View Full Version : Amtrak vs. taking a plane to Georgia ?
jacob_springsteen
12-21-2011, 11:52
Maybe rates will go down later on in winter for flying? Flying down to Atlanta,GA is only a few dollars less than taking Amtrak to Gainesville for a mid April departure. Gee, might take a bit longer but no hassles with TSA and finding one's way out of Atlanta, going Amtrak looks a whole lot better IMHO. Even driving is no bargain with fuel prices. Greyhound, uggh, not gonna do it, I pray.
Airline tickets will be cheaper two months in advance, so dont wait too long for a deal. I think amtrak is the best deal at least for me, because it arrives early morning... hiking same day, if I can arrange a ride. all the greyhounds from Jacksonville Fl arrive at 1800, too late to start. so a Day of lodging will push the price up a bit.
I personnally have not considered flying, just because I Scare the Bajesus out of TSA and that always makes for a bad experience
jacob_springsteen
12-21-2011, 12:14
Even Greyhound ain't too much of a bargain. Lowest rates are $90. Bus arrives in Gainseville at night, so add cost of lodging to that $90 for me. Amtrak lookin' real good so far.
I'd always opt to take the train if time and money allowed. It's just, to me at least, a much more pleasant way to travel.
I would take Amtrack to Gainesville, GA. I believe the train gets there around 7AM. You will not have any problems bringing your pack on the train with you. You can get a cab, from the RR station to take you to Amicalola Falls state park. The cab I took even had stove fuel that I needed before I started. Hike the approach trail and spend your first night at the Springer Mt. shelter.
Happy trails to you on your great adventure.
jacob_springsteen
12-21-2011, 12:40
I would take Amtrack to Gainesville, GA. I believe the train gets there around 7AM. You will not have any problems bringing your pack on the train with you. You can get a cab, from the RR station to take you to Amicalola Falls state park. The cab I took even had stove fuel that I needed before I started. Hike the approach trail and spend your first night at the Springer Mt. shelter.
Happy trails to you on your great adventure.
Thanks. Looks like Amtrak is gonna be the way to go.
Odd Man Out
12-21-2011, 13:02
Anyone traveled by Megabus?
http://us.megabus.com/
My daughter in college says that many of her friends use it to get to school and back (less scary than Greyhound, I guess).
They only seem to sell point to point tickets, so you have to buy multiple tickets to put together a long distance trip.
But a quick price check says that you could go from Portland ME to Boston, Boston to Washington DC, DC to Charlotte, Charlotte to Atalanta for $12.50
If you leave Portland at 3:15 AM, you can be in Atlanta by 11:45 AM the next day.
They are not selling tickets for beyond early March yet, but if you wait, they should be available for hiking season soon.
For Jacksonville, you can get a ticket from Jacksonville to Atlanta for $1.50 (9:10 AM to 3:35 PM)
The Atlanta bus station seems to be downtown at the MARTA civic center station, so you could take MARTA out to the last stop and get a shuttle to the trail head from there.
Coming from Michigan, we were looking at an overnight to Wash DC, then another overnight to Gainesville. Sleeping arrangements get real spendy, and I wasn't sure I'd sleep well in those seats ... We looked at the cost of a one-way car rental to Atlanta airport, with a motel stay along the way, and found that to be the best option for us. (We just ain't flyin') Got to be careful and shop around. Some of those agencies have outrageous one-way fees. Alamo offered the best one-way deal when last we looked.
http://www.laughingdog.com/2011/09/getting-to-springer-mountain.html
Mountain Mike
12-21-2011, 13:45
Years ago I took Amtrack from RI for a section hike of the Ga section of trail. I loved it! They had a flier that listed points of intrest along the way. NO getting on & off like Greyhound. Great food & you could even get a cocktail or beer. Plus they will let you take your stove with you. The steak I had on the way home was awesome!
4eyedbuzzard
12-21-2011, 13:48
If you're not going to fly and prefer to spend close to 24 hours on a train, you'll be A LOT happier if you spend the extra 30 to 40 bucks for a business class seat on that train. That's a long uncomfortable train ride in a regular seat. Reserve well (as in months) in advance, they sell out quickly.
Slo-go'en
12-21-2011, 13:55
Personally, I refuse to fly any more. The whole thing has gotten completely out of control.
