Greyhound Bus

[Ewker]

I noticed in a few threads people mentioned taking the bus. Just curious if a lot of hikers use the bus instead of flying. I haven't looked but I am guessing it is cheaper than flying but takes longer. Is it easier to store you gear on the bus. Are there restrictions on what you can take or not take.

[Stan Johnson]

I rode a bus back from a couple of hikes. I hated every minute of it. I ran into things like; bus late delays, bus full delays, bus lost ( the driver actually couldn't find the terminal in ohio) delays, nasty bus stations, no leg room, lost pack, rude people, frequent stops, drunks and homeless in bus stations, panhandlers...... my own personal opinion is.... I would never ride a bus again unless it was an absolute emergency.

[Touch of Grey]

I for one plan on the bus route next March. From here in Michigan the last I checked it was 89 dollars from here to Atlanta and about 25 - 27 hours. So far as I know there are not many resitrictions on what you can transport via the bus in your baggage as of yet. I also checked out the train situation and while I could catch the train here locally I would end up riding the bus to save hours and the time factor was still sonewhere in the vicinity of 30 hours or better travel time.

While I could get a plane ticket via TransAir who's main hub is Atlanta and their rates are some of the best I have found, the trade-off besides only needing roughly 2 1/2 hours in the air is that the restriction on what you can pack legally in your bag is going to place some real concerns depending on the type of stove and fuel (No fuel at all can be transported by plane.)

At current gasoline prices and rental rates I could not even justify the rental of a car and the associated gasoline costs for a 1000 mile or so trip from here to there.

So from my standpoint and for me the bus works the best even though as someone noted that you would be crammed into the bus for long periods of time an body odors and such would be a concern. My main concern with any transportation at all is leg-room being 6 ft 3 in.

[goatmilk]

I noticed in a few threads people mentioned taking the bus. Just curious if a lot of hikers use the bus instead of flying. I haven't looked but I am guessing it is cheaper than flying but takes longer. Is it easier to store you gear on the bus. Are there restrictions on what you can take or not take.

I took a bus from Gorham, NH to Port Authority, NYC several times and it's RoUGh (9 hr. trip), especially after you're used to hiking. It was cheaper than flying and actually wasn't much longer because the nearest airport was in ME and plane wouldn't have saved me much time. It is easier to store gear because they have compartments under the bus where passengers put luggage. They didn't mention any restrictions but I'm sure there are... http://www.greyhound.com/travel_information/bus.shtml

Good Luck.

Oh yeah, get off the bus and stretch whenever the driver stops. It helps. Also bring something to do like read, listen to music (need earphones), etc.

Peace.

[squivens]

As for busing. You gotta watch out for the over booking of the buses. I once ended up with the option of sitting/standing in the isle or waiting for the next bus. This was at 2:30 AM in the middle of nowhere Nebraska.
If you do opt to take the bus get there early and not just to the terminal but to the front of the line at your gate. a ticket doesn't guarantee a seat.
And like Stan Johnson said, you will meet a lot of interesting people, to put it politely.

[Blue Jay]

Over the years I have used all means to get around the AT. All have advantages and disadvantages. I prefer rental cars but the downside is the cost. Next I like train travel, inexpensive and almost fun. Bus and airplanes are both filled with downsides, however I don't think one is worse than the other. All in all I prefer bus to airplane as I've had more interesting and humorous events occur while traveling by bus. Airplane travel is no fun at all anymore.

[mweinstone]

what im saying here is truth not opinion. and im allways right. listen very carfully. im going to tell you something. once i have told you, there will be no further need to speak.

trains good,planes bad, bus okay, craigs list for a ride with a real human one on one,.... priceless. do this one thing for me. make an add. wanted, ride to springer mt ga . it works and you offer gas and tolls and food, and in exchange, you get a ride that delivers you unscathed with the scathings of public travel. witch include the above menchioned and one more. guy stabbed on my bus delay.craigs list. stop at starbucks the whole way. whacked on cafe and ridin fast. craigs list i say.

[mweinstone]

blu jay speaks with golden tounge of wisdom. the coolest thing is a weird and great bus exspirence. but its gambleing with sanity chips to risk the opposite happening. thats,....not weird and not great,..... or in the niv translation,... horrible and life threatening.

[Spock]

I love the bus.
It's easier on my gear and I don't have to worry about stuff being confiscated.
I can often keep my pack with me. If I cannot, it won't get sent across the country from where I'm going and it won't get torn up in baggage.
It's an interesting cultural experience.
My legs go between the seats.
There are plenty of breaks.
The food's better.
You can take more than 3 ounces of liquid on board.
You can see stuff out the windows.

