Train or bus to Appalachian NJ south?

[birdscope]

Guys,

How do I get to the start of the NJ section from nyc?

I think that it starts at Delaware Water Gap, correct?

If there´s a much easier train/bus stop, I don´t mind starting up north.

Marcos

[Alligator]

Bus to the Water Gap will work. There is an actual train stop in NY on the trail--used to be weekends only, you will want to confirm that. I used that stop, the bus station is somewhere around a mile or so out of town. The trail crosses the bridge into NJ.

Not to sure about your endpoint pickup though. Someone once detailed how to get a bus from near the end of the AT in NJ but I don't recall exactly how it went.

[lyagooshka]

Uber?
When are you starting/ending?

Where in NYC are you starting?

[tiptoe]

http://martztrailways.com/departures-from-new-york/

Scroll down to "To Stroudsburg/DWG, PA

These buses leave from NYC Port Authority, I think (but you should check), 8th avenue and 41st St.

[Alligator]

Bus to the Water Gap will work. There is an actual train stop in NY on the trail--used to be weekends only, you will want to confirm that. I used that stop, the bus station is somewhere around a mile or so out of town. The trail crosses the bridge into NJ.

Not to sure about your endpoint pickup though. Someone once detailed how to get a bus from near the end of the AT in NJ but I don't recall exactly how it went.There is a bus showing on Google that picks up near the trailhead on RT 17A in NY. That bus goes to Port Authority in NYC.

[Alligator]

That bus from Rt 17A actually travels south into NJ and is looks to be a NJ transit bus. While traveling south the bus, number 197, travels south around Greenwood Lake. The AT passes close to that and there might* be a side trail over to the Lake from the AT.

*there is, it's called the State Line Trail. Goes over to the lake.

[birdscope]

http://martztrailways.com/departures-from-new-york/

Scroll down to "To Stroudsburg/DWG, PA

These buses leave from NYC Port Authority, I think (but you should check), 8th avenue and 41st St.

The google map shows the AT going inside Stroudsburg, or it meanders through the woods going north?

[birdscope]

Uber?
When are you starting/ending?

Where in NYC are you starting?
I'll leave next week from brooklyn south, for 2 weeks up north

[birdscope]

http://martztrailways.com/departures-from-new-york/

Scroll down to "To Stroudsburg/DWG, PA

These buses leave from NYC Port Authority, I think (but you should check), 8th avenue and 41st St.

You're right tiptoe, buses almost every hour, 1 1/2 hour journey.

[lyagooshka]

I'll leave next week from brooklyn south, for 2 weeks up north

You should have a signal most of the route.
You'll go along the NY or PA border for a bit of the way.
I don't know the cost, but Uber might put you right where you want to be.
There are a few parking lots right at the NJ/NY boarder of the AT (Cascade Lake Park).
It might even be the most cost-effective short of getting a ride.
Hope it helps.

Alex

[birdscope]

Bus to the Water Gap will work. There is an actual train stop in NY on the trail--used to be weekends only, you will want to confirm that. I used that stop, the bus station is somewhere around a mile or so out of town. The trail crosses the bridge into NJ.

Not to sure about your endpoint pickup though. Someone once detailed how to get a bus from near the end of the AT in NJ but I don't recall exactly how it went.


Thanks Alligator, I intend go further north. Do you know D Water Gap, is it worth starting there?

[birdscope]

You should have a signal most of the route.
You'll go along the NY or PA border for a bit of the way.
I don't know the cost, but Uber might put you right where you want to be.
There are a few parking lots right at the NJ/NY boarder of the AT (Cascade Lake Park).
It might even be the most cost-effective short of getting a ride.
Hope it helps.

Alex
Thanks Alex, again,sure it helps man.
Marcos

[GoldenBear]

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/119408-Laguardia-Airport-to-Delaware-Water-Gap-PA?p=2074284&highlight=#post2074284

[GoldenBear]

> The google map shows the AT going inside Stroudsburg, or it meanders through the woods going north?

