If you travel to the Izaak Walton Inn on Amtrak's Empire Builder, you don't have far to go to check in. The train stops virtually on the Essex, Montana, hotel's doorstep.

No wonder the inn is a favorite of railfans. Just 50 feet in front of the building is a working rail yard, where helper engines wait to push or pull as many as 40 trains a day over Marias Pass at the top of the Rocky Mountains.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Izaak Walton Inn was built in 1939 to house snow removal crews and other workers who serviced the Great Northern Railway. The railroad's influence remains evident in the hotel's furnishings, with each of the 33 guest rooms featuring down comforters bearing the Great Northern Railway mountain goat logo. Easy chairs are upholstered in the same striped denim used for engineers' overalls. And pictures of vintage trains and train wrecks decorate the walls.

On the other side of the tracks are four cabooses that have been converted into cozy cottages, each with its own kitchen and bathroom facilities as well as accommodations for four people. All, of course, are decorated in a railroad motif.

The cabooses and rooms in the main building that face the tracks have a great view of all passing trains.

Another part of the hotel that's ideal for train spotting is the Dining Car Restaurant. In addition to an ornamental Great Northern logo stained glass window, it has an entire wall of large picture windows overlooking the tracks. Gourmet meals are served on reproduction railroad dinnerware made especially for the inn.

Throughout the rest of the property, the railroad theme overlays a ski lodge atmosphere. A massive stone fireplace dominates the pine paneled lobby. Snowshoes and signal lanterns vie for space on the mantel.

Although the inn is mysteriously named for the 17th century English author of "The Compleat Angler," it is more popular with winter sports enthusiasts than with fisher folk. Set at an elevation of 3,860 feet, the hotel enjoys winter conditions from mid-November through April. More than 18 miles of groomed, tree lined trails attract cross-country skiers and snowshoers. Next to the Flagstop Lounge in the basement is a ski shop stocked with rental equipment. Guide services are available. Additional outdoor facilities are located in nearby Glacier National Park.

To satisfy its two major markets, the inn provides maps for both train chasers and cross-country skiers, showing the best routes for both. The hotel hosts two annual events for railroad buffs, the Essexpress Railfan Weekend in May and the Alta/Mont Railfan Weekend in October, and one for winter sports enthusiasts, Ski Fest in January.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Izaak Walton Inn
PO Box 653-M, Essex MT 59916
phone 1-406-888-5700

by Toni Dabbs