Halloween Train Rides in Montana (2026)
Montana's Halloween train boards at the Hanover Boarding Station, about 10 miles outside Lewistown, where the Charlie Russell Chew Choo is running a Wandering Wizard Train on Saturday, October 24 for what the operator calls witches, wizards and magical creatures of all ages. It is the one Halloween ride in the state with a 2026 date still ahead, a family costume ride rather than a haunted one, and as of October 14 both of its evening trains are sold out. For rides beyond Montana, start with our guide to Halloween trains in all 50 states.
If you did not get seats, the next options mean a long drive. Utah's Heber Valley Railroad is about 6 hours from Bozeman, though its daytime Pumpkin Train is already full for both remaining Saturdays, and western Montana families can look west to the Northwest Railway Museum near Seattle, which has added Halloween weekend dates.
The short version
- Lewistown: Wandering Wizard Train on the Charlie Russell Chew Choo is the one Halloween train running in Montana this year.
Look inside the book
A dark tunnel, a brave corgi. Bring Rally along.
In Rally Takes the Train, a corgi rides into a dark tunnel, gets a little scared, and comes out to a big bright light and happy cheers. It takes about five minutes to read, a good fit for the drive to a Montana pumpkin train.
Rally Takes the Train
Eight pages from the book
Turn the page
That's 8 of 25 pages
See who’s waiting at the station
Grandmommy and Papa are at the last stop. Get the full hand-painted book, $13.99 on Amazon.
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Like it so far? See the full book
25 hand-painted pages, paperback, $13.99 with fast shipping from Amazon.
Every page is real watercolor on paper, painted by hand by Leslie Dunn. Nothing in this book was made with AI.
Compare every Montana Halloween train side by side
Every ride on this page in one table: type, dates left, the lowest posted ticket price, ride length, who it suits and whether tickets are still on sale. Tap a ride for the full details.
| Ride | Type | Dates left | Tickets | Length | Best for | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wandering Wizard Train on the Charlie Russell Chew ChooLewistown | Pumpkin and costume | Sat Oct 24 | From $69 | Not posted | All ages, toddlers welcome | Sold out |
The rest of October at a glance
When each Montana Halloween train still runs
Pumpkin and costume ride Haunted ride Halloween night
Montana Halloween train calendar: what runs which day
Every remaining date for every ride on this page, from today through Halloween weekend. Green is a gentle pumpkin and costume ride, blue is a haunted ride. Tap a ride to jump to its details.
- Sat, Oct 24
Lewistown: Wandering Wizard Train on the Charlie Russell Chew Choo
The Charlie Russell Chew Choo is Montana's dinner train line out of Lewistown, and for one Saturday it turns into a wizard-themed Halloween ride. The operator invites guests of all ages to come dressed as witches, wizards and magical creatures, and promises a ride through the Montana countryside with sweet treats and magical surprises. Nothing in its description is billed as scary, so we list it as a family costume ride even though both departures run in the evening.
The catch is that both the 5:00 PM and 7:30 PM trains on October 24 are marked sold out as of October 14. The railroad has not posted a ride length, and the boarding station sits about 10 miles from Main Street, so check the operator site and its map before you plan the evening.
Wandering Wizard Train on the Charlie Russell Chew Choo at a glance
- Type
- Pumpkin and costume ride: Evening wizard-themed family Halloween train, costumes encouraged, not billed as scary
- Dates left
- Sat Oct 24
- Tickets
- Sold out as of Oct 14: both the 5:00 PM and 7:30 PM trains are marked sold out
- Times
- 5:00 PM train (boarding 4:30 PM) and 7:30 PM train (boarding 7:00 PM)
- Ride length
- Not posted; check the operator site
- What's included
- A train ride through the Montana countryside, sweet treats and what the operator calls magical surprises
- Price
- $69 per person
- Ages and scare level
- No minimum age stated; the operator calls it family-friendly, for witches, wizards and magical creatures of all ages
- Costumes
- Guests are encouraged to come in costume No costume? The Rally tunnel tee counts.
- Strollers
- Not posted; check the operator site
- Parking
- Not posted; check the operator site
- Where
- Hanover Boarding Station, about 10 miles (20 to 25 minutes) from Main St in Lewistown; see the operator's map
Tickets on the railroad’s site
Rally’s Spooky Train Ride: Halloween shirts
The tunnel page from the book, Rally on his red seat in the dark, is printed on black shirts in sizes for the whole family, from baby to 5XL. Skip the costume hassle: no masks to fog up, no capes caught in the train door, just a shirt that already says Halloween and layers under a coat on a cold platform. A matching set makes for easy pumpkin train photos. See everything in the Rally shop.
Adult tee
Sizes XS to 5XL, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
Kids tee
Sizes S to XL, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
Toddler tee
Sizes 2T to 5T, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
Baby bodysuit
Sizes 3 to 18 months, black, printed with the tunnel page from the book.