The A.T. goes through a few blocks of the PA city of Delaware Water Gap, just "south" (ie, west) of the I-80 bridge, which goes over the Delaware River.
http://www.tiger-usa.com/dwg_map_lg.jpg
Note that this map may be out of date!
https://over60hiker.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/dwg-map-of-at.jpg?w=613
If traveling A.T. North, then you come down Mount Minsi until you reach the city. Follow the blazes until you get to the walkway along I-80, then cross the river on that interstate's bridge.
You eventually walk along a series of parking areas near the Kittatinny Visitor Center, then go under I-80 to get to a trail head parking area. At this point you again start walking up towards Sunfish Pond.

[lyagooshka]

Thanks Alex, again,sure it helps man.Marcos

No worries.

You might also want to check out the shuttle services from the AT.org collection:

http://appalachiantrail.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/at-shuttles9eccde6668ce6efcb07bff000057c13a.pdf?sfvrs n=0

[perrito]

Marcos,
How much mileage do you intend to cover? You have lots of options.

[Alligator]

Thanks Alligator, I intend go further north. Do you know D Water Gap, is it worth starting there?It's a convenient location to park at. It was really busy when I went through, it being summer. Lots of picnickers. Since I started there, I didn't plan to spend any time there. I started southbound through PA from there too. I rode the bus that time walked across the bridge then turned around and went south. Other times I was there I was in a canoe, once as a kid, and once as a young adult. I enjoyed the canoeing, I suggest that be done when the water is running higher. I camped (car) in Worthington State Forest as a kid, we had fun.

One thing I remember about the Jersey AT is that campsite spacing was off for me for some reason I don't recall at the moment. I may have been thrown off because I started in the Gap. Maybe took a good look at your mileages to make sure you have things spaced correctly. It could have just been me though as I did end up with bad blisters and had to exit at Wawayanda and that wasn't my original plan.

[Slo-go'en]

The bus station at the DWG is 1/2 or 3/4 of a mile north of where you cross the bridge to NJ.

[birdscope]

[QUOTE=GoldenBear;2079261]> The google map shows the AT going inside Stroudsburg, or it meanders through the woods going north?

The A.T. goes through a few blocks of the PA city of Delaware Water Gap, just "south" (ie, west) of the I-80 bridge, which goes over the Delaware River.
http://www.tiger-usa.com/dwg_map_lg.jpg
Note that this map may be out of date!
https://over60hiker.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/dwg-map-of-at.jpg?w=613
If traveling A.T. North, then you come down Mount Minsi until you reach the city. Follow the blazes until you get to the walkway along I-80, then cross the river on that interstate's bridge.
You eventually walk along a series of parking areas near the Kittatinny Visitor Center, then go under I-80 to get to a trail head parking area. At this point you again start walking up towards Sunfish Pond.

GoldenBear, you should be a Logistics CEO.

Thanks very much man.
Marcos

[birdscope]

Marcos,
How much mileage do you intend to cover? You have lots of options.

Not sure the mileage perrito, 12-14 days hiking the trail up north from south NJ.

Why?

[perrito]

Say at 12 days of hiking with 13 miles per day, round up to 160 miles total. Stops with access to mass transit to NYC,
From the MetroNorth AT RR station (weekends only) (1448.3) to MA 2, North Adams, MA (1592.2) is about 144 miles.
From Bear Mtn. (1400.4) add another 48 miles.
To Vermont Rt. 9 (1610.6), which is near Bennington, VT (via a free bus M-F) adds another 18 miles. You can get to Albany from Bennington and then into NYC.
From DWG (1293) to MetroNorth RR station (1448.3) is 155 miles. You can go another 7 miles to Hoyt Road, completing NY, then get an Uber ride to Pawling, NY MTA station.

:-?

