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ONLINE GUIDE! Read online the detailed -- and now out of print -- Amtrak Route Guide for The Empire Builder. Print it out and take it with you on your next trip on the train. Click here and use your back browser to return to this page..

LEWIS & CLARK TRAIL. Want to see the Lewis & Clark Trail? You can take the "Empire Builder" to see major sections of the trail. Click here for more information. (Use your back browser to return to this page.)

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NEARLY 75,000 PASSENGERS boarded Amtrak's Empire Builder at Wisconsin stations in 2003, the highest state ridership since 2000.

Amtrak's Empire Builder is its only long-distance train serving Wisconsin, stopping in Milwaukee, Columbus,Portage,Wisconsin Dells, Tomah and La Crosse.

The train takes you on an exciting adventure through majestic wilderness, following the footsteps of Lewis and Clark as you travel between Chicago on the east and Seattle/Portland on the west.

At both ends, you’ll be able to make connections with other long-distance Amtrak trains.

Along the way of the Empire Builder, you'll have magnificent views of the Mississippi and see the glowing night skyline of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Headed westbound, awake the next morning as you cross the vast North Dakota plains and cross over the spectacular Gassman Coulee Trestle.

As you skirt the upper Missouri, you'll cross into the wide open spaces of Big Sky country in Montana.

Nature continues her performance in Glacier National Park, where the panoramic windows of the Sightseer Lounge are the best seats in the house.

From Spokane, you can continue on to Seattle or pick up the Lewis and Clark trail again, heading down the mighty Columbia River to Portland for spectacular views of Mt. Hood and Beacon Rock.

On the Empire Builder, Amtrak promises, you'll feel like a pampered explorer.

This train is part of the Amtrak and National Park Service Trails and Rails onboard partnership highlighting natural and cultural attractions.

Depending on your destination, here are some of the things you can do in the cities you visit.

Chicago, IL: Sears Tower, Museum of Science and Industry, Magnificent Mile

Wisconsin Dells, WI: Circus World Museum, Dells River District, Extreme World

Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN: Mall of America, Heritage-Hjemkost Interpretive Center

Williston, ND: Fort Union Trading Post, Confluence of Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers

Havre, MT: Fort Benton (Lewis and Clark canoe trips available down the Missouri River)

Shelby, MT: Great Falls Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center

Whitefish, MT: Big Mountain Ski and Summer Resort, Glacier National Park, Flathead Lake

Seattle, WA: Gateway to Mount Rainier, Space Needle, Pike Place Market, Underground Tours, Experience Music Project

Portland, OR: Gateway to Mt. Hood, Rose Gardens, Lloyd Center, Columbia River Gorge - Fort Clatsop

For a list of all stations served, train timetable, motorcoach connections, rental cars, onboard amenities and smoking policy, and a “fast fare finder,” click here.

For information about the stations served in Wisconsin, click here.

For a summary of the Empire Builder's first 75 years of service (through mid 2004), click here.