[neo]

the first 700 miles of the AT i drove my car and used shuttles,as i got father north i used bus lines,i planned my hikes in between bus lines service town,buses go all the way to most of trail towns i have used,i do not like the long ride but,it is simple and cheap and it works,i have had more positive than negative experience during bus travel neo

[firefly]

For anyone who is thinking about flying instead of taking the bus there is a GREAT option for getting to the trail. Fly into Atlanta and take MARTA (the rapid Transit train) to the North Springs Station. (cost is $1.75) There is an REI just down the street from the station-you can buy fuel and anything else you need there. From there you have a shuttle service pick you up and take you to Amicalala Park (about an hour away) If this sounds like a good plan to you checkout out Thru Hiker Special that Hiker Hostel has.They will pick you up from the Marta station...take you to their hostel for the night..they feed you breakfast..give you 8oz of fuel-either white gas or alcohol..and then they shuttle you to either the park to hike up the approach trail or to the parking lot of Springer mtn. Last year this cost $69. Many people who post on this site have used them..the couple that run it are thru hikers..

[freefall]

To keep from dealing with people on the bus and at the bus stations, I just keep my headphones on. Even if I'm not listening to anything at the moment. seems to work pretty well. Other thing is on the bus, I try to sleep as much as possible. I kept my pack in the overhead so it never got lost and I was able to retrieve anything I needed.

[K0OPG]

how close are you to an Amtrak station? About the same cost and time in getting there but better to me.

have done the bus thing...nightmare! If I hadn't been standing in the loading area, my bag would not have been on the correct bus. I removed it from their trolly and put it back on the bus. went to the restroom came back out and it was off the bus again. I put it back on the bus again and then stood there and waited for the bus to load again. some scarey people on the bus. some of the bus stations you don't turn your back to anyone and you had better keep a good eye on your stuff. Just mho.

I'm going amtrak.

[Mother Nature]

All the above posts have adequately covered the plus' and minus' points of bus travel so I don't need to go over them again.

I have traveled by bus and had no serious problems. Snoring, sneezing and screaming children are no different on buses than flying or train travel.

The only other people that I have had contact with that traveled by bus were my son and a thruhiker and they both had nightmares. My son returning home from boot camp carefully watched his gear loaded on his bus. He arrived home to find that it had been removed at some point. Thankfully he was home for a week's leave and daily travels to the bus station ended with locating the gear. The bus station never contacted us.

The other person, our thruhiker, carefully guarded his large pack and handed it off to the bus driver as he entered the bus. From the window he observed the driver hand it off to someone else and it was loaded on another bus. He darted from the bus and complained but it was too late. He was told there would be "no problem" as both buses were headed for Atlanta and would arrive at the same time. Of course his pack did not arrive. To make a long story shorter he placed numerous calls and we made numerous visits where we scoured every corner including the restrooms... the pack stayed missing. Bus staff told us they would call if it was found. In the meantime we had picked up another hiker at the airport. Our despondant hiker decided to travel with us when we took our new shuttle rider to Springer. We dropped him off at the bus station for one more check as we were nearby on our way north. Amazingly he came out with his pack. He had found it laying against a wall in the passenger area. We never received a call from the bus line.

I am sure these nightmare happen with all forms of transportation. I suppose the potential increases because a bus makes numerous stops enroute. Being extra vigilant when the bus stops and watching what is taken off and rearranged inside the luggage bins might help .

Mother Nature

[Heater]

how close are you to an Amtrak station? About the same cost and time in getting there but better to me.

have done the bus thing...nightmare! If I hadn't been standing in the loading area, my bag would not have been on the correct bus. I removed it from their trolly and put it back on the bus. went to the restroom came back out and it was off the bus again. I put it back on the bus again and then stood there and waited for the bus to load again. some scarey people on the bus. some of the bus stations you don't turn your back to anyone and you had better keep a good eye on your stuff. Just mho.

I'm going amtrak.

Traveling by train is a fun experience. I enjoyed it from Austin Tx. to Springfield Mass to visit relatives in Conn. Everyone should do it once.

[Panzer1]

I think one advantage in traveling by train vs bus is that on the train your pack stays with you. You can usually place it overhead or in the sttorage area in the back of the train.

Panzer

[Heater]

I think one advantage in traveling by train vs bus is that on the train your pack stays with you. You can usually place it overhead or in the sttorage area in the back of the train.

Panzer

...and the lounge car, with the beer.

[ScottP]

For LONG distanes the bus is actually more expensive. I flew out of chicago, and the flight was around $10 more than the bus.

[Panzer1]

...and the lounge car, with the beer.

Oh that's right. The Beeeeerrrrrrr....

I also guess there would be less chance of being in an accident on the train as opposed to the bus. If that counts for anything.

However, the last time I chaecked, If you take the train from Phila to Atlanta, there was a long layover in DC, but it was still a little quicker that the bus.

Panzer

[Ewker]

I wish a train came through Nashville but it doesn't. I enjoyed riding the train when I was young