Amtrak and the National Parks

[saysto]

My cousin and I are considering leaving for several days to catch an amtrak train to a spot near a nice national or state park to camp and hike? Anyone know any spots that are close to train connections??

I know of Glacier Park in Montana, any out east? We're in Phili so Montana is quite a haul..

thanks a lot guys

[PDT009]

How about Harpers Ferry, WV? It's a scenic area. I think the Capitol Limited stops there. You may even be able to take the commuter rail (MARC) to Harpers Ferry out of Washington, DC. The town is pretty fascinating from a historical standpoint. And it's not a bad place to do some train watching.
The Apalachian Trail crosses the river at Harper's Ferry so, there's hiking and camping along its length.
This time of year is ideal for hiking.

[Noel Weaver]

I don't know what part of the country you are from nor what areas you
might be thinking about but two good areas in the northeast are served by
Amtrak:
1. The Adirondack serves the Adirondack Mountains of New York State
and I am quite sure that you could find great areas to camp and explore.
If you need a car, you could probably rent one in either Saratoga Springs
or Plattsburg and maybe other places too.
2. The Vermonter serves the Green Mountains of Vermont and in a way
the White Mountains of New Hampshire as well. You can probably rent a
car at White River Junction, Montpelier Junction and Essex Junction among
other places. Lot of junctions here.
I suggest you check web sites for the states that I have mentioned above
if you are interested in these two areas and other state web sites if you
are traveling somewhere else in the country.
Noel Weaver

[william powers]

crawfordsville indiana is a good stopping off point for cyclists interested in the fall foliage and covered bridges dotting the indiana countryside.

[Robert Paniagua]

Also, I recommend the Downeaster, which ends in Maine and has a National Park (Arcadia) and other places to go camping. The Fall Foliage is also nice along the way on Downeaster Trains.

[madcrow]

Inspired by the Ken Burns special, I'm looking at visiting some parks and am trying to figure out if it is at all possible to do so by train. I know that the Grand Canyon can be reached by a tourist line that connects with Amtrak and that Glacier still has direct service, but otherwise I'm not sure what one can get to by rail. Any hints here?

[jp1822]

Yosemite National Park comes to mind with bus connection or car rental out of Merced, CA

Williamsburg is federally run, but more of a museum than a "Park" - same for Harper's Ferry, WV

There is the Rocky Mountain National Park on the route of the CA Zephyr.

Coast Starlight - you'd have to rent a car, but you'd have Crater Lake National Park and Mount Rainier National Park nearby.

Not sure if anything comes as close as Glacier National Park or Grand Canyon etc.

[MudLake]

...
Not sure if anything comes as close as Glacier National Park or Grand Canyon etc.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which has it's own tourist train though it doesn't connect to Amtrak in Cleveland. Well, why would it? Amtrak stops in the middle of the night.

[Station Aficionado]

Williamsburg is federally run, but more of a museum than a "Park" - same for Harper's Ferry, WV

Actually, I believe that "Colonial Williamsburg" is owned and operated by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, a private non-profit organization (established by John D. Rockefeller, Jr.).

[ejones]

Actually, I believe that "Colonial Williamsburg" is owned and operated by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, a private non-profit organization (established by John D. Rockefeller, Jr.).

Correct, but "Historic Jamestowne" and Yorktown Battlefield are both run by the National Park Service and connect via the NPS-run Colonial Parkway. Combined, they form the Colonial National Historical Park. Incidentally, a brief portion of the parkway literally runs directly underneath Colonial Williamsburg, but as Station Aficiando notes, it is therefore a case of a national park tunneling under Colonial Williamsburg Foundation property.

[GWoodle]

Inspired by the Ken Burns special, I'm looking at visiting some parks and am trying to figure out if it is at all possible to do so by train. I know that the Grand Canyon can be reached by a tourist line that connects with Amtrak and that Glacier still has direct service, but otherwise I'm not sure what one can get to by rail. Any hints here?

The Smoky Mountains between Tennessee & Carolina may be the busiest park. No rail service to the park. There may be some small tourist/museum operations.
Even the American Orient Express is out of operation. The only way to visit US national parks by transit may be to get a trip with one of the bus operators/tour companies.

[Greg Moore]

Check closely with the Grand Canyon RR. I don't think it's timetable aligns well with the Southwest Chief.

[jp1822]

Check closely with the Grand Canyon RR. I don't think it's timetable aligns well with the Southwest Chief.

No you have to overnight it in Williams, but there is some sort of arrangement (whether through Amtrak Vacations or something else) where the Grand Canyone Railway folks (or third party connection) will pick you up at the Williams depot etc.

[AgentSkelly]

Glacier National Park, because of its heritage with the railroad has two stops in the park on the Empire Builder.

[R36 Combine Coach]

However, the East Glacier Park station is open summer only (May 1 to early October) and the nearby Browning station provides winter service.