How Far the Hanover Boarding Station Is From Billings, Great Falls and Missoula
Approximate times to the boarding station outside Lewistown, without traffic or snow on the passes.
Drive times, no traffic
- Lewistown
- about 20 to 25 min from Main St from Lewistown; about 1 hr 45 min from Great Falls; about 2 hr 15 min from Billings; about 3 hr from Bozeman; about 3 hr from Helena; about 4 hr 30 min from Missoula
What Montana Parents Should Know Before Counting on the Wizard Train
- Both Wandering Wizard Train departures on Oct 24 were marked sold out as of Oct 14. We could not confirm a waitlist, so check the operator site in case seats come back.
- The operator lists a 21-day cancellation policy with no refunds for no-shows and a $10 processing fee, so read it before you buy any tickets that reappear.
- Boarding opens 30 minutes before each train, at 4:30 PM and 7:00 PM, and the Hanover Boarding Station is about 20 to 25 minutes from Main Street, so leave town early.
- The railroad has not posted a ride length, stroller policy or parking details, so check the operator site before you go.
- Halloween trolley tours in Helena and Butte run on tires, not rails, and the Helena one is a PG-13 pub tour, so neither is a kids' train.
- If you look out of state, Heber Valley's daytime Pumpkin Train in Utah is sold out for Oct 17 and Oct 24, so do not plan a drive around it.
Is a Wizard Train After Dark Too Much for a Small Montanan
The operator pitches the Wandering Wizard Train as magic, not fright: costumes, sweet treats and surprises for magical creatures of all ages. What a little one is more likely to notice is the hour, since the later train boards at 7:00 PM, near bedtime for a preschooler, and the countryside outside the windows will be dark.
If your child is wary of the dark, the 5:00 PM train is the gentler pick, and a flashlight or glow stick in a pocket helps. Talk about wizards and treats ahead of time so the surprises land as fun.
Rally is the first one up on travel day in our book. He spots the suitcase and packs his turtle toy, his green bone and his yellow ball, and Mom and Dad come along for the whole trip. An evening drive to a boarding station outside Lewistown is a good time to let your kids pack the same way: a hat, mittens and one favorite toy.
Rally began as my mom's story, and you can read how it became a book. Tuck Rally coloring sheets for the drive to Lewistown in the bag too.
A Late October Evening in Central Montana
Late October in Montana is cold, with highs in the 40s F and snow possible, and both wizard trains board around sunset or after dark, when it is colder still. Robes and capes work well here because they fit over a winter coat.
If you drive to Utah or Washington instead, plan for the same range of weather in a different form: Heber City sits near 5,600 feet with October evenings in the 30s F, while Snoqualmie in the Cascade foothills is more likely to be wet than frozen.
If the Wizard Train Is Full: Utah, Washington and Colorado
From Bozeman, the closest Halloween train with seats is Utah's Heber Valley Halloween Express, about 6 hours south, an evening ride the railroad calls fun and not scary, at $35 or $75 in first class; October 16 is sold out, and Heber's daytime Pumpkin Train is full for both remaining Saturdays. Our Utah Halloween train page has the details.
Missoula and Kalispell families can head west instead to the Northwest Railway Museum's daytime costume ride near Seattle, which now runs through November 1 at $16 for kids 2 to 12; see Halloween trains in Washington. Colorado's gentle pumpkin rides in Golden and Georgetown are farther from most of Montana, but our Colorado Halloween train roundup covers them if you are already heading to Denver.
A train book for the ride
If your family would rather ride a train than drive to one, Montana is on a real long-distance route: see our guide to the Empire Builder with kids.
Free for train families
Print the Rally coloring pages before you go
Watercolor coloring pages from the book, free to print. They fit in a folder with a few crayons for the line at the depot or the drive home.
Get the free coloring pages for Lewistown
A train story for the ride homeRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi's first train trip to see his grand-paw-rents, including one dark tunnel he is brave enough to ride through. Hand-painted in real watercolor. $13.99 on Amazon, for ages 0 to 8.
Buy on AmazonMore for train families
- Halloween train rides in every state: pumpkin trains and haunted rides by state
- Empire Builder with kids: a different kind of train day
- Every Amtrak route with kids: find a train by city or station
- Halloween books for toddlers for the drive home
Sources
- Charlie Russell Chew Choo: Wandering Wizard Train
Checked against each railroad’s own pages and ticket calendars on October 14, 2026. Dates, prices and policies change, so confirm with the railroad before you go.
Montana Parents Ask About the Lewistown Wizard Train
What Halloween events are there for kids in Lewistown, Montana?
One family Halloween event in Lewistown is the Charlie Russell Chew Choo's Wandering Wizard Train on Saturday, October 24, a costume ride for witches, wizards and magical creatures of all ages, with sweet treats and surprises. Trains leave at 5:00 PM and 7:30 PM from the Hanover Boarding Station outside town, at $69 per person. As of October 14, both trains are sold out.
