Need a Car to Visit National Parks?

By Don Nadeau, on August 4, 2009, in Travel

That you need to have a car to experience the scenic wonders of Canada and the U.S. is a given in many people’s minds, but it’s simply not true. Although you won’t be able to access some places, you certainly won’t miss enjoying many of the most famous national parks and other beautiful sights if you don’t wish to use a car.

This tells how it’s done using Amtrak, Greyhound, and other public transportation.

Some parks accessible for overnight stays without a car

Grand Canyon National Park

You can easily reach the Grand Canyon via public transportation. On Amtrak, you can even often include Grand Canyon National Park in your itinerary at no extra cost.

Amtrak connects to Grand Canyon Railway trains at Williams, AZ (Williams Junction) and to Open Road shuttles at Flagstaff. You may have to stay overnight in Flagstaff.

Greyhound also connects to Open Road at Flagstaff. In addition, Open Road can transfer you to the Grand Canyon from Phoenix airport.

Both the Grand Canyon Railway and Open Road Tours arrive at the South Rim within easy walking distance of the lodges and Mather Campground in Grand Canyon Village. It’s essential to book accommodation ahead.

On the other hand, you may wish to base at least part of your stay in Flagstaff, which has many motels and hostels near the stations.

From Flagstaff, Open Road offers day tours to the canyon stopping at various viewing points along the South Rim, to Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon, to Monument Valley and the Navajo reservation, as well as others.

Yosemite National Park

Both Amtrak and Greyhound make it very easy to reach Yosemite National Park, with connections to YARTS buses at Merced, CA. YARTS connections are shown on Amtrak.com.

YARTS stops at or very near all your accommodation choices in Yosemite Valley. Once there, trams, day tours, and short walks take you to all the major sights, including Glacier Point and Mariposa Grove not in the valley.

You can take a day tour to Yosemite via Amtrak from San Francisco, but it’s a shame to spend so little time in the park. That gives you the highlights, however.

Banff National Park

It’s simple to access incredibly scenic Banff National Park via Greyhound Canada and Rocky Mountaineer trains, which are considerably more expensive than Greyhound, from both Calgary and Vancouver.

Once in the park, you’ll find a nice selection of Brewster Canada day tours of Banff park sights such as Lake Louise and nearby national parks.

Jasper National Park

It’s also very easy to reach Jasper National Park via Greyhound Canada and by Via Rail, Canada’s national rail network.

Greyhound operates daily and Via Rail three times per week through the park from Edmonton and Vancouver. Via Rail also serves the park from Prince Rupert on the coast, where you connect from BC Ferries or Alaska Marine Highway, the state ferry service.

Brewster offers day tours of Jasper and bus service to Banff.

Redwood national and state parks

These are more difficult to visit, as your accommodation choices are limited in this isolated area of California without a car, but possible.

Both Amtrak (via buses) and Greyhound serve Arcata, CA, from San Francisco. From their shared terminal, Del Norte County Public Transit route 20 serves Redwood Hostel just off Highway 101 (not shown in timetable). Book the hostel, which has a simply stunning view of the redwood coast, in advance. Also, call Del Norte Transit prior to your return trip, because the hostel is not an automatic stop.

Bicyclists may wish to look into using Del Monte Transit to Crescent City and then renting bikes there for close by Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park, which offers camping. In my opinion, this is as beautiful as any state park in California. You’ll also be in easy range of the northern section of Redwood National Park.

Bikes may also be available in Arcata to access the southern redwood parks, including the southern portion of Redwood National Park or all the parks in the area if you’re a Ragbrai-type power rider.

Unfortunately, the only way to exit this area by public transport is to return toward San Francisco. Through service up the Oregon coast has been discontinued.

Accessible by day tours in season

Mount Rainier National Park

Gray Line of Seattle offers a 10-hour tour to scenic Mount Rainier National Park.

Rocky Mountain National Park and Pikes Peak

Gray Line of Denver has a fine 10-hour tour to Rocky Mountain National Park. This takes you along the awesomely scenic Trail Ridge Road, which gives views of many Rocky Mountain peaks—from above!

You’ll also visit Grand Lake, Winter Park, and other sights before returning to Denver via a different route.

Because it takes so long to remove the heavy snows that close it during the winter season, Trail Ridge Road may not open until sometime in June. Note too that travelers with heart conditions may wish to consult their doctors before booking this tour, as it travels to over 12,000 feet.

Another worthwhile Gray Line of Denver tour takes you from Denver to Pikes Peak, the Garden of the Gods (a park with beautiful rock formations in the foothills of the Rockies), and the Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs. In this case, you’ll climb to over 14,000 feet at the top of Pikes Peak. Very highly recommended.

These are just some examples. Enjoy!