Cross Canada Drive – in the Previa, with my brother.
Photos: Toronto to Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay to Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan to the Rockies
Photos:
Cross America Rail Trip
Day 1 – Morning (Cascades from Bellingham to Seattle)
Day 1 – Afternoon (Seattle)
Day 1 – Evening (Empire Builder in Washington State)
Day 2 – Morning (Empire Builder in Montana)
Day 3 – Afternoon (Chicago)
Day 4 – Afternoon (Maple Leaf)
About how much did the cross-country rail journey cost?
If I can get three weeks off in December, I might make the trek out to Vancouver that way.
It’s difficult from Ottawa – you’ll have to train to Toronto, then Buffalo, then Chicago, then Seattle (or Everett), then Vancouver. It will take a long time, and the transfer through Buffalo has a perverse layover (like 12 hours).
The way I would do it is fly to Chicago, then train from Chicago to Everett. I’ve found Toronto to Chicago flights for 130$, less than the train fare.
The fares vary. I paid 278$ for my entire trip, but it would have been 228$ if I had traveled earlier in the week. You will have to pay for Ottawa to Toronto in addition to that. The fares might be different when you are travelling – use Amtrak’s excellent website to see.