Glacier Park Lodge with a heated outdoor swimming pool, nine-hole golf course, and close proximity to Glacier National Park, Glacier Park Lodge is a wonderful Montana destination resort. Overnight Glacier Park Lodge.

Day 3 - Big Sky Circle Tour

The most inclusive tour of Glacier National Park starts with a morning drive over Marias Pass, with wildlife viewing at Goat Lick and a stop at the historic Izaak Walton Inn. Tour the grand cedar & hemlock forests on your way to an optional lunch at Lake McDonald Lodge. After lunch, ascend to the high alpine of Going-to-the-Sun Road at Logan Pass and down the St. Mary Valley. Overnight Glacier Park Lodge.

*Subject to change based on seasonal road closures

Day 4 - Transfer to the Amtrak Station

Board Amtrak's Empire Builder train bound for Seattle this evening. Relax as you watch the Cascade Mountains come into view. Snow-capped volcanoes and forested mountains dot the landscape as you reach your destination. Overnight train.

Day 5 - Seattle

The Empire Builder arrives in Seattle at 10:20 am where your Northwest rail vacation comes to an end.

Additional information

Pricing Plans

Amtrak accommodations are available in Coach class, Roomette, and Bedroom.

Coach accommodations include a reclining seat with leg rest.

Roomette accommodations include a private cabin featuring two comfortable seats beside a picture window during the day, converting to an upper and lower berth at night.

Bedroom accommodations feature a sofa and chair by day, and upper and lower berth by night. Bedroom accommodations also include a sink and self-enclosed toilet and shower.
All travelers have access to the Sightseer Lounge. 

Roomette and Bedroom accommodations include all meals aboard the train. Sleeping car passengers aboard the  Southwest Chief enjoy meals in the train's Dining car. New contemporary and fresh dining choices replace traditional dining car service on the  Capitol Limited. Sleeping car passengers may elect to have a chilled prepared meal selection delivered to your Roomette or Bedroom or enjoy meals in a private cafe or lounge car. 

This vacation can be booked online for departures from the following Amtrak stations: Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Milwaukee, and St. Paul/Minneapolis. For other departure cities, please select the Chicago location, and a rail specialist will contact you within 48 hours with a package customized with a departure from your most convenient Amtrak station.

Departure times

Departure times vary based on selected rail vacation. This information will be provided in your final documents. For more information please speak with your rail specialist.

Mobility information

Due to the nature of our tours they are generally unsuitable for those with restricted mobility. If you’d like to discuss any particular vacation with us in this respect, then please don’t hesitate to call us.

Hotel

Glacier Park Lodge, East Glacier Park

Glacier Park Lodge, East Glacier Park

View hotel

Train

Amtrak's Empire Builder

Enhance your holiday

Upgrades

Elevate Your Adventure
Extend your stay
Rail Your Way

Reviews

4.5 stars4.5 / 5 · 13 reviews

  1. 5 stars
    (9)
  2. 4 stars
    (2)
  3. 3 stars
    (2)
  4. 2 stars
    (0)
  5. 1 star
    (0)

customer

4 stars

Submitted 21/Sep

not really pleased with food pricing compared to taste and appeal on the train and at the lodge

Collected by Trustpilot

LARRY ROBERT MACIEJEWSKI

3 stars

Submitted 1/Sep

Activities at the lodge were excellent. Our group tour on the going to the sun road was fabulous lodge accommodations were very good. Food on the train and attention to our needs by the staff were excellent.

Collected by Trustpilot

DOROTHY LEWIS

3 stars

Submitted 12/Aug

Our first Roomette attendee was extremely attentive. He went over and above what was expected. The second one was not so friendly and we hardly ever used his services. We encountered several problems, some due to extreme heat, others due to freight train priority others due to switching out the conductor and engineer, and still others due to a malfunction of the draw bridge we needed to use. When we got off the train in Vancouver (instead of Portland) there was no attendant, so we couldn't use the bathroom (you needed a code to use it). We found the 4 hour delay from Union station to Glacier very wearisome as we are both seniors and didn't get in until midnight. We would never recommend this trip especially in the hotter months.

Collected by Trustpilot

SARA ABBOTT

4 stars

Submitted 30/Jul

Overall, the trip was amazing! The time on the train was balanced by time off in an enchanting, caught-in-time lodge full of rich culture and history. The red bus tour around Glacier National Park was hands-down the best part of the entire trip. The driver kept passengers engaged and enraptured in the stories, legends, and background of not only the incredible landscape we traveled through, but also of the people who built their legacy on the land. There was enough free-time built into the stay in Glacier that travelers are able to plan their own activities or just rest from the long journey. The transitions to and from the train were effortless thanks to tickets printed in advance. There were two main issues that I will note that nearly impacted our stay negatively. First, upon receiving the travel documents I noticed that the train ticket erroneously had us leaving East Glacier and returning to Chicago- the train was supposed to take us from East Glacier to Seattle, as advertised. I quickly notified Vacations By Rail and received a new ticket in a timely manner. The second issue occurred during the trip after two long days of train travel. After arriving approximately 5 hours late into East Glacier, we attempted to check in to Glacier Park Lodge only to find out that there were no reservations under the given name. One can imagine the panic that ensued by this discovery. Fortunately, the employee gave us a room with the reassurance that it would get sorted out in the morning, which it did. This was quite an unsatisfactory start to our stay, and I am glad for our sake and for the sake of the agencies involved that it was the only problem that arose with any of the tickets/vouchers provided for the trip. Again, just to reiterate, the trip was definitely worth it and I would recommend also adding on a stay in Seattle to take advantage of the scene and activities the Northwest coast has to offer (I believe Vacations by Rail offers these extensions, but I chose to plan that leg of the trip myself).

Collected by Trustpilot

SARA ABBOTT
View Gallery

RKCharlton

5 stars

Submitted 17 Sep 2021

We enjoyed the experience through Vacations by Rail.

Collected by Trustpilot

James

5 stars

Submitted 04 Oct 2019

Vacations By Rail was excellent in all areas of our trip, from planning, customizing it, and reservations. This is the second time we have used them and they are great.

Collected by Vacations By Rail

Show 6 more reviews
Related inspiration from our journey blog