If you go Amtrak, (or any other way) be sure to buy a ticket in advance. If you buy it at the ticket window at the train station the day you leave, it will cost a lot more then the price you see on line. I found this out the hard way last spring. The ticket guy did have pitty on me and I guess I had enough gray hair for him to give me a senior discount, which helped a little.
The other little issue was the train left Boston at 6:15 AM, so I had to go down the day before and spend the night in town. Thankfully, I found a YMCA hostel in south Boston with a $50.00 a night room, which was with-in walking distance of South Station. The only other option would have been to camp out with the homeless, and it was still a little too early in the spring for that!
I actually found it harder to get any sleep on the train then on the bus. Get a blindfold and ear plugs. Since the train doesn't pull over to fast food joints at meal times, either bring sufficent food with you or enough money for the dinner car - which is expensive.
But all in all, the train slower, but much less hassle then flying and no chance of loosing your pack or stuff in it. The train is a lot faster and more pleasent ride then the bus and has a somewhat higher class of passangers.
MikeGoingToMaine
12-21-2011, 13:56
From Madison Wisconsin, the price is $90 bucks for Greyhound, Amtrak is $189. I am still trying to figure out how to get to Atlanta. I need to look up flying, etc.. Megabus is a no go to Atlanta from Madison.
And when I get there, does anyone have a recommendation on a good shuttle service from Atlanta to Amicalola Falls State Park?
Lone Wolf
12-21-2011, 13:59
Years ago I took Amtrack from RI for a section hike of the Ga section of trail. I loved it! They had a flier that listed points of intrest along the way. NO getting on & off like Greyhound. Great food & you could even get a cocktail or beer. Plus they will let you take your stove with you. The steak I had on the way home was awesome!i took AMTRAK 10 times from R.I. the only way to go
jacob_springsteen
12-21-2011, 14:02
And when I get there, does anyone have a recommendation on a good shuttle service from Atlanta to Amicalola Falls State Park?
Maybe we can help defray costs next spring by arranging a group ride from Gainesville or Atlanta? Do WB'ers plan that stuff out here?
4eyedbuzzard
12-21-2011, 14:08
Probably too many different start dates and departure points (and honestly people who can't or won't commit or back out, etc) to make that a viable option. A van full might work for a one way van rental. Beyond that, probably not a viable idea.
MikeGoingToMaine
12-21-2011, 14:08
I would be more than glad to get a group together and split the costs.
jacquelineanngrant
12-21-2011, 14:40
The Hiker Hostel in Dalonega has a thru hiker special you might want to check out. The great folks there will pick you up from the station and give you a nights stay at the hostel plus transport to either Amicalola or Springer for only $75 most shuttles run at least $60 just for the ride.
A friend that I will be supporting will be taking Amtrak from here in Northern Indiana to Georgia to start his thru... He got a roomette for the whole trip... Yes it is a bit more expensive, but you can get a room to yourself (probably the last time for six months), and all of your meals are included in the price... You do need to buy any alcoholic beverages if you want any... Remember to tip your room attendant and the waiter...
One of the things I like about going Amtrak is you get to meet people... Especially in the dining car... You probably won't have a table to yourself, so you can think of it like being at a shelter... Meet people from all walks of life...
Airtran has a special going on (gotta purchase by tomorrow):
To Atlanta from:
Portland ME $162
White Plaines NY $138
Boston $199
Fees and bags will cost another $35-40, but you get there quick.
I fly twice/month out of Atlanta. Going thru security is no big deal.
rocketsocks
12-21-2011, 18:31
I prefer to fly........but then my arms get tired...so it's a trade-off
I love the train (especially the sleeper cars) - known as the "Viewliner roomette" - it's great fun - carry a bottle of wine and a book or three, walk around - whatever -- don't plan on it being on time though - they are notoriously late -- if you are going coach all the way, you might wish you had flown
I going to take amtrak this year for my thru-hike. Mainly because then i can take my multi-tool/knife, liquids of any kind, stove fuel, mace, trowel, hike poles (without worrying about them breaking by an overzealous flight attendant stuffing bags in the overhead), and dont have to pay to check a bag. Also the train leaves the day before and gets me there at 7 am so I can sleep on the train and be there early to start my hike. And $110 from Philadelphia, the flight is about $150. Sounds great.
Airtran has a special going on (gotta purchase by tomorrow):
To Atlanta from:
Portland ME $162
White Plaines NY $138
Boston $199
Fees and bags will cost another $35-40, but you get there quick.
