Trail Shuttles in August

imported
#1

My husband and son are tying up loose ends to do a hike on The Colorado Trail from the first of July through the middle of August. They are catching a ride to the trail on a church van coming home from a mission trip, but at the end of the trail, they need to get home to Texas. Looks like they will either need to catch a ride from Durango to Gunnison for a bus trip or from Durango to Trinidad for an Amtrak ride. I’d like to get an idea who might be available to offer such a shuttle sometime between August 15-20, and how much it will cost. Any help is appreciated!

Melina

#2

check orbitz.com for flights out of durango. only around 130 bucks one way from durango to austin (where i live). In fact, I finish the trail and fly back home on the 18th

Andrew M

#3

We don’t have a date certain so we can’t book 'em in advance, and the current short-dated fare to our nearest airport is $456 a person - they can both ride a bus or Amtrak for that price AND they can walk up to the window and get their tickets on the spot. Unless plane fares change drastically between now and then (or someone volunteers to pay for their tickets - LOL), flying is out of the question!

Melina

#4

I’m fairly familiar with amtrak, and I don’t think a ticket from trinidad to texas is going to be cheap. The way the routes are, you would have to go all the way to California or Missouri on an east-west line before you could transfer to a texas line, and I’m willing to bet it’ll be over 200 bucks a piece.

Why not book for the 20th? If it looks like he’s early on the schedule, slow down and hang out in silverton for a day. Or go explore Telluride or Ouray, they are hitchable/hikable distances from the trail! And hey even durngo isnt such a bad place to spend a day relaxing

All of that is what i’m planning to do if i get to the san juans early, but I have to start on the 17th so in all likelihood I’m gonna be tearing it up just to finish before school starts!

Andrew M

#5

Farmington, NM is 45 miles from Durango. There is a shuttle service from there to Albuquerque. Try contacting them: www.abqexpress.com

bearcreek

#6

I hear what you’re saying, but the bare naked truth of it is because they are just too uncertain about what they can accomplish. Although they’ve done a fair amount of long-hiking, most of it has been in lower altitudes not as long of trails (i.e. Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas) and they realize the altitude and the trail length throws some added variables at them.

No matter what, they have to be off the trail so our son can start school on August 27th. As it is, he’s going to be missing out on marching band practice for about two weeks (but hey - if he can hike mountains, he can march a flat field!)

So - if they finish up quicker than expected - no problem, right? But if they find they need a little extra time to finish the trail, they can have as late as August 24 to hit Durango. And - worst case - if they find they just can’t go at the pace they are accustomed to, they may have to pull off before Durango and then - no matter how well we have planned - everything changes anyway.

So they would just prefer not to have a ticket hanging over their head.

You’re right about Amtrak - it’s $215 each and goes through Missouri, but it’s still a lot cheaper than the $456 each if they book a flight at the gate, and very comparable to the $206.50 each if they book the flight now. Bus from Gunnison is $331.50 for both, but really - I think they are kind of hoping to have one last adventure before they get back to the grindstone, in the form of a train trip.

Melina

#7

You’re not listening…

They should go to Albuquerque. It is closer than Trinidad and you can actually get there from Durango via public transportation. Albuquerque has bus, Amtrak, and excellent airport service with most major carriers including Southwest.

One more contact: TNM&O Coaches
Service to Albuquerque, NM; Denver, Durango, and Grand Junction, CO. (505) 325 1009

bearcreek

#8

Bearcreek!

I AM listening - I was just doing my legwork to see how that would work out!

Thing is - I’m not finding the public transportation out of Durango. Are you talking about a regional bus service?

Melina Baker

#9

There is really no public mass transportation out of Durango other than air. A one way car rental is probably the best bet. I think you can find a one way to Albuquerque for about $100. Avis, Budget, Enterprise, and Hertz are all here so you might want to compare prices. Make sure whichever one you choose will let them pick it up in town - it’s a hefty cab fee to the airport. The number for Enterprise in Durango is (970) 385-6860 They will deliver the car to you in Durango.

They should avoid arriving on or within a few days prior to the 20th of August unless they have a place to stay. The US Pro Challenge bike race is starting here on the 20th and 25,000 visitors are expected. There won’t be any accommodations available.

bearcreek

#10

Earlier today, I Googled “Limo Service- Durango” Long distance was $2.00 a mile. If there is a bus from Farmington, that might work out.

gershon

#11

Goodness - didn’t think about limo service. I don’t think there is a bus out of Farmington, but there is a shuttle service from Farmington to Albuquerque, as Bearcreek pointed out.

I had sort of ruled out car rental because when I’ve rented a car before, it’s been pretty pricey to do it one way, but $100 ain’t bad at all. I’ll have to look more into it.

Being from a small East Texas town where “public transportation” means “Who has a crew cab?”, trying to visualize how things are elsewhere has been a challenge! I’m starting to feel like we’ve got a handle on it now though.

Thanks, Bearcreek, for the information about the bike race. Good to know, because I have been considering that weekend as fallback dates.

Whew! I sure thought I would have this part of their trip ironed out in a day while they are working on the technical details, but it’s turned out to be a little more challenging than I thought!

Thanks to all for giving me plenty to think about, and lots of good ideas.

Melina

Melina Baker

#12

Hey Melina where does your son go to school? I’m down at Rice in Houston. Everyone I know is either busy with internships or just plain thinks it’s nuts to hike more than a couple miles!

Andrew M

#13

Rice is a great school - I’d love to see my son go there!

Alex is going to be a junior in high school - he thinks he wants to be a lawyer, so Rice is definitely on his radar. He’s also in scouts, so he has lots of hiking friends - but most of them are content to spend 3-4 days on the trail and then they are ready for home.

I’m guessing since you are familiar with Houston, that you might have also hiked some or all of the Lone Star?

Melina

#14

a bit, over by huntsville state park with friends. not anywhere close to the whole thing though. If I ever have more than a couple days free and want to backpack, I usually go for Big Bend or the Guadalupe’s. I like my mountains :slight_smile:

Those SAT’s are important. I was a complete dork summer before by senior year and worked through like 4 of those SAT prep books! I now tutor local highschool kids who are also trying to prepare.

I’ll email you with my info. let me know if he wants another pair of eyes to look at essays or needs any tips on how to prepare for standardized tests when the time comes

Andrew M

#15

Got your info - I’ll write back off-list. Thanks!

Melina