shuttle from Fontanna to Clingmans

[jimmyfunk]

Any advice on the best way to go? We will be starting our hike at Clingman's and thought it would be best to leave the car at Fontanna and just shuttle to the start of our hike. I've heard the Hike Inn is great but didn't know if we should just show up in Fontanna and give them or someone else a call, or if we should make prior arrangments...

[jimmyfunk]

"Fontanna" is newbie for Fontana by the way... I'm an idiot.
:)

[Lone Wolf]

i would make arrangements ahead of time for sure

[Jack Tarlin]

Jeff and Nancy at the Hike INN are great (828) 479-3677

Or there's Curtis at Standing Bear Farm (423) 487-0014

And you'll find others on the Shuttler's List at www.appalachiantrail.org (It's done on a State By State basis; check out NC and TN sections)

And Wolf is right.....always call well in advance. Shuttlers have lives, jobs,
families, etc. and might not always be available on short notice, especially on weekends when they may have things planned other than shuttling, or may be busy shuttling someone else.

[jimmyfunk]

thank you for the info.

The unfortunate thing about my career is that it often makes excursions like this impossible...but I've fallen upon a window of opportunity to head down this weekend so I'm going for it. I'm spending all day today planning/calling/pre-navigating for the hike and hope to get into Fontana tomorrow afternoon. I had been taking care of the gear situation over the previous month in case the opportunity presented itself and here it is. Unfortunately, I just didn't have enough time to prepare the logistics of the trip.

I hope to arrive in Fontana by 1-2pm. I'll give the Hike Inn a call because I've been impressed by all of the experiences everyone has had with them. Hopefully I'm not too late!!

[jimmyfunk]

one thing I didn't take into account... cost.

A shuttle from Fontana to Clingman's dome looks like it's going to run about $115 for 3 people... more than we wanted to spend for a budget trip... are there any other travel options between the two locations?

[Jack Tarlin]

Alternate suggestion:

Get yourselves to Gatlinburg. Find a safe and cheap place to leave your vehicle for a few days. Hike the Trail SOUTH to Fontana (which is easier than going North by the way); then flip a coin at the end and one of you can hitch to Gat and retrieve the vehicle.

But if you don't wanna hitch, then you pay for a shuttle, it's as simple as that. $115.00 might seem like a lot, but it's a long drive, and kind of a pain in the ass to drive from Fontana to Clingman's....and then, remember, your driver has to get back again, i.e. they have to make that distance TWICE. It'll take several hours each way.....what's 4 hours or more of YOUR time worth?

Lastly, there are plenty of folks in the area who shuttle. Make some calls and see if you can find a cheaper driver.

[greentick]

I used the Hike Inn about a month ago. It is about 1.5hrs from Fontana to Clingmans (we did the same hike) and the convenience of just hopping into the truck at the end of the hike and going home far outweighed the cost. You can even grab a shower at the Fontana Dam Visitor Center before you head home.

[Lone Wolf]

what was the cost?

[greentick]

what was the cost?

$125 split between 4.