National Parks

[Kevin L.]

Amtrak will be taking me past Crater Lake National Park twice, and I want to know how possible it is to go to Crater Lake from there. Klamath Falls, Oregon is the amtrak stop marked as "Crater Lake National Park". However it looks as if Crater Lake is a fair distance from the Falls. Has anyone tried doing Crater Lake from amtrak?

Also, Amtrak rolls past Hot Springs National Park, AK , and I am curious how close this park is to the train stop, as that could always be a possibility.

Seeing scenery on train is awesome, but so is experiencing it on foot. I have to put these winter clothes to use somehow

 

[the_traveler]

Certainly, the easiest NP to reach on Amtrak is Glacier NP! During the summer, the EB stops at East Glacier - that station is closed in the winter. I don't know exactly how to get to the others from Amtrak, but the GCRR runs from Williams (an Amtrak stop) and there are also shuttles from FLG. I think there is also a shuttle to Yosemite (sp?) from one of the SJ stops.

 

[PetalumaLoco]

You can get to Merced, Ca,by train, then you can Amtrak bus to about 7 Yosemite stops.

 

[wayman]

Also, Amtrak rolls past Hot Springs National Park, AK ,

I hope you mean Hot Springs National Park, AR--Amtrak doesn't serve Alaska

 

[Kevin L.]

Hmmm, one of the "Scenic Highlights" of the Empire Builder is the "Gateway to Mount Rainier, Washington". Does that mean that you could get off the train at the mountain? I do not think so, but I don't want to rule it out.

Without renting a car, it doesn't seem possible to do mount rainier at all

(Since I can't think of anything worth doing in Seattle other than the Space Needle, so my time in seattle will be spent going other places near there. The "legacy" of pearl jam and the home of starbucks, the only 2 things seattle is stereotypically known for, don't really call out to me.)

 

[JayPea]

Amtrak will be taking me past Crater Lake National Park twice, and I want to know how possible it is to go to Crater Lake from there. Klamath Falls, Oregon is the amtrak stop marked as "Crater Lake National Park". However it looks as if Crater Lake is a fair distance from the Falls. Has anyone tried doing Crater Lake from amtrak?
Also, Amtrak rolls past Hot Springs National Park, AK , and I am curious how close this park is to the train stop, as that could always be a possibility.

Seeing scenery on train is awesome, but so is experiencing it on foot. I have to put these winter clothes to use somehow

There are car rentals in Klamath Falls, which is about an hour south of the park. Chemult, OR is closer, about 20 miles or so from Crater Lake, but I don't know about getting to Crater Lake from there.

And there is a flag stop at Malvern, AR :lol: on the Texas Eagle which is just a few miles from Hot Springs.

 

[wayman]

(Since I can't think of anything worth doing in Seattle other than the Space Needle, so my time in seattle will be spent going other places near there. The "legacy" of pearl jam and the home of starbucks, the only 2 things seattle is stereotypically known for, don't really call out to me.)

We had a thread back in July (here) where we came up with a huge list of things to do in Seattle. I linked to page 2 of the thread because that's where we really started to list Seattle things, but the whole thread is a good read. Suffice it to say that there's a lot to see and do, from throwing salmon to the rock and roll hall of fame to the architecturally marvelous public library to the giant statue of Lenin!

 

[Kevin L.]

Amtrak will be taking me past Crater Lake National Park twice, and I want to know how possible it is to go to Crater Lake from there. Klamath Falls, Oregon is the amtrak stop marked as "Crater Lake National Park". However it looks as if Crater Lake is a fair distance from the Falls. Has anyone tried doing Crater Lake from amtrak?
Also, Amtrak rolls past Hot Springs National Park, AK , and I am curious how close this park is to the train stop, as that could always be a possibility.

Seeing scenery on train is awesome, but so is experiencing it on foot. I have to put these winter clothes to use somehow

There are car rentals in Klamath Falls, which is about an hour south of the park. Chemult, OR is closer, about 20 miles or so from Crater Lake, but I don't know about getting to Crater Lake from there.

And there is a flag stop at Malvern, AR :lol: on the Texas Eagle which is just a few miles from Hot Springs.

lol, I guess I've got alaska on the brain. The Alaskan Marine Highway via Amtrak + Via sounds fun for the next epic excursion. The Chemult web site talks about snowmobile trails from them to the park, which sound fun, especially as the closest thing I've come to a snowmobile is a pwc.

