Bangor, ME to Charlotesville, VA

[R Johnson]

[SIZE=14pt]I am hoping to use Amtrak to get to, and get home from, a months long hike on the Appalachian Trail this summer.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14pt]Getting to the trail will be easy. I can walk to the Connersville Amtrak station, and once I get to Charlottesville it will be an easy walk to the on-ramp of I-64 where I can thumb the short distance to the start of the hike at Rockfish Gap.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14pt]Getting home on the other hand…..[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14pt]The Amtrak website shows service to Bangor, ME, although actual train service doesn’t appear to be available north of Portland. As near as I can find, there is zero information on Amtrak’s website pertaining to bus/train connections. If you enter Bangor and Portland it tells you that there is no service. I was also a little shocked at the prices of seats in the northeast corridor. It looks like getting to Charlottesville from Bangor by any of the several southbound trains might cost over 400 or even 500 bucks total (due to seat availability ). On the other hand, I can get from Bangor to Charlottesville by way of LaGuardia in five hours for under two hundred bucks. I would really prefer the train for the experience, and the scenery. Time isn’t that important, but money probably will be. What are the chances of missed connections in Boston and New York? Is what I want to do practical to do without having to stay overnight in either Boston or New York? Please understand that there are too many variables in a hike that will take three and a half to four months to make reservation very far in advance.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14pt]Taking 51 for the trip home is important, because if I get finished with the main hike early enough, I would like to rent a car in Charlottesville, drive to Pearisburg, VA, and walk the approximately two hundred miles north back to Rockfish Gap. Doing so will fill in all the missed sections and I will have walked the entire trail [/SIZE]

 

[J-1 3235]

I would suggest looking up travel from BAN (Bangor) to BON (Boston North Station), then BOS (Boston South Station) to CVS (Charlottesville).

Sometimes the gap between BON and BOS is not configured in the reservation computer.

It looks like there are three connecting buses to the Downeaster at Portland.

Best of luck in your quest to walk the entire trail!

Mike

 

[pennyk]

Good luck with finishing the trail. That is a great accomplishment. Many years ago, I had a goal to do the same thing. I only have done a few days in Georgia (about 25 years ago). Congratulations!!

 

[Carolina Special]

I've commuted over Afton Mountain (where Rockfish Gap is) on I-64 for the last eleven years and don't believe I've ever seen hitch hikers along the interstate. I believe the Virginia Highway Patrol is fairly strict about that. US 250 may be a better route if coming from Charlottesville, albeit not a lot of room for hikers in places.

Actually, if you're able to start from the Staunton Amtrak station you may be better off. I've seen hikers going up/down the mountain from Waynesboro on 250, which would be along the potential route from the Staunton station.

 

[caravanman]

I don't have any experience with your route, but I should mention that as far as I am aware, you would need to reserve your tickets in advance, as you cannot buy them on the Throughway bus. Nowadays folk buy tickets on their smart phones, etc, so this may not be an issue.

I was amused (not) by the following Bangor ME Amtrak info:

The fact that the none existant ticket office is wheelchair accessible. Doh!

Ed.

 

[Triley]

I was amused (not) by the following Bangor ME Amtrak info:

The fact that the none existant ticket office is wheelchair accessible. Doh!

Ed.

That's...because it's a bus terminal shared by a few companies. Which is wheelchair accessible.

 

[Eric308]

Hey R Johnson...a couple of friends of mine just finished a through hike last fall...(Springer to Katahdin)....here's the tumblr link to check it out. Best of luck in your endeavor. I've only done sections...all of MA from CT to VT, and Springer to Damascus, VA http://nobohobos.tumblr.com/

 

[Triley]

[SIZE=14pt]I am hoping to use Amtrak to get to, and get home from, a months long hike on the Appalachian Trail this summer.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14pt]Getting to the trail will be easy. I can walk to the Connersville Amtrak station, and once I get to Charlottesville it will be an easy walk to the on-ramp of I-64 where I can thumb the short distance to the start of the hike at Rockfish Gap.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14pt]Getting home on the other hand…..[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14pt]The Amtrak website shows service to Bangor, ME, although actual train service doesn’t appear to be available north of Portland. As near as I can find, there is zero information on Amtrak’s website pertaining to bus/train connections. If you enter Bangor and Portland it tells you that there is no service. I was also a little shocked at the prices of seats in the northeast corridor. It looks like getting to Charlottesville from Bangor by any of the several southbound trains might cost over 400 or even 500 bucks total (due to seat availability ). On the other hand, I can get from Bangor to Charlottesville by way of LaGuardia in five hours for under two hundred bucks. I would really prefer the train for the experience, and the scenery. Time isn’t that important, but money probably will be. What are the chances of missed connections in Boston and New York? Is what I want to do practical to do without having to stay overnight in either Boston or New York? Please understand that there are too many variables in a hike that will take three and a half to four months to make reservation very far in advance.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14pt]Taking 51 for the trip home is important, because if I get finished with the main hike early enough, I would like to rent a car in Charlottesville, drive to Pearisburg, VA, and walk the approximately two hundred miles north back to Rockfish Gap. Doing so will fill in all the missed sections and I will have walked the entire trail [/SIZE]

You must be looking at a roomette or bedroom, or talking round-trip cost, because the highest possible fare in Coach from Boston to Charlottesville is $209 one-way, if you stay on the Regional 171, that I see anyway. But even buying a last minute fare for tomorrow, you can get coach for $153, or Business Class for $207, but this would require a layover in Boston, as there would be no way to make a same day connection to this train.

