Backpacking By Train

[Justinla45]

I have to research this a little bit but have been unsuccessful. I am looking for a backpacking trip that I could travel to and from completely by train.

[Wise Old Owl]

uh cool question and somewhat impractical - Trains will get you so far, then a cab or shuttle would be needed to get to the head of the trail. I have taken the train with a fully loaded backpack to Maine - but had friends and WB's pick me up at the station and drive the remainder to the trails.

So what did you have in mind - where was this going?

[kayak karl]

how is that backpacking if COMPLETELY by train?

[yellowsirocco]

Harpers Ferry station is very close to the AT. Pawling NY has the Appalachian Trail station right on the trail.

Now, Rutland VT has a train station, but the trail is a few miles out of town and a city bus will take you there there. Pittsfield MA is the same way and those buses will take you to trail towns all over western MA. White River Junction is close to Hanover and I think they have a bus too.

This is all about the AT though, I don't know about other trails. It is probably pretty limited though. Expanding out to just using scheduled transportation and no shuttles opens up lots more options.

[Dogwood]

How long of a backpacking trip? R U referring to completing an entire trail? getting to the starting TH terminus and ending at the other TH finisihing terminus? getting to the starting pt totally by train from Nville and getting back to Nville from the finsh termnus totally by train? I can think of several trails and possible scenarios that might fit your deires if I fully understood what you want.

[ChuckBrown]

Glacier national park, Montana ,has a Amtrak stop right across from grand hotel. The train originates in Chicago and runs to west coast. You can step off train and hike right into park. I did a five day 55 mile hike. This park has a great shuttle system. You do have to get a permit beforehand and check in when you arrive. I traveled from Boston all the way, great trip. I recommend a sleeper if you can afford it.

[SCRUB HIKER]

I have seen a lot of backpackers on the Empire Builder who get on/off at the three stops that it makes in Glacier National Park. One of the Whiteblazers, Marta, is from Essex, MT, which is a flag stop on that route. Just looking at where Essex is located, I'm guessing there is access to a trail network within walking distance. She could tell you more probably.

Check out the California Zephyr's route through Colorado, too. You might be able to walk out of the Granby stop.

As already mentioned, Harpers Ferry is served by the Marta train from Union Station in DC, which is a major Amtrak station. The AT itself is about two blocks from the Harpers Ferry train station. So the entire AT is technically accessible exclusively by train.

[oldbear]

You can get to Grand Canyon NP by taking the City of New Orleans from Memphis to Chicago , the Southwest Chief from Chicago to Flagstaff and then the Arizona Shuttle will get you to GCNP .

[joshuasdad]

There are three different train lines in NY/NJ that intersect the trail, with stations within 5 miles or less (e.g. Port Jervis, Harriman, Manitoba, Appalachian Trail). Manitoba and AT stops are weekend only, but there are other stops relatively close by.

You could also do Rutland, VT to White River Junction, VT on Amtrak, both of which are close to the trail.

[Justinla45]

That is it thank you so much. Perfect, is there any way that you can maybe email me some details on what trails to hike etc....?? [email protected]

[Justinla45]

I apologize I did that incorrectly. The Glacier National Park hike sounds almost too perfect to pass up. I knew about the Harpers Ferry and New York stops and will probably get to those as I section hike the A/T. Always wanted to get more into the northeast as well will check these out. Is there any way that you can email more info about the glacier national park hike? [email protected]

[Cookerhiker]

You can also get to Yosemite via AMTRAK on the San Joaquin route (http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/978/910/San-Joaquin-Schedule-050712,0.pdf) which connects to a bus in Merced. With sufficient planning re permits, reservations etc., you could do a 1-2 week circuit or more in the Sierra out of Yosemite Valley.

[Pedaling Fool]

It's a European thing.

[SCRUB HIKER]

I apologize I did that incorrectly. The Glacier National Park hike sounds almost too perfect to pass up. I knew about the Harpers Ferry and New York stops and will probably get to those as I section hike the A/T. Always wanted to get more into the northeast as well will check these out. Is there any way that you can email more info about the glacier national park hike? [email protected]

You've gotta do some research yourself. I don't know anything else about Glacier, I've only passed through on the train. Find the Whiteblaze user Marta and PM her for some local expertise.

[Drybones]

I spent a week in the Weminuche Wilderness in southern CO last year, a steam locomotive picked us up in the middle of no where, it was the only way for us to get out without walking a lot more than planned. It was a neat ride back to Silverton, which was also a neat little town. I don't know if you can catch a train to Silverton but it would be a great trip if you can, beautiful country, most remote section of the lower 48 according to Backpacker Magazine.

[Feral Bill]

The Glacier NP web site gives full information on hiking and transportation in the park. Fabulous area to hike. You might want to avoid frolicking with the bears.

[Dogwood]

There are more train connections right up to or on major well known or Nat Scen Trails. U didn't get them all

[Spirit Walker]

There are many different trails in Glacier. All are worth hiking, as it's a very beautiful park. Many are accessible via Park shuttle transportation, which is pricey but worth the cost. If you come in by train, you'll probably have to start your hike the next day, as Amtrak is notoriously irregular. There are hostels in East Glacier and campgrounds near West Glacier. The CDT runs through East Glacier, so you could just hike the 97 or 107 miles through the park with a shuttle to or from the north end. Or you can hike out of town and create your own hike of however many miles you want. Backcountry reservations are required and can be hard to get during prime season (July and August) but if you're flexible you can usually get something.