I fly twice/month out of Atlanta. Going thru security is no big deal.
When I flew home from Reno after one hike, I shipped all my gear via UPS in a moving box bought at the Home Depot for $30 total (OP could ship to the Hiker Hostel) and got on the plane with nothing but the detachable lid of my pack with personal items, and it was no hassle at all.
Odd Man Out
12-22-2011, 14:17
I've always thought it odd that Amtrak doesn't have a route that goes from the midwest to the southeast. You either have to connect in DC or New Orleans, both way out of the way. I would think a route from Chi to Atl roughly following I65/I75 would be very popular.
rocketsocks
12-22-2011, 18:54
I've always thought it odd that Amtrak doesn't have a route that goes from the midwest to the southeast. You either have to connect in DC or New Orleans, both way out of the way. I would think a route from Chi to Atl roughly following I65/I75 would be very popular.I agree that's a major hub
Amtrak from Indiana/Michigan is either east to Washington or south to New Orleans... There is one train that goes from Chicago to Indy, to Charleston and then on to Washington and New York... But nothing from there to Atlanta unless you want to transfer to a bus... It would be nice, but Amtrak would have to negotiate with various freight railroads for a route and end up paying more into the RR retirement for people that never worked for them...
Senor Jalapeno
12-23-2011, 10:56
Go Amtrak! I took it down to Gainesville last year (from the north it arrives @ 7am, from the south it arrives @ 9pm I think) you have control over your bag and there's a dining car. Also, use the thruhiker special at the hiker hoste in dahlonega. Its awesome and totally worth the stay/ ride. I stayed there last year and will be there again this year (however I'm taking the bus to gainesville because its 200 dollars cheaper and gets there in 2 days instead of 3.
Snake Farm
12-26-2011, 02:49
I took Amtrak down to Georgia from southeast NH. Couldnt recommend it more! Sure it was a 24 hour train ride but there were breaks at stations along the way. No hassles with the TSA, you can literally carry anything you want on a train. All my stuff fit in the overhead storage. A great advantage is that with your pack with you, you can see who the other hikers on the train are and chat with the "normal" people on the train about the trail. One generous lady gave me $20 when I headed down to Springer, my first trail magic. I met a fellow hiker on the train, we both stayed at the Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega and I hiked with that guy every single day 460 some odd miles to Damascus, Virginia. My vote goes to Amtrak. GOOD LUCK 2012ers!
For my thru-hike in 2011, I took the Amtrak from Washington, DC to Gainesville, GA. About a 12 hour ride. I got picked up from the train station and bought a shuttle directly to Springer. I found Amtrak to be much easier and I bought the ticket in advance at a reasonable rate. Never had to worry about having to check my pack either.
I took this same trip in '10. Take the Hound. Get on the Marta North till it ends and call the Josh at the Hiker Hostel. They will pick you up there and drop you off on trail. Super easy!
From Madison Wisconsin, the price is $90 bucks for Greyhound, Amtrak is $189. I am still trying to figure out how to get to Atlanta. I need to look up flying, etc.. Megabus is a no go to Atlanta from Madison.
And when I get there, does anyone have a recommendation on a good shuttle service from Atlanta to Amicalola Falls State Park?
Old Hiker
12-31-2011, 11:28
I'm coming up from Tampa and decided to take Amtrak. I have 2 layovers that are about 6 hours long (or longer) each, but I think it will be the best way. I have a roomette for the first 15 hours, then business class seats. At $275, it was a bargain (sorta) to keep my pack with me, along with stove, fuel, etc. I took my loaded pack to the station to check the size and it fit the cage with no problems. I also will have my foam pad as a carry on. The attendants stated that my hiking pole was OK as well.
I go up to Raleigh, NC first, then back down to Gainesville, GA. Go figure.
No TSA, no scanners, no full body probe, no probs.
Hiker Hostel one night and then the shuttle to Springer. 59 days and counting (31 Dec).
Uncle Cranky
01-01-2012, 02:28
I've always thought it odd that Amtrak doesn't have a route that goes from the midwest to the southeast. You either have to connect in DC or New Orleans, both way out of the way. I would think a route from Chi to Atl roughly following I65/I75 would be very popular.
Sherman burned that line back in 1864...it was never rebuilt!
Mike2012
01-01-2012, 03:09
I just rode the Vermonter from DC to Burlington/essex. Great for reading books and I plan on taking the train to GA unless a ride appears.