Western Railroad Discussion > Fall / Winter on The Funnel Questions

Good Day All,

I'm in a use or lose situation with a Southwest Airlines ticket I had planned to use on a trip to The Funnel this past winter. I thought I was being smart by purchasing in advance... until I found out the one year to use the funds from the ticket expire when you buy the ticket - not when the ticket was bought for.

So, I have to go before the end of the year. I still intend to head for The Funnel, since I've never been there.

My questions are as follows:

Is there a fall foliage season on The Funnel, and if so, when?

When does snow start to fall on the eastern portion of The Funnel, or at least the mountains in the background?

Any information is appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

KMS

Funnelfan's website might have some weather tips- http://www.pnwrailfan.com/

If not, Ted will probably respond eventually.

mapboy

Don't know about the funnel but the Aspin in Marias Pass in Western Montana is great in Mid to late Oct.
Photo below was taken Oct 22 2008

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The Funnel area is quite a bit warmer in Winter than Marias Pass, thus fall will be a few weeks later in The Funnel.
Lothar
Corinth, TX

When I lived out in Spok-a-lu in 1986 - 1988, winter usually set in around Dec 1 (maybe Thanksgiving). By winter, I mean snow - cold nights started as early as Nov 1, but nothing a jacket and some gloves wouldn't take care of.

Might get a little snow a bit earlier around Sandpoint since it is a tad north of Spokane, but again, not a great deal of bad winter prior to December. Of course, any given year could be a bit different, but that's my recollection.

As to colors, yes, there were some trees in the hills north of Spokane that had color, but there was a lot of fir in the area that didn't change. Ted C (Funnelfan) will surely know more about that - maybe out east of Spokane (around Bonners Ferry/Kootenai Canyon) you'd get more color, but you'd also get less trains because of the MRL split at Sandpoint.

Either way, lots of great scenery and a bunch of trains. If you're out there mid Oct - mid Nov, you'll get the UPS peak season rush along with the grain rush - you'll have lots to choose from.

What's a funnel?

You can pay SWA $50 and extend your pass for a year.

Depends on the weather. Marias Pass usually turns in early-mid October where the Funnel and the west end of the MRL are better in mid-late October for Fall Color. Here are a couple images from Oct 25th of one year.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

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philhoov Wrote:
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> You can pay SWA $50 and extend your pass for a
> year.


If you've seen the lake frozen over this would be money well spent.

howeld Wrote:
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> Don't know about the funnel but the Aspin in
> Marias Pass in Western Montana is great in Mid to
> late Oct.
> Photo below was taken Oct 22 2008


I agree that the color in Marias Pass is great in October. However, it's larch, not aspen, that creates the orange in your picture. Larch is one of the few conifers that is deciduous.

Thank you all for your input, especially for options beyond the Funnel.

It looks like I've got some latitude for fall color, now all I have to do is get a day or two off of work to make it worthwhile.

Once again, thank you all for taking the time to respond.