You could take a bus to Downeaster connection and then take the overnight train 67 to DC and change to a 3:15 long bus to Charlottesville. $52 for the bus to train connection, and then $137.50 for the 67 to thruway bus connection, so... $189.50. Would take you from 11am tomorrow until 12:55pm on Tuesday.

So if you really wanted to take us for your trip, but did not want to stay overnight in Boston, NY, or DC, I suggest buying the tickets separate... Use Concord Coach (same company you would take out of Bangor to begin with), and instead of getting off in Portland to transfer to the Downeaster, take it directly to South Station. You would leave Bangor at 3:30pm, and get in to South Station at 7:55pm. $43 one way for the bus, or $73 round trip.

The main problem is with taking 67 you will miss most of the more scenic parts of the trip...coastal areas of Rhode Island/Connecticut, Manhattan skyline, a few long bridges spanning rivers leading in to Baltimore, mostly. Don't worry though! Depending on the time of year, you may be able to see the beautiful sunrise over the slums of Baltimore's brownstones. Lol (Seriously though, has anyone ever paid attention to these? Say there's a block of eight units in a building, and the first one was burned down, the next two are collapsed, the next text three are boarded up, and then the last two units still are occupied?!)

 

[R Johnson]

I've commuted over Afton Mountain (where Rockfish Gap is) on I-64 for the last eleven years and don't believe I've ever seen hitch hikers along the interstate. I believe the Virginia Highway Patrol is fairly strict about that. US 250 may be a better route if coming from Charlottesville, albeit not a lot of room for hikers in places.

Actually, if you're able to start from the Staunton Amtrak station you may be better off. I've seen hikers going up/down the mountain from Waynesboro on 250, which would be along the potential route from the Staunton station.

Hitching on the Interstate is a no-no for sure, but they will usually cut you some slack if you are on the approach to the on ramp. Truth be known, I will probably call a taxi. The motel I plan to stay at is only a few hundred feet from the on ramp to westbound I-64. Waynesboro is a "hiker" town, and if Amtrak stopped there so would I. However, the distance from Staunton to Rockfish Gap looks like about the same as Charlottesville to Rockfish Gap and the route from Charlottesville is more direct by either I-64 or US 250. I also like he thought that, while going through the tunnel I will pass almost directly under the spot where I slept the night before the last hike north from Rockfish Gap in 1975. I stayed at the motel closest to the highway. I had planned to stay there the night before I started my bicycle trip of the Blue Ridge Parkway in 1986, but it had been converted to apartments. When I was there a few years ago it was abandoned with all the door and windows gone and a huge hole in the roof. It had been a nice motel.

 

[R Johnson]

I am hoping to use Amtrak to get to, and get home from, a months long hike on the Appalachian Trail this summer.

Getting to the trail will be easy. I can walk to the Connersville Amtrak station, and once I get to Charlottesville it will be an easy walk to the on-ramp of I-64 where I can thumb the short distance to the start of the hike at Rockfish Gap.

Getting home on the other hand…..

The Amtrak website shows service to Bangor, ME, although actual train service doesn’t appear to be available north of Portland. As near as I can find, there is zero information on Amtrak’s website pertaining to bus/train connections. If you enter Bangor and Portland it tells you that there is no service. I was also a little shocked at the prices of seats in the northeast corridor. It looks like getting to Charlottesville from Bangor by any of the several southbound trains might cost over 400 or even 500 bucks total (due to seat availability ). On the other hand, I can get from Bangor to Charlottesville by way of LaGuardia in five hours for under two hundred bucks. I would really prefer the train for the experience, and the scenery. Time isn’t that important, but money probably will be. What are the chances of missed connections in Boston and New York? Is what I want to do practical to do without having to stay overnight in either Boston or New York? Please understand that there are too many variables in a hike that will take three and a half to four months to make reservation very far in advance.

Taking 51 for the trip home is important, because if I get finished with the main hike early enough, I would like to rent a car in Charlottesville, drive to Pearisburg, VA, and walk the approximately two hundred miles north back to Rockfish Gap. Doing so will fill in all the missed sections and I will have walked the entire trail

You must be looking at a roomette or bedroom, or talking round-trip cost, because the highest possible fare in Coach from Boston to Charlottesville is $209 one-way, if you stay on the Regional 171, that I see anyway. But even buying a last minute fare for tomorrow, you can get coach for $153, or Business Class for $207, but this would require a layover in Boston, as there would be no way to make a same day connection to this train.
You could take a bus to Downeaster connection and then take the overnight train 67 to DC and change to a 3:15 long bus to Charlottesville. $52 for the bus to train connection, and then $137.50 for the 67 to thruway bus connection, so... $189.50. Would take you from 11am tomorrow until 12:55pm on Tuesday.

