Using 3 classic railroad coaches, 3 open-air cars converted from various rolling stock, and one caboose this 20-mile round-trip ,takes approximately 1 1/2 hours and is very affordable for the whole family. Two of the cars are borrowed from Inland Empire Railroad Historical Society.

The trips begin in Ione (except over Labor Day Weekend when it runs from Metaline Falls to Ione and return) and run north through the canyon 10 miles to Metaline Falls (where an occasional train robbery has been known to happen (acted out by the local drama club)).

The locomotive then runs around the train cars and hooks up to the other end for the return trip to Ione. The leisurely and comfortable trip is a nice way to spend a day. Ione is only two hours north of Spokane on highway 31, which takes you through the forests and valleys of N.E. Washington.

The movie, "The Postman" starring Kevin Costner was filmed at several locations in the Valley. Several landmarks, including Boundary Dam and the cement silos at Metaline Falls are featured prominently in the movie. 

At the end of main street in Ione lies a depot built in 1999 by the Lions Club. This is the where you pick up your tickets. It's a good idea to get reservations a month in advance, because the trips often sell out early. You can either make your reservations through our website or call the reservation office the two weeks prior to each ride.

Once you have purchased your tickets, take a few minutes to visit the depot. The depot kitchen has available for purchase, snacks, and something to drink which can be enjoyed while waiting to board the train, or aboard the train while enjoying the view. Inside the depot is our souvenir shop where you will find many items to take home to help you remember your adventure.

About 15 minutes prior to your departure the train will arrive and the NPOV Lions Club volunteers will spot the cars in the appropriate place so you can board safely. Once the cars are spotted and the current passengers deboard, you can board any of the cars and find a seat for your trip . After a couple minutes, when everyone is safely seated, the conductor calls out, "All Aboard"! The engineer notches out the throttle and the locomotive revs up. The loco starts moving forward as the slack is slowly taken up. With a short creak, the train starts to roll.

You are quickly out of Ione and rolling through the countryside. Soon, you cross the highway just outside the town and enter the river canyon. The train winds along the cliffs and through the cuts more than a 100 feet above the river. The train offers views of the river not seen from the highway, which is buried in the trees up the mountain from the tracks. If you watch closely enough, you might catch glimpses of a eagle snatching trout from the river, or a elk on the far bank. You will see many apple trees along the way, the result of railroad workers throwing apple cores away as they travel the tracks.

Before long the ground drops away into the river and you feel as though the train is floating on air. To your right are sheer walls of solid rock that reach from the water to near the tops of the mountains far above you, to your left is a quaint little dam strung between a series of rock islands that rise out of the river. To the north-east is the river valley with distant hills and mountains.

The train slows to a stop in the middle of the majestic trestle, passengers can view Box Canyon Dam. This trestle was completed on October 14, 1910 with the dam being constructed between 1942-1955. Passengers enjoy the view and many cameras are heard clicking away trying to get that perfect picture.

After a couple of minutes of taking in the vista, the train whistles off, and continues it's journey north.After crossing the river the tracks start to climb higher up the mountain, and locomotive pounds away at the grade. Rocking along, on the twisting trackage, the train plunges into the first of a two tunnels. The Vail tunnel is 810 feet long. In 1953 the tunnel was lined with concrete. The tunnel takes you through a spur of the mountain that juts out into the valley.

The forest grows dense around the train and wildlife abounds. Deer stand aside the tracks awaiting the train's passing. The railroad has been here since the fall of 1910, and the train fits into the surroundings without a second thought. Soon the train crests the grade and begins it's decent to Metaline Falls. The track descends quickly and plunges through a bore burrowed through a rocky knoll. On the far side of knoll, the mountainside grows steep, and a number of wooden trestles span the numerous gulches and gullies in the mountains.

Soon you are above the river and coasting into the town of Metaline Falls. The large cement holding silos are the reason the tracks have never left this remote region of Washington state. The Inland Portland Cement Plant was constructed in 1910. The town itself is a quiet little village tucked away in the mountains just south of the Canadian border. No passengers are allowed off until the train returns to the ride origination point.

But wait, the trip is only half over. As soon as the train is eased to a halt, the locomotive cuts away and runs around to the other end of the train. The train has been known to be robbed by Ma Cutter and her gang while the cars are waiting for the locomotive to couple back up to the other end of the train. Don't fear as they are actually harmless and are only looking for donations for the Historic Cutter Theatre in Metaline Falls.

After the locomotive couples back up, the train starts it's return journey back to Ione.