Pacific to the Cascades : Vancouver to Seattle by Train

When I booked the train from Vancouver to Seattle, I wasn’t expecting to experience the most stunning train journey of my life. My expectations for the best train ride fell to the Coast Starlight route we were taking later in the trip. As it turns out our trip on the Amtrak Cascades train from Vancouver to Seattle was a hundred times better. The area between the Pacific ocean and the Cascades mountain range is magical; and it was categorically the best train ride I’ve ever taken.

Booking the Amtrak Cascades train

You can book your journey through the Amtrak Cascades website. I recommend the early train from Vancouver, usually leaving around 6:30am. The reason for this is that you get to see dawn over the Strait of Georgia, and it is breathtaking.

Checking in

Amtrak Cascades advises you to check in at Vancouver Central station at least 30 minutes prior to departure. However, I have a very important tip for you. At check-in, prior to passport control, they assign the sea side window seats to the first people in the queue. If you can arrive an hour before departure and get your paperwork in order, then jump in the queue as quick as you can. If you are lucky, you will get given one of the coveted coast facing window seats. We got the last available pair and it was the most marvellous stroke of luck.

The Pacific Ocean to the Cascades

Strait of Georgia

After weaving through south-east Vancouver, the train sweeps south over the Fraser River and then heads to the coast. Following the coast from Boundary Bay and along the Strait of Georgia. Getting the early train means you get to see the soft hues of dawn and the mist lifting off the surrounding hills. It is lovely seeing the world come to life, and the turkey vultures soaring.

Boundary Bay & The Border Crossing

It isn’t long before you reach the Canada-US border, where you stop for a short time for the border guards to board. There isn’t too much fuss at the border, we got asked a few questions, but no document checks, as these had happened at the station before we left.

Semiahmoo Bay

As the train moves down into Washington State, the coastline is punctuated by small towns. The White Rock Pier at Semiahmoo Bay is nearly half a kilometre long and was built in 1914. Needless to say, being on the coast-side of the train had so many advantages from a photography perspective.

Bellingham Bay

After Semiahmoo Bay, the train moves inland for 20 minutes and emerges at Bellingham Bay. Following the coast around this beautiful serene coastline all the way to Samish. The train track is so close to the water that you would think I was standing on the beach in this photo, right? Nope, I am on the train using a simple 24mm lens through the window. Fairhaven is the only stop on Bellingham Bay, so this is where you would alight to spend more time here.

The Amtrak Cascades only has 5 stops between Vancouver and Seattle. Fairhaven Station which services Bellingham Bay. Inland at Mount Vernon, from where you could access the Skagit River and Fidalgo Island. Stanwood, which is back on the coast, and services Camano Island and Port Susan. Everett, which is the main city on the Puget Sound, from where you reach Possession Sound and and Whidbey Island. And Edmonds, right on the Puget Sound, from where you can reach Bainbridge Island. As well as the rest of the Olympic Peninsula.

Mukilteo

One of the most interesting views across the Puget Sound is at Mukilteo. The Pacific Queen was a mine-sweeping ship and was purposefully landed here so that the metal could be salvaged in 1929. This bay is actually used for these kind of operations, but the Pacific Queen is the only one visible most of the time. The beach where she resides is a private one used for salvage, so this is likely the best view you would get of her.

Why not combine a trip to Seattle or Vancouver with ferry trip across to Victoria, BC.

Wildlife

The absolute highlight of this train ride was all the wildlife we saw. There were turkey vultures galore, and so many bald eagles, I was in awe! Fishing in the calm waters along the Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound, the bald eagles were not far from the train windows. I had never seen one before, so I was beside myself with excitement to see more than twenty. I did see some dolphins too, but didn’t have my zoom lens with me, so missed out on photographs of those.

Love wildlife? Then you would love Cumberland Island, off the coast of Georgia!

Onboard the Amtrak Cascades

Onboard there is a lounge car, and a bistro serving sandwiches and snacks. We found the legroom of the coach class seats very generous, and the plug socket was handy to charge all our devices – especially my camera batteries!

Stops

The Amtrak Cascades service runs beyond Seattle, down through Tacoma, and Portland, to Eugene Oregon. You can pick up the Coast Starlight train in Portland or Eugene, and that goes all the way to Los Angeles. We took the Coast Starlight from LA to San Francisco, and we weren’t terribly impressed by the scenery on that leg. However, we haven’t done the Oregon leg on either of these train journeys, and we have heard great things. I feel like I should dedicate an entire trip just to Oregon.

Pacific to the Cascades : Vancouver to Seattle by train

I love it when you go into a situation without high expectations, and the experience just smashes it right out of the ballpark. The Amtrak Cascades route was a perfect train journey in my opinion. Granted, we had wonderful weather and got assigned coastal window seats, so we were super lucky, which helped. Witnessing the majesty of the bald eagles flying so near the train made my heart skip a beat or two. The memories of this train journey and the beauty of the Pacific coast and Cascades region will stay with me for many years to come.

Visiting the Pacific Northwest & Cascades region and interested in having a Canadian adventure or road trip at the same time? Please join me on Twitter for inspiration or get in touch via the Contact page.

All photos & content © Hannah Henderson and may not be used without permission (sharing this blog post is fine, though!). Images shot with a Canon DSLR T3i Rebel + Canon EF-S 24 mm f/2.8 STM Lens; and an iPhoneX.