So if you really wanted to take us for your trip, but did not want to stay overnight in Boston, NY, or DC, I suggest buying the tickets separate... Use Concord Coach (same company you would take out of Bangor to begin with), and instead of getting off in Portland to transfer to the Downeaster, take it directly to South Station. You would leave Bangor at 3:30pm, and get in to South Station at 7:55pm. $43 one way for the bus, or $73 round trip.

The main problem is with taking 67 you will miss most of the more scenic parts of the trip...coastal areas of Rhode Island/Connecticut, Manhattan skyline, a few long bridges spanning rivers leading in to Baltimore, mostly. Don't worry though! Depending on the time of year, you may be able to see the beautiful sunrise over the slums of Baltimore's brownstones. Lol (Seriously though, has anyone ever paid attention to these? Say there's a block of eight units in a building, and the first one was burned down, the next two are collapsed, the next text three are boarded up, and then the last two units still are occupied?!)

Good suggestions, thank you.

I arrived at possible cost by seeing what it would cost if I were to book the tickets a few days from now. I did this, because when the time comes I will probably not be able to reserve seats weeks ahead of time. And if I reserved for a few days from now, the "cheap seats" are sold out.

I had actually thought about taking the bus all the way to South Station but wasn't sure that was a good idea.

I will have a regular I-use-it-for-talking-only military grade cell phone and, if it survives, (the AT can be hard on electronics) a tablet. The intended use of the tablet will be posting hike updates and pictures on Facebook, and it will only be good for that when WiFy is available. From the last town this might be possible, Monson, it will be eight to ten days before I reach the end of the trail, and two days at the most before I'm in Bangor. Is it possible/advisable to buy tickets for 67 at the station? Will Amtrak mail the bus tickets to me C/O a post office?

 

[City of Miami]

You can buy tix online or by phone. Then either download eticket to your tablet or print it out at a Quiktrack machine at any station at any time. 14 days advance purchase gets you 25% off your NE Corridor trains (this is the 'Saver Fare'). You can cancel for 100% voucher good for future reservation from the next minute until 1 year out.

 

[Triley]

Is it possible/advisable to buy tickets for 67 at the station? Will Amtrak mail the bus tickets to me C/O a post office?

It is certainly possible to buy them in the station if you would like. Or, if you were going to pay cash, call 800-USA-RAIL and when "Julie" answers, repeatedly ask for an agent. Tell them you'd like to go from Boston South Station to Charlottesville, VA, via the 9:30pm departure (it's easier to word it this way, as the train the same departure time out of Boston, but it runs slightly different later on in the room, so it is train 67 Sunday-Thursday night, and 65 on Friday and Saturday night.) Then tell them you want to pay cash, and you will pay for/pick up the tickets in Boston. Just know that with the plan of taking the bus all the way to South Station, you will not be able to buy the bus tickets through Amtrak, as we only offer the thruway bus tickets from Bangor to Portland, ME, then on to the Downeaster. If you wanted to go that route instead, you would have to leave Bangor three and a half hours earlier, but you could get all the tickets in one shot.

If you would rather get that extra time spent in Maine, instead of Boston, then you can buy the tickets direct from Concord Coach Lines (this is actually the same company that would provide the busing from Bangor to Portland, as part of an Amtrak ticket.) If this is the case, you could buy the bus ticket in the terminal in Bangor, prior to departure. See this link for scheduling and pricing: http://www.concordcoachlines.com/index.php/maine-locations/bangor-boston

As a side note regarding having the tickets mailed... If you were concerned about having to buy tickets last minute (or should I say, less than four days before travel), there really wouldn't be any options available for having the tickets delivered. Even then, if it's less than nine days before travel, you would have to pay an additional fee for express delivery, and it wouldn't be able to be delivered to a PO box because someone would have to sign for it (likely delivered through FedEx). And if you were to purchase the bus ticket as part of the fare, you would need an actual ticket mailed or picked up from an agent/QuikTrak machine, not an e-ticket on your phone or tablet.

So again, as much as it stinks being on a bus four that long, I suggest taking the bus from Bangor directly to South Station. Concord Coach is pretty comfortable actually, and I believe on that route they play a movie or two on the TVs on the bus, and you can plug in your headphones to listen to the movie/few radio stations available.

 

[AudenHoggart]

Concord Coach is much nicer than other bus lines. If you take the bus from Bangor it will stop at Portland anyway. The station there is a combined bus terminal/train station. You can either stay on a bus to Boston South Station or take the Amtrak Downeaster to Boston North Station. The bus will be faster, but lots of people like the train.

If you buy a through train ticket from Portland take note that they'll route you through Boston Back Bay rather than South Station. (There's an Orange Line subway connection between Boston North Station and Back Bay.) You may prefer to take the short taxi ride to South Station instead. I believe there have been posts on this forum indicating that it's OK to get on at South Station with a Back Bay ticket. Amtrak fares are the same from each. If this is what you're planning to do then you might try to get some confirmation on this point.