If you’re like me, and you don’t own a car, you know that getting to hiking trails by using public transportation can be a real godsend. Here in NYC one of the best trails reachable by train is the Breakneck Ridge trail (which I blogged about here). The Metro-North railroad actually makes a special stop near the trailhead on Saturday mornings---genius! Likewise, there is a train stop at an intersection of the Appalachian Trail in upstate New York (pictured above). But even if you do have a car: taking a bus, subway or train to the great outdoors is still a terrific way to save money on gas and avoid the stress of driving.

 

I did some poking around and found some great websites that help city folks hit the trails without cars:

 

San Francisco

Transit & Trails has a website that’s amazing! It’s very comprehensive. All you have to do is input your address and voila: you get a list of hikes that are within a designated distance from where you live. Users can plan trips using public transport.

Seattle

Hike Metro shows a slew of walks and hikes in the Seattle area that you can reach by public transit. Choose from in-city walks to backpacking adventures. Washington Trails Association member Dick Burkhart appears to be a fan of bus-to-hike excursions: Check out this Tiger Mountain option.

Boston

The good people of Boston can get some info about busing to hiking spots here. There are 125 miles of trails at the 7,000 acre Blue Hills Reservation, reachable by the MBTA 

 

UPDATE Los Angeles: check out this link for car-free hiking options in LA.  (Thanks for the heads up Green La Girl, hope this helps!) . Know any great outdoor getaways you don’t need a car to get to? Post them in comments.

 

8 Responses to “Car-Free Hiking: Take Public Transportation to the Trail”

   1. Mikhael says:

      June 2, 2010 at 6:33 pm

      Portland has the 4T (train, tram, trolley, trail) that is urban hiking at its best. Go from wooded path to Pearl District car-less and for free!

      http://tinyurl.com/28q8v94

   2. laura says:

      June 3, 2010 at 4:44 pm

      i’ve lived car-less in San Francisco for 7 years and this is the first i’ve ever heard of Transit & Trails site! Thanks!

   3. Hopeful Weekend Links « New Urban Habitat says:

      June 4, 2010 at 10:05 am

      [...] Car-Free Hiking — Ready Made Magazine [...]

   4.  carfree says:

      June 16, 2010 at 2:53 pm

      Yay for car-free hiking – great post!

      Here’s another website with car-free hikes outdoor trips in the San Francisco Bay Area:

      http://carfreeoutdoors.wordpress.com/

      Also, a very comprehensive guide to car-free outdoor activities in BC (lots of great destinations):

      http://www.car-free.ca/

   5. Slow travel, carfree travel, how to travel carfree, eco-travel ideas, bike travel, eco-friendly travel, staycations, bike rentals, bike sharing, summer activities, green travel, stay local | Your Daily Thread - YDT says:

      July 6, 2010 at 10:53 am

      [...] has clever resources for getting to hiking trails from a few major cities, without driving! Car-free Hiking feels like the perfect solution for enjoying the great outdoors and not smogging them up on your [...]

   6. Travel Car-free This Summer | EcoSalon: Organic Green Fashion, Design, Food, Tech, Travel, Culture, Pets and Lifestyle says:

      July 12, 2010 at 1:33 pm

      [...] has clever resources for getting to hiking trails from a few major cities, without driving! Car-free Hiking feels like the perfect solution for enjoying the great outdoors and not smogging them up on your [...]

   7. Clicklist: Summer staycations | green LA girl says:

      July 13, 2010 at 11:21 am

      [...] are rather unspecific appeals to try out alternative transportation modes, but I really liked the car-free hiking idea — except that ReadyMade post has no L.A.-specific tips. Someone start a L.A. car-free [...]

   8. keith says:

      July 13, 2010 at 7:07 pm

      FYI: here are some Los Angeles based car-free hiking ideas.

      Keith

      Best Los Angeles Hiking Trails, Via Public Transportation

      http://backpacking-trips.suite101.com/article.cfm/best-los-angeles-hiking-trails—via-public-transportation#ixzz0tbgKTpem