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Amtrak "Empire Builder" passenger train service parallels US Highway 2 along the Hi-Line in northern Montana. Empire Builder runs daily both east to west AND west to east with passenger depot stops in Libby, Whitefish, Glacier National Park, Browning, Cut Bank, Shelby, Havre, Malta, Glasgow and Wolf Point.

While on board, you will be experiencing the utmost comfort and service in train travel along with many of the same vistas first viewed by the early settlers.

The Empire Builder is a train for people who think big. It can carry you to the greatest of the great outdoors -- a National Park spanning two nations, Glacier International Peace Park, and a major mountain range, the Rockies. And it does it all under the famous Big Sky of the northern prairie -- a sky that is bigger and grander than any you've ever seen.

WHITEFISH -- The Alpine-style station serves as a reminder that nearby is the popular Whitefish Mountain Resort. Located in the valley of Flathead National Forest, with its great recreational activities, the town is bordered by Whitefish Lakes. This five-star resort town is the perfect destination for visiting Glacier National Park. Enjoy world-class skiing and summertime activities at the Whitefish Mountain Resort, Montana's only 36-hole championship golf course. Whitefish Lake State Park offers boating, swimming and fishing. Unique shops, art galleries, nightlife and award-winning restaurants make Whitefish popular year-round.

BELTON -- WEST GLACIER is the western entrance to Glacier Park. Snowfall here averages 100 - 200 inches per year.

ESSEX -- This small village features the quaint Izaak Walton Inn named for the great English angler and author. This historic inn once housed winter snow removal crews for the Great Northern Railroad. Today it is a popular year-round stop for visitors, especially railroad buffs and cross-country skiers. Upon crossing the Flathead River you will be atop a high trestle.

Marias Pass -- (30 Min/18 Min) --The train route through Glacier Park follows the "Mystery Pass" through the Rockies sought by Lewis and Clark, and finally established by John Stevens in -40 degree weather. Stevens found the route on a mission for the Great Northern Railway in 1889, and is remembered in a statue at the station. As you cross the Continental Divide here, you are traveling 5,216 feet above sea level, the lowest pass between New Mexico and Canada. At the summit is a monument to President Theodore Roosevelt.

GLACIER PARK STATION -- Glacier Park Station, built in 1913, is near 50 "living" glaciers and 9,000 - 10,466 foot mountains. The impressive timbered Glacier Park Lodge is partially constructed from trees estimated to be 600 years old, and was built by the Great Northern Railway to promote rail travel and to attract tourists to this beautiful area. We cross the Two Medicine River atop a high trestle.

BROWNING -- Headquarters for the Blackfeet Nation, Montana's largest Indian tribe, Browning lies at the east edge of Glacier National Park. Museum of the Plains Indians is located here, consisting of a comprehensive collection of artifacts from the tribes of the Northern Plains. Authentic Native American arts and crafts available at museum shop.

CUT BANK -- Cut Bank serves as the gateway to the Rocky Mountains and Glacier National Park. Just 25 minutes west of Cut Bank, a monument to early explorer Meriwether Lewis memorializes his search for a pass through the Rockies. This area is most often noted for the coldest mid-winter temperatures in the country. Just west of Cut Bank, you'll get your first or last view of the Rockies. Sweetgrass Hills and the Canadian border, 25 miles to the north, can be seen from the train.

SHELBY -- Thousands of spectators hired trains to get to Shelby's gala World Heavyweight Championship fight between Jack Dempsey and Tom Gibbons on July 4, 1923. Just days before the fight, Dempsey's manager, Doc Kearns, cancelled the match. The spectators cancelled their plans. But at the last minute, Kearns okayed the fight. Dempsey won -- in front of just 7,000 fans and 17,000 gate-crashers -- and Kearns slipped out of town with $300,000 cash. As a result, no prize money was awarded, and four Montana banks failed. Shelby is located 35 miles south of the Canadian border.

HAVRE -- An impressive, well-preserved Great Northern S-2 steam locomotive is on display at the station. This is a service stop, so you may have time to walk around a bit. Indians once drove buffalo off the town's steep cliffs. Today, the cliffs provide a peaceful overlook. We follow the Milk River from Havre to Glasgow.

Bear Paw Mountains -- (50 Min./18 Min.) -- In 1877, after a 1,700 mile retreat, Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Indians, recognizing the hopelessness of his position, surrendered to the U.S. Army in the Bear Paw Mountains (rear and to your right). Said Chief Joseph, "From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." Fort Belknap Indian Reservation and Little Rocky Mountains can be seen from the train.

Wagner -- (1:10 Min./10 Min.) -- In 1901, Kid Curry, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid jumped the Great Northern's Oriental Limited. They blew up the express car and got away with $68,000.

Malta -- Malta was once the inspiration for famous western artist Charles Russell. Today, ranching remains a thriving business here. Watch for the Empire Builder headed in the opposite direction.

Saco Hot Springs -- (25 Min./35 Min.) -- Just outside of town, Nelson Reservoir comes into view on the left and Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge appears on the right. The white boxes in the fields are for non-stinging leaf cutter bees, bred to double alfalfa seed production.

GLASGOW -- The large "G" on the hillside on the left stands for "Glasgow", the center of an area rich in dinosaur bones. The Fort Peck Museum displays various fossils found in the region.

Ft. Peck Dam -- (15 Min./36 Min.) -- Marked by high-tension lines across the valley, this earth-filled dam is 250-ft. high and stretches four miles across the Missouri River. Built in 1940, the dam creates a 383 square mile lake within the Great Plains. Enter Ft. Peck Indian Reservation.

WOLF POINT -- The wolf sculpture on the right memorializes this town's major frontier-era role in wolf trapping and trading. Today, Wolf Point is the site for the grand-daddy of Montana rodeos -- the Wild Horse Stampede. The railroad crosses the Poplar River twenty minutes later.

Culbertson -- (35 Min./50 Min.) -- Five minutes west of Culbertson across Big Muddy Creek, is the eastern border of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Chief Sitting Bull lived here after surrendering.

Ft. Union -- (60 Min./15 Min.) -- The train crosses Montana for 675 miles. There are four times as many cattle here as people and twice as many sheep. Follow the Missouri Breaks along the Missouri River.