Hiking Via Transit

Getting to Trailheads by Bike and Bus

Getting to a hike without a car can be an adventure. It's not simple: you'll need to check schedules beforehand, pack light, and allow plenty of extra time. But there are benefits, too. You'll get to a hike knowing you reduced your carbon emissions. Sometimes going carless can be more relaxing. And doing a triathlon of busing, biking and hiking is an adventure all its own.

To find out more about taking transit to the trailhead, read this article in the October 2008 issue of Washington Trails magazine. And be sure to check out the excellent web site Metro Bus Hikes, which currently describes more than fifty hikes you can get to by bus in Western Washington.

Classic Bus and Bike Hikes

Interested in more info? Read WTA member Dick Burkhart's suggestions for bus-bike-hike options in the Cascades.

Hiking Via Bus: Pros, Cons, and Handy Tips

If you're going to try hiking by bus, consider these words of advice from WTA member Julie Van Pelt.

Julie, who lives in Port Townsend, recently sold her car and travels to trailheads by transit on the Olympic Peninsula. She does carpool, but she prefers the freedom of hiking alone, so uses buses to get to trails.

Pro: No car, no car break-in at the trailhead!

Pro: It’s easy to hike point-to-point, no key exchange or car shuttle is required.

Pro & Con: The hike begins at your front door. It’s not over at the trailhead.

Pro & Con: Bus hiking is not the same as car hiking. If you’re working 50+ hours a week and cramming a quick hike in on the weekend, it’s just not going to happen by bus—or it won’t be much fun. The upside is the bus is slower, and it forces you to make your life slower, too.

Con: Some trails are simply not accessible. Who wants to walk the 22-mile Cascade River Road to get to the Cascade Pass trailhead? Then again, being on foot makes you see the landscape differently. It’s best not to think “where can’t I go?” but “what can I get to by bus?”

Con: Day hikes to remote areas really aren’t possible. I’ve found that an overnight is the quickest transit hike I can take enjoyably.

Con: No clean clothes in the car, no cold beer in the cooler.

Tip: Pack light so that you fit on the bus

Tip: Start early—as early as the bus routes connect.

Tip: Spend time planning your bus route. The Internet is my tool of choice and I try lay out connections with little wait time. I call the transit agencies about safe flag stops and where I might get off the bus. Know the schedules too. It could make the difference between smooth connections all the way home or waiting in a strip mall for two hours staring at a parking lot.