 

[JayPea]

Hmmm, one of the "Scenic Highlights" of the Empire Builder is the "Gateway to Mount Rainier, Washington". Does that mean that you could get off the train at the mountain? I do not think so, but I don't want to rule it out.
Without renting a car, it doesn't seem possible to do mount rainier at all

(Since I can't think of anything worth doing in Seattle other than the Space Needle, so my time in seattle will be spent going other places near there. The "legacy" of pearl jam and the home of starbucks, the only 2 things seattle is stereotypically known for, don't really call out to me.)

If you ever get to Seattle during the summer months, Gray Line Tours offers a 10-hour bus tour from Seattle to Mt. Rainier.

 

[the_traveler]

Hmmm, one of the "Scenic Highlights" of the Empire Builder is the "Gateway to Mount Rainier, Washington". Does that mean that you could get off the train at the mountain? I do not think so, but I don't want to rule it out.
Without renting a car, it doesn't seem possible to do mount rainier at all

IIRC, Mt Rainier is something like 90-100 miles south of Seattle. (A little bit far to walk for the afternoon! :lol: )

 

[jphjaxfl]

The Texas Eagle stops at Malvern, Arkansas which would be the closest stop to Hot Springs National Park about 22 miles away, but it would be much easier to get to Hot Springs from Little Rock where Greyhound Bus and Rental Cars are available. Hot Springs was once served by branch lines of the Missouri Pacific and Rock Island. Rock Island had passenger service from Memphis and Little Rock with through Sleepers from Chicago via the Illinois Central until 1951. Missouri Pacific had passenger service from St. Louis, Memphis and Little Rock with through Sleepers from Chicago until Jan 20, 1964. As soon as MoPac ended their passenger service, they removed the tracks from their right of way from Benton, Arkansas to Hot Springs (which was the shorter route) and rerouted freight trains over the Rock Island line. The RI line which was orginally built in 1874 still exists as a short line railroad.

 

[GG-1]

Hmmm, one of the "Scenic Highlights" of the Empire Builder is the "Gateway to Mount Rainier, Washington". Does that mean that you could get off the train at the mountain? I do not think so, but I don't want to rule it out.
Without renting a car, it doesn't seem possible to do mount rainier at all

IIRC, Mt Rainier is something like 90-100 miles south of Seattle. (A little bit far to walk for the afternoon! :lol: )

Aloha

Here is the Seattle Train Station and Mt Rainier

Can't judge the distance but Captured this view the time I rode the Coast Starlight and overnighted to the Empire Builder

 

[the_traveler]

Per Mapquest, the driving distance is about 100 miles and takes 2 hours 30 minutes.

 

[Kevin L.]

So Mount Rainier is just a scenic item only for my trip. Oh well, I don't have time to see all of America in just 30 days, though it'd be nice if it were possible, but one can't even see everything in my little state of MD in 30 days. Maybe 30 days could do all of Lichtenstein or the New England small states, but I think that is where the line is drawn.

Does anyone happen to know if Klamath and Chemult rent snowmobiles? Chemult online media prides itself on their snowmobile trails, but doesn't actually say that they have them, while klamath has them, but provides no info, and klamath is so far from the park proper that I was going for C-ville over K-ville.

 

[JayPea]

Chemult is a town with a population of 100, if that. So, going out on a limb :lol: I'd say the chances of rentals at Chemult is not great.

 

[Kevin L.]

Chemult is a town with a population of 100, if that. So, going out on a limb :lol: I'd say the chances of rentals at Chemult is not great.

Wow, a rail town with a population less than some college lectures. I didn't think such existed.

No wonder I was humming Dueling Banjos when looking at Chemult and Klamath Falls. It's not just a Georgian thing anymore. (Though Georgia does have enough to deserve its reputation).

Why do these places advertise snowmobiling as a reason to visit by amtrak if they don't say they rent, because I'm going to have a hard time convincing Amtrak to let me take my (nonexistant) snowmobile onto their trains.

Someone is missing something here.

Sadly, it does look like Yosemite, Glacier, and Olympic are the only real national parks that amtrak goes to/through directly This is almost false advertising on the part of the amtrak time table.

 

[RailBirder]

The CZ has a stop at Granby CO, close to Rocky Mt National Park. but not in walking distance. We rented a car from a local rental business...used car, good rates. She met us at the Amtrak station and we filled out paperwork right there. We left the car at the station when we were finished...left the keys under the mat and locked the doors.