[tiptoe]

There's also Peter Pan bus service between NYC and Williamstown, MA, twice a day, I believe, with stops in Massachusetts at Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and Sheffield, all fairly close to the AT.
https://peterpanbus.com/

[Slo-go'en]

Not sure the mileage perrito, 12-14 days hiking the trail up north from south NJ.

Why?

It's possible to get back home from pretty much any place the AT crosses a road, but some places are better then others. Knowing how far you plan to go narrows down the choices and helps you pick the best location to actually end the hike.

So, lets say you hike for 12 days with an average pace of 15 miles per day (not too hard to do on this stretch) means your likely to go at least 180 miles. Now, what's about 180 miles north of where you start at the DWG? Kent, CT is 173 miles from the DWG, so that makes it a likely ending point.

So, how do you get home from Kent? Since there is no public transportation nearby, you'd have to arrange for a shuttle to get you to a bus or train stop. But there is a train stop at Pawling, NY which goes to NYC at 150 miles from the DWG, so it might make more sense to stop there. It might also make sense to use the full 14 days to get to Pawling to keep the daily mileage down. There are a couple of rough sections in NY which can wear you down in this heat.

[birdscope]

It's possible to get back home from pretty much any place the AT crosses a road, but some places are better then others. Knowing how far you plan to go narrows down the choices and helps you pick the best location to actually end the hike.

So, lets say you hike for 12 days with an average pace of 15 miles per day (not too hard to do on this stretch) means your likely to go at least 180 miles. Now, what's about 180 miles north of where you start at the DWG? Kent, CT is 173 miles from the DWG, so that makes it a likely ending point.

So, how do you get home from Kent? Since there is no public transportation nearby, you'd have to arrange for a shuttle to get you to a bus or train stop. But there is a train stop at Pawling, NY which goes to NYC at 150 miles from the DWG, so it might make more sense to stop there. It might also make sense to use the full 14 days to get to Pawling to keep the daily mileage down. There are a couple of rough sections in NY which can wear you down in this heat.

Very good calculation.

Just to know, after Pawling, a good spot to get back nyc would be where?

[Slo-go'en]

Very good calculation.

Just to know, after Pawling, a good spot to get back nyc would be where?

Not until you get up to Lee, Mass, another 100 miles north.

[perrito]

Actually, Great Barrington/Sheffield, just into MA. Mile 1520. From DWG (1293) to there is a lot to do in 2 weeks for a non-thruhiker.

[birdscope]

Actually, Great Barrington/Sheffield, just into MA. Mile 1520. From DWG (1293) to there is a lot to do in 2 weeks for a non-thruhiker.

Agree, so Kent will be.

[LIhikers]

For public transportation to trails in the New York and New Jersey area check this web page. (http://www.nynjtc.org/content/you-dont-need-car)

[birdscope]

Actually, Great Barrington/Sheffield, just into MA. Mile 1520. From DWG (1293) to there is a lot to do in 2 weeks for a non-thruhiker.


You were right perrito, i took the bus back to nyc from great barrington. it takes aprox. 4 hours from there to get to new york. there is a community center at g. barrington where you have free camping, showers and restrooms.

Thanks,

[perrito]

Cool! So you did the 227+- miles? How many days? How'd it go?

[birdscope]

Cool! So you did the 227+- miles? How many days? How'd it go?

Actually the total was 179miles. NJ was very nice , but the heat on NY knocked me out. Hiked till Palisades Parkway on NY-9. tried a to take a zero day near Bear Mt., but had to board the RR to grand central, and from there Pawling, taking one zero at AT station. Then did CT till Great Barrington MA, total 17 days. 2 bears, 3 deers, lots of snakes, including rattlesnake´s nest with 4, great hike. but what´s this ny section,man? much worse than CT, MA.

[perrito]

I've been told by many a hiker that NY is tough.
About 10 years ago while on a day hike right at the NY/NJ border, I came across a southbounder who was in an ornery mood. I looked at his entry in the log book and he cursed up a storm about the NY section he had just come through. Hehe.