>>1857300I know Mt. Hood and the surrounding area is a really accessible one, as I’ve done it before. You can fly to Portland, then take a train from the terminal to the suburbs, then two busses all the way to Timberline Lodge (a ski resort on Mt. Hood). There are also shuttles directly from town but they’re more expensive and there are fewer of them.
There’s also a shuttle from Portland to Bend (which is the center of the state) that’s stops in Salem and Eugene. I’m not sure how accessible anything is from those stops, but considering it’s Oregon there’s probably a lot available. I briefly looked into it for a future trip.
California has similar shuttles, generally from medium sized towns to popular /out/ spots. And the Grand Canyon has a train from Flagstaff. These shuttles are all $50 to $200, depending on how far you’re going.
Really shuttles are the best option. I used one to go from end to end of the AT section in GSMNP. I was able to drive, however they service Gatlinburg. Getting there would require a separate shuttle from the airport (or Greyhound bus/welfare wagon if you’re poor). And that’s the thing; if there’s no shuttle to the hiking trail or park or wherever you’re going, generally speaking you’re out of luck. Greyhound doesn’t stop at the trailhead.
Thanks for reading my blog post.