 

[Chessie Hokie]

The south entrance to Shenandoah National Park and the Skyline Drive at Rockfish Gap/Afton Mountain is only a 20-25 minute drive from the Amtrak station in Charlottesville, VA (Crescent and Cardinal). Blue Ridge Tunnel, through which the Cardinal passes, runs directly beneath the Gap. Of course one still needs to rent a car to get there. Rockfish Gap is also the northern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway (another National Park Service entity). The Swift Run Gap entrance to Shenandoah National Park is about a 40-45 minute drive from the Charlottesville station.

Staunton, VA, a stop on the Cardinal, is also about a 20 minute drive from the south entrance. For those not fortunate enough to be Virginians, the proper pronunciation is STAN-ton.

Culpeper, VA, another Crescent and Cardinal stop, is about a 30-35 minute drive from the Thornton Gap entrance to Shenandoah National Park.

 

[the_traveler]

Sadly, it does look like Yosemite, Glacier, and Olympic are the only real national parks that amtrak goes to/through directly This is almost false advertising on the part of the amtrak time table.

:huh:

Yosemite - yes (nearby)

Glacier - yes (stops at)

Olympic - :huh:

Olympic NP is many miles away (and west) from Seattle and Tacoma - and separated from them by Puget Sound!

 

[Ispolkom]

Then there's Harper's Ferry National Historic Park. If the Amtrak station in Harper's Ferry isn't actually in the park, it's very close. Well, to be honest, it's a bit of a hike up to the Bolivar Heights Unit, but in downtown Harper's Ferry you have the old arsenal (of John Brown fame), and the Appalachian Trail. If you have a car Antietam Battlefield is quite close.

Most of the big Virginia National Battlefield Parks are not far from train stations (though you'd still have to rent a car.

 

[AlanB]

The south entrance to Shenandoah National Park and the Skyline Drive at Rockfish Gap/Afton Mountain is only a 20-25 minute drive from the Amtrak station in Charlottesville, VA (Crescent and Cardinal). Blue Ridge Tunnel, through which the Cardinal passes, runs directly beneath the Gap. Of course one still needs to rent a car to get there. Rockfish Gap is also the northern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway (another National Park Service entity). The Swift Run Gap entrance to Shenandoah National Park is about a 40-45 minute drive from the Charlottesville station.
Staunton, VA, a stop on the Cardinal, is also about a 20 minute drive from the south entrance. For those not fortunate enough to be Virginians, the proper pronunciation is STAN-ton.

Culpeper, VA, another Crescent and Cardinal stop, is about a 30-35 minute drive from the Thornton Gap entrance to Shenandoah National Park.

And the Cardinal itself runs right through New River Gorge, part of the National Park system.

 

[Kevin L.]

Then there's Harper's Ferry National Historic Park. If the Amtrak station in Harper's Ferry isn't actually in the park, it's very close. Well, to be honest, it's a bit of a hike up to the Bolivar Heights Unit, but in downtown Harper's Ferry you have the old arsenal (of John Brown fame), and the Appalachian Trail. If you have a car Antietam Battlefield is quite close.
Most of the big Virginia National Battlefield Parks are not far from train stations (though you'd still have to rent a car.

Unfortunately, it seems like all the places Amtrak goes to, with the exception of Glacier and Yosemite, are places that I've been to many a time

Having a car is always a problem for my wallet and demographic.

The amtrak route map shows a bus going to Port Angeles WA, and it went just alongside the green blob that is labeled Olympic national park. I didn't examine the possibility further.

The yosemite bus only goes once a day, so that would require some sort of rooming arrangements, and the yosemite lodge is very pricey even when it isn't booked, and carrying a tent with me doesn't sound like the best of ideas lol.

Oh well, the parks aren't going anywhere--I'll see them eventually.

 

[WICT106]

I realize that it is not a National Park, but the Empire Builder traverses the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge as it goes between Red Wing, MN and La Crosse, WI, along the Mississippi River.

 

[Montanan]

One more that no one ever thinks of: the Southwest Chief actually runs through a small portion of Petrified Forest National Park, in Arizona! Of course, it doesn't stop, and you're not likely to notice anything extraordinary from the fast-moving train.

 

[p&sr]

One more that no one ever thinks of: the Southwest Chief actually runs through a small portion of Petrified Forest National Park, in Arizona! Of course, it doesn't stop, and you're not likely to notice anything extraordinary from the fast-moving train.

Right. It cuts through the Isthmus between the North Areas and the South Areas of the Park. They are connected by a highway corridor. If you follow the maps carefully, you can see the highway bridge there. Other than that, the view is the same as for hundreds of miles before and after.