Is there a Halloween train in Montana this year?
Yes, one: the Wandering Wizard Train on the Charlie Russell Chew Choo near Lewistown, on Saturday, October 24. The operator calls it family-friendly and encourages costumes. Both the 5:00 PM and 7:30 PM trains were sold out as of October 14, so check the operator site in case seats come back. The next closest rides are in Utah and Washington.
What Halloween events for kids are near Billings, Montana?
The closest Halloween train to Billings is the Wandering Wizard Train near Lewistown, about 2 hours 15 minutes away, on Saturday, October 24. It is a gentle evening costume ride with treats and what the operator calls magical surprises, at $69 per person. It was sold out as of October 14, so Billings families may need to look out of state.
Are there Halloween train rides near Missoula, Montana?
The only Montana Halloween train, the Wandering Wizard Train near Lewistown, is about 4 hours 30 minutes from Missoula and was sold out as of October 14. Western Montana families can look west to the Northwest Railway Museum's Halloween Train in Washington, a daytime costume ride of about 2 hours that runs October 17, 18, 24, 25 and 31 and November 1.
Is there a Halloween train ride near Great Falls, Montana?
Yes, the closest is the Wandering Wizard Train on the Charlie Russell Chew Choo, about 1 hour 45 minutes from Great Falls at the Hanover Boarding Station near Lewistown. It runs Saturday, October 24 at 5:00 PM and 7:30 PM, with costumes encouraged and sweet treats on board. Both trains were sold out as of October 14.
How far is the Wandering Wizard Train from Bozeman, Montana?
Plan on about 3 hours from Bozeman to the Hanover Boarding Station outside Lewistown. The ride is Saturday, October 24, and both trains were sold out as of October 14. The out-of-state alternative from Bozeman is Utah's Heber Valley Railroad, about 6 hours away, where the evening Halloween Express still had seats on several dates.
Can kids wear costumes on the Charlie Russell Chew Choo Wizard Train?
Yes, the operator encourages guests to come in costume, and the theme is witches, wizards and magical creatures of all ages. Both trains board around sunset or after dark in late October, when central Montana is cold, so a cloak or robe that fits over a winter coat is easier than a thin costume. Bring hats and mittens for the boarding station.
Is the Wandering Wizard Train too scary for a toddler?
Nothing in the operator's description is billed as scary; it promises sweet treats and magical surprises for all ages. The bigger issue for a toddler is timing, since the trains leave at 5:00 PM and 7:30 PM. The railroad has not posted a ride length or stroller policy, so check the operator site, and choose the earlier train if seats return.
Can we get Montana Halloween train tickets for this weekend, Oct 17 and 18?
No Montana Halloween train runs that weekend. The state's one ride, the Wandering Wizard Train near Lewistown, runs the following Saturday, October 24, and both of its trains were sold out as of October 14. Heber Valley's Pumpkin Train in Utah is also sold out on October 17, while Washington's Northwest Railway Museum Halloween Train runs October 17 and 18 near Seattle.
Can we get on the Lewistown Wizard Train if it is sold out?
Possibly, if seats come back, but we could not confirm a waitlist. Both trains were marked sold out as of October 14. The operator's 21-day cancellation policy means released seats could reappear, so check the operator site again in the days before October 24. For group questions, the operator points people to the Lewistown Area Chamber of Commerce.
Where is the Hanover Boarding Station for the Lewistown wizard train?
The Charlie Russell Chew Choo boards at the Hanover Boarding Station, about 10 miles from Main Street in Lewistown, which the operator says is a 20 to 25 minute drive. Boarding opens at 4:30 PM for the 5:00 PM train and 7:00 PM for the 7:30 PM train. Parking details are not posted, so use the operator's map and leave early.
Is Heber Valley's Halloween Express worth the drive from Bozeman?
Only as part of a Utah weekend. It is about 6 hours each way for a 90 minute evening ride at 7:00 PM to a haunted village the railroad calls Grim Hollow, which it bills as fun and not scary. Tickets are $35, or $75 per person in first class. October 16 is sold out, and other nights still had seats as of October 14.
Is the Snoqualmie Halloween Train worth the trip from western Montana?
As part of a Seattle-area weekend, it can be. The Northwest Railway Museum's ride lasts about 2 hours with a 30 minute stop at its Railway History Campus, costumes are encouraged for all ages, and every child gets a small gift. Tickets are $32 for adults, $28 for seniors and $16 for kids 2 to 12, with under 2 free.
Rally’s Spooky Train RideThe no-fuss Halloween costume
Skip the costume hassle. Wear Rally.
No itchy masks, no last-minute store run, no meltdown on the platform. Pull on the tunnel tee from the book and you are dressed for a Montana pumpkin train, warm under a jacket, and matching in every photo.
Who is riding?
Shop the kids tee
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