[Leanthree]

Plenty of great options. See a thread I started about a year ago for some I have found (I have done many of these either before or since)

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?79769-Public-Transportation-to-the-AT-from-NYC&highlight=

[joshuasdad]

Link to Metro North (NY/NJ Train Map):

http://www.mta.info/mnr/html/mnrmap.htm

My post above was only related to the AT, but there are other trails that can be hiked in the area. Note Manitoba station listed above is actually Manitou.

[oldbear]

Justin
From Penn Station in NYC you have many ways to connect to trails
From Penn proper
Amtrak's Vermonter will take you to
Brattleboro where you can hitchhike and easy and scenic 60 miles across Rt 9 and pick up the AT at Bennington VT
White River Junction where you can pick up the AT just before you get to Hanover NH
Waterbury VT where you can take a cab to the Long Trail crossing
From Penn you can also take New Jersey Transit to pick up the AT at Port Jervis NY
Just up the block from Penn is the largest bus terminal in America ; the Port Authority Bus Terminal where you can connect to buses that go everywhere
including Martz Transit that will get you out to the Delaware Water Gap in about 90 minutes
and you can also take bus from the PABT to Bear Mountain
About a 1.5 miles from Penn is Grand Central Station where the commuter rail road Metro North runs out of
Metro North is good for AT stops that are in NY State and east of the Hudson or along the NY/CT state line >see joshuasdad's map
The stopped labeled Appalachian Trail is only used on weekends and in season : use the Pawling stop at all other times
and then there is Amtrak to Boston where you can take a Concord Coach Lines bus to interesting places like Franconia and Pinkham Notch

[Memphis Tim]

I took the Amtrak Crescent from 30th St. Station in Philly to Gainesville, GA to start my '08 thru.

[T.S.Kobzol]

Yep


Almost getting misty remembering childhood trips. We would pack on Thursday, go to school Friday, from school I would just go home,drop the school pack,put on my backpacking attire and head to the team stop. Take the team to the train station where all the likeminded souls congregated. Most of the time we decided right there where we we're going and with which group. Bought the train ticket roundtrip. Got on the train and headed out. Usually Fridays had us hike in the dark until we reached the.shelter or the camp spot. Spent two nights and returned on the train back home, smelling with campfire, pine needles and dirt. The Good life.



It's a European thing.



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[chiefiepoo]

Isle Royale NP in Lake Superior requires 3 forms of for public transportation to get there, if you are not driving. Train to Milwaukee, bus from Milwaukee to Houghton MI, U S Park service ferry from Houghton to Isle Royale. I fly to Chicago Midway airport from Tampa then start the train ride there. The bus leaves from Milwaukee at 10:15 pm and you ride all night to arrive at the ferry dock about 30 min before sailing.. Great back packing at Isle Royale and no bears to be concerned with.

[brooklynkayak]

Is a bus not an option?
I do most of my hiking by train and/or bus.
The combination works much better than train alone. I own a car, but the bus/train way allows me more flexibility.

You can get to a lot of trails via bus. In some cases you may have to walk, hitchhike or taxi a few miles.

[CarlZ993]

I spent a week in the Weminuche Wilderness in southern CO last year, a steam locomotive picked us up in the middle of no where, it was the only way for us to get out without walking a lot more than planned. It was a neat ride back to Silverton, which was also a neat little town. I don't know if you can catch a train to Silverton but it would be a great trip if you can, beautiful country, most remote section of the lower 48 according to Backpacker Magazine.
A great way to get to the trail head. It feels weird to see the narrow gauge steam train pulling away as you're standing next to the track. Then, it's just you and your packing heading into the mountains.

[Marta]

There are three Amtrak stops at Glacier NP--East Glacier, Essex, and West Glacier. They're all on the Empire Builder, which comes through once a day in each direction.

GNP has over 700 miles of trail in it. The trail network is accessible from any of the entrances. I ran into one guy this summer who had taken the train here and gotten "same day" permits for a 10-day figure 8 hike through the park. Campsites in the Park are limited and highly sought after during the peak season, so you'd need to be flexible about the route.

I'd recommend planning the trip for August or the first half of September. In June a lot of the Park is still snowed in. In July you can hardly breathe for the mosquitoes.

[cliffdiver]

On reddit.com, the sub reddit 'backpacking' is concerned with all manners of travel with backpack, including trains, hitchhiking, couchsurfing, etc. I'm guessing the OP thinks this would be similar?

[Kingbee]

I'll be taking Amtrak with a bus connection to Conway, NH. Then it's a short ride into the Whites.

[Cookerhiker]

I'll be taking Amtrak with a bus connection to Conway, NH. Then it's a short ride into the Whites.

Going to the Whites, I believe there's a direct bus connection from Boston to Pinkham Notch.

[Justinla45]

This advice is so very helpful yall are absolutely awesome. I will start planning for several spring and summer trips.

[Justinla45]

Just out of curiosity does anyone know of any winter trips to take? I have quite a bit of free time this until march.

[Spirit Walker]

Florida Trail.

[Feral Bill]

Just out of curiosity does anyone know of any winter trips to take? I have quite a bit of free time this until march.
Are you looking for winter conditions? Try The New York area and south. Train/bus accessible and conditions are likely to be tolerable. Pawling to Greenwood Lake, perhaps.