What's the closest Amtrak station to the southern terminus? I would really prefer train travel for 10-13 hours over a bus for the same duration.
nevermind, did some snooping and I can get from Washington, D.C. to Pittsfield VT (about 30 min from Williamstown) for $71.10.
woot.
None, really. It stops in Pittsfield, but you can't get to No Adams from there except by taxi or something. You'd need to take a train to Boston from DC, and then another train to Pittsfield. Best to just take the bus to Williamstown when you get to Boston.Originally Posted by bredler
You could also change trains in NYC and take the Montreal train and get off in Brattleboro, but you're still a long way from Wiliamstown and no good way to get there.
Frosty
Pittsfield MA?
Frosty
yep. It's with two transfers.
D.C.-->New Haven, CT-->Springfield, MA-->Pittsfield, MA.
At the same cost as a Bus, I'll take the train. More room and you can stand up, and there's snacks. Only disadvantage is that you have to wait in Springfield for the Lake Connector train to come through and it only comes by like twice a day, so the layover there is around four hours. But I'm okay with that for $71.10.
Since you'll need a bus or a hitch from Pittsfield, you might consider going from Springfield and skipping the four hour layover - or if it doesn't involve a layover, you might consider a bus or a hitch from Amherst or Brattleboro.
U can take a Green Mountain Transit Authority bus from Mt.Pelier to Waterbury to Morrisville to decrease the distance between the northern terminus and from where U have to start hitching from on Rt. 100. The Morrisville bus leaves early and late in the day so U have to time it right because their is no service in the middle in the day. But, it's definitely doable! I did it. Same bus company leaves from Burlington to pts. slightly further north via GMTA transfers. Hitching in Vermont is relatively easy because there R alot of outdoorsy types(hikers, skiers, etc.), college age adults, health conscious people, arts and crafts types and ex-hippies. The people are friendly. Everyone who sees U with your pack is probably going to ask - so, hiking the Long Trail, hey, hop in I'm going in that direction! Most Vermonters R aware of and love their Long Trail! Rt 100 is busy and shouldn't pose much of a hitching problem. U will, however, most likely have to walk, mostly on a gravel road, for about 3 miles or so, to the northern TH. The odds R high that U will run into a Border Patrol Vehicle on this road. There R shelters near the Northern terminus so U can time a hitch out for early the next day after finishing your thru-hike. N. Adams, Mass. and vicinity has several public transportation options so shoudn't be a problem on the southern end. I didn't use Rose Valley(Acres) Farms??? but I hear good things about them;I know they will pick U up at several places but prefer to pick up/tansport hikers from Burlington. Give them a call as a viable option if U feel uncomfortable about hitching. The Long Trail guide lists several helpful trail angels in the area also. Be ready for mud just about anytime of the yr. and hiking north to south is definitely harder than hiking south to north. Waterbury has a great coffee shop located in an old converted railroad station where the Amtrak stops on a limited schedule. The railroad station is just a short walking distance from the GMTA bus transfer pt. to Morrisville. If U want a small journey before the Long Journey here is how U can do it!!! CARPE DIEM!
Watch out for the weather if you are starting in October. I did a SOBO in 04 starting around Hollowen and finihing a week before Thanksgiving. The weather up north is 2 weks ahead of that down south which is why I went SOBO. They already had snow a week before I started, Evening temps were in the 20.s to 12 for the first two weeks. Days varried from a high of 60 to 40. I SELPT WITH MY BOOTS AND THEY STILL FROZE ON MORE THAN ON OCASION. You may want to use vapor barrier socks or gore tex socks to help keep you boots dry so they wont freeze so easily.
Transportation: If you call the Vermont ride share corodantor he/she will tell you that there is bus/van from white water junction to Troy. BTW that he gave me the wrong times and I hitched instead restulting in a $70 ticket from a town cop. I tok a bus from Williamsburg to the Port Authority in NYC.
All in all it was a great trip I may repeat it this year only ran into one other thru hiker and only shared shelters twice. Left the tent at home. BTW that many hiker seevices listed in the end to enders guide won't be available in Oct.
Gonewalkabout
Is there a list somewhere of people who are willing to shuttle Lt end-to-enders this summer, specifically from the Northern end?
The E2E guide can be found on line at http://www.longtrailhiking.info - with each section map they list transportation options and make note of hostel and B&B owners who will do shuttling. The pickings are slim for shuttles dedicated to the northernmost stretch.
Definitely check out the "Shuttle to/from Burlington to Northern Terminus" thread in this forum. Rose Apple Acres used to be the go to source for shuttles to the Northern Terminus, but they've dropped out.
Also there is http://www.everywheretaxi.com/ - I'm not sure about their rates, but since they are based in Burlington you'd probably get a decent rate from there to or from Journey's End Trail.
Lastly, if you are going southbound - maybe someone will share a ride to the trailhead. I'll probably be trying a southbound E2E starting late July or early August. I'm not looking for anyone to do the trail with (not antisocial, just wouldn't want to commit to adjusting my schedule - or even meeting someone halfway - for several weeks) - but since shuttles are likely to be 100 dollars or more, splitting the cost seems like a good idea.
Old thread but I have taken buses from/to N. Adams from/to Pittsfield MA with connections to Williamstown. I think it was the Berks Regional Transit Area buslines(or something like that, check on buses into Pittsfield, you should find a connection), but do check since the last time I did it was in 2007.
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