Eagle Cap Excursion Train Launches 2026 Season May 10 With 22 Rides

The Eagle Cap Excursion Train kicks off its 2026 season with a Mother's Day Brunch ride on May 10 in Elgin, and tickets are already on sale for all 22 scheduled trips running through October.

The season's entertainment lineup adds some theatrical flair to the scenic rides: four staged robberies performed by the High Country Outlaws are scheduled throughout the year, and Bigfoot will make appearances for watchful passengers on May 30 and Aug. 1.

Reservations can be made at eaglecaptrainrides.com, by calling 541-437-3652, or by emailing tickets@eaglecaptrainrides.com. The full schedule and individual trip descriptions are also available on the website.

All 22 rides depart from and return to the train depot in Elgin, located on OR Highway 82. The depot includes plenty of parking, public restrooms, a gift shop, and railroad history artifacts and photos.

The train follows the banks of the Grande Ronde River into mostly roadless country, offering views of timbered ridges, rippling water and rugged basalt cliffs, scenery that can't be viewed from the highway. Most trips head to Rondowa, where the Grande Ronde meets the Wallowa River, then follow the Wallowa for varying distances before reversing direction back to Elgin. Most rides include lunch served during the trip. For riders who want more miles along the Wallowa, the longer "Minam Bonus" rides extend the journey and include an outdoor lunch at the Minam Store & Food Truck. A couple of shorter ride options are also available.

The train is operated by the nonprofit Friends of the Joseph Branch, which works under an arrangement with the Wallowa Union Railroad Authority, the governing body of the Wallowa Union Railroad. The railroad itself is owned by a partnership of Wallowa and Union counties, and net revenue from excursion rides is invested back into the railroad's maintenance and improvements.

Every member of the crew is a volunteer and a Friends of the Joseph Branch member. The all-volunteer team includes certified engineers and conductors alongside car hosts trained in customer service.