Printable View
On July 25th I'm flying into Seattle to hike the Wonderland trail; I'll start and end at Longmire. I'm having a hard time locating a shuttle or bus line that would serve Longmire. Anyone in the area know how to get to the trail-head from the airport?
I'm searched on Google extensively with zero hits. Being a popular hike, I'm assuming I'm missing something.
Renting a car would be the last resort. I'm not really thrilled with the idea of having to pay rental fees for a car to sit for a week.
I wanna hear these opinions because I would like to do the same thing. What bus line/shuttle will get me closest to Rainier?
Here's what I'm getting.
http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/directions.htm
Two ways to get there via Paradise Shuttle Service and Gray Line Tours. I'm just going to get close via public transportation and hitch in to Longmire or Sunrise but open to hearing other possibilities
From SeaTac It's about 85 miles to get near Mt Rainier NP. Greyhound gets you close and I would guess Amtrak is another possible option.
Gray Line Online shows NOTHING for Seattle or Mt. Rainier National Park.
Depending on the cost of the Paradise Shuttle and where they will collect & return you in Seattle, renting the least expensive auto possible may be the least expensive and most convenient for your schedule mode of transportation. It is about 2.5-3 hours by car from the SW entrance to SEA-TAC. Compare that to public transportation, transfer across town from SEA-TAC to a bus station, and other delays & expense. What is your time worth?
Or not. I just looked at rental car prices. Yikes! It's been awhile since I rented a car. And the Gummermint out there adds a boat load to the price. $500/wk, plus or minus a few nickles.
Wayne
This was posted online today, 05/29/13:
Quote:
Mount Rainier National Park officials just announced that the free shuttle service will begin on June 29 rather than Friday.“Due to funding, we have chosen to delay the start up date one week, rather than cut the service at the end of the season when the visitation and ridership is higher,” said Donna Rahier, a park spokeswoman.
The park runs two shuttle routes. One will run from Longmire to Paradise on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The other route will carry visitors from Ashford to Longmire on Saturdays and Sundays.
The Longmire-to-Paradise shuttle runs every 45 minutes on Fridays and every 20-30 minutes on Saturdays and Sundays. The shuttle stops at Cougar Rock Campground in both directions. Shuttles also stop at Narada Falls on the way to Paradise and at the Comet Falls Trailhead on the return to Longmire. Service begins at Longmire at 10 a.m., with the last bus returning around 7:30 p.m.
The Ashford-to-Longmire shuttle begins service at 9:15 a.m., with buses leaving every 20 minutes until 10:45 a.m., then every 75 minutes thereafter. The last shuttle leaves Ashford at 5 p.m., with the final bus returning from Longmire by 8:15 p.m. The ride is free, but park entrance fees apply.
The schedules are posted at all shuttle stops and on the park’s website.
Read more here: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/adven...#storylink=cpy
Good grief! I spent a Groundhog Day in an internet loop following links in huge circle. I'll save you the trouble:
Click this link. On the middle-left side of the page there are phone numbers for Horizon Coach Lines. They also masquerade as Gray Line of Seattle.
http://horizoncoachlines.com/seattle-wa.html
It was a lot easier when I went out there in the Dark Ages.Quote:
Contact Us
Horizon Seattle
4500 W. Marginal Way SW
Seattle, WA 98106
Toll-Free: 800-824-8897
Phone: 206-626-5200
Fax: 206-626-5209
Email us
Gray Line of Seattle
4500 W. Marginal Way SW
Seattle, WA 98106
Toll-Free: 800-426-7532
Fax: 206-626-5209
Email us
www.graylineseattle.com
Enjoy!
Wayne
Those of us who live here may not be the best source of information because we have transportation. Perhaps someone who has solved the problem recently can respond. When I hike the Wonderland, I just park my vehicle there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shutter
This web site lists all of the options that I know about: http://www.visitrainier.com/pg/transportation/transportation-tour-options-to-mt-rainier-national-parkQuote:
Originally Posted by Shutter
I would give you a ride, but I will be off hiking elsewhere at that time.
I knew once there was blood in the water the other fish would arrive. Thanks everyone for your comments.
Late reply but I really appreciate all the answers. I've found a friend in the area that will most likely drop me off and pick me up.
I have found a rather unconventional plan B though. It dawned on me that I could rent a u-haul for $20 a day and 79 cents a mile. Being 8 days and 170 miles round trip that puts me right in the $300 range which is 1/2 what a rental car could cost. Plus with the u-haul I can sleep in the damn thing late Thursday night forgoing the option of a $130 hotel room. A taxi would be $200 one way.
Sounds silly but coming from the east coast, the logistics of this thing are becoming weirder and weirder. Trail life has led me to a point where sleeping in a uhaul to save a few hundred bucks sounds like a brilliant idea. Good times.
Rent a wreck will do an 8 day rental for $310.
http://www.rentawreck.com/index.html
It will be well worth it, I promise.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shutter
I am planing the same trip from August 13th to the 20th. I was planning on the rental care option as well, till i found these guys!
https://my.getinsellout.com/provider...our/info?pl=55
$170 they will pick you up at your hotel, drop you at Paradise, then pick you back up when your trip is done. Talking to them on the phone, it sounds like it is something they normally do. Have fun!
Interesting. I'll give them a call and see what they can do. I arrive at SeaTac at 11:30am the day before my scheduled start date. My plan was to walk or taxi 2 miles to Uhaul, grab a truck and head on down to Longmire. I'd use the day to get registered and screw around Longmire. I'd eventually sleep in the uhaul and then get an early start the next morning. I think if I used these guys then I'd have to stay in Seattle a night and would get a much later start the following day.Quote:
Originally Posted by rbh9950
I've never been to Seattle before so after the hike I plan to stay the weekend and check out the city. Seattle has been at the top of a short list of places to move to. I'm really getting sick of Washington DC. Perhaps the Wonderland Trail is what I need to convince me.