train to Yellowstone National Park? (car rental in Shelby MT)

Yeah, I know Amtrak doesn't go anywhere near the park, but then, neither do
the airlines. (The closest airport with scheduled service is Bozeman,
MT. -- Oh, yes, and Jackson, WY, but I'm planning a winter trip, and West
Yellowstone seems to be the jumping-off point for the snowcoaches, Park
roads are closed to cars in the winter.)

My alternatives (from Baltimore/Washington) seem to be a 6-9 hour flight to
Bozeman (depending on the connections) and a 2 1/2 hour drive to West
Yellowstone, or a 4 hour flight to Salt Lake City (Possible to go non-stop
on Southwest Airlines) and a 6 1/2 hour drive to West Yellowstone.

To do this by train seems to involve either taking the California Zephyr to
Grand Junction (10 hour drive) or Provo (8 hour drive) (arrival and
departure times in Salt Lake City are at rediculously inconvenient hours,
and the travel time of the train between Provo and Salt Lake City is so
slow, I think they hitch the cars up to horses and pull them that way.), or
take the Empire builder to Shelby, MT. (6 hour drive). If I share a
Superliner standard bedroom, the cost is more or less price competitve with
the flights to Bozeman. (though not Salt Lake City if the Southwest Airline
promotional fare is available.)

Shelby, MT would be the most convenient, decent mid-day arrival and
departure times, and a straight shot down I-15 to the south, the only
problem is that there doesn't seem to be a car rental agency in the town.
Is that true, or am I just not looking hard enough? The ride on the
California Zephyr would be more scenic than the Empire builder between
Chicago and Shelby. Provo would be a good jumping off stop, but again, I'm
not sure if there are convenient car rentals.

Any suggesstions? I'll probably end up flying to Salt Lake city, but it
might be nice to consider the alternative of taking the train.

"LJB" wrote in message
...


Shelby, MT would be the most convenient, decent mid-day arrival and
departure times, and a straight shot down I-15 to the south, the only
problem is that there doesn't seem to be a car rental agency in the town.
Is that true, or am I just not looking hard enough? The ride on the
California Zephyr would be more scenic than the Empire builder between
Chicago and Shelby. Provo would be a good jumping off stop, but again,
I'm
not sure if there are convenient car rentals.


Renting a car in Provo shouldnt be problem, its a pretty sizable city.

Any suggesstions? I'll probably end up flying to Salt Lake city, but it
might be nice to consider the alternative of taking the train.




Shelby is a pretty small place with no car rental agencies
I recall. Havre MT which also has an Amtrak Station has a
budget car rental office though.

Alternatively the Amtrak timetable shows a bus service
to Great Falls operated by Rimrock Trailways

I'd check this out very carefully though, Amtrak hasnt got the
greatest reputation on earth for time keeping and I doubt its
a frequent service.

Keith

If you do drive the only road that is supposed to be kept open year round in
the park is the one across the top from Gardiner via Mammoth Hot Springs to
Tower and then out to Cooke City (but no further).

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On Fri, 17 Oct 2003 17:23:17 +0100, "Keith Willshaw"
wrote:


"LJB" wrote in message
...


Shelby, MT would be the most convenient, decent mid-day arrival and
departure times, and a straight shot down I-15 to the south, the only
problem is that there doesn't seem to be a car rental agency in the town.
Is that true, or am I just not looking hard enough? The ride on the
California Zephyr would be more scenic than the Empire builder between
Chicago and Shelby. Provo would be a good jumping off stop, but again,
I'm
not sure if there are convenient car rentals.


Renting a car in Provo shouldnt be problem, its a pretty sizable city.

Any suggesstions? I'll probably end up flying to Salt Lake city, but it
might be nice to consider the alternative of taking the train.




Shelby is a pretty small place with no car rental agencies
I recall. Havre MT which also has an Amtrak Station has a
budget car rental office though.

Alternatively the Amtrak timetable shows a bus service
to Great Falls operated by Rimrock Trailways

I'd check this out very carefully though, Amtrak hasnt got the
greatest reputation on earth for time keeping and I doubt its
a frequent service.

Keith

---------------------------------------------
The wife and I are planning on taking a similar trip in the near
future. If Amtrak survives George the train basher, we will probably
fly from Jacksonville, FL to Denver and ride Amtrak to Salt Lake City,
where I am sure there is no problem renting cars although one might
have to take a cab to the airport, which is pretty close to downtown.
Another alternative we are looking at, probably a lot pricier is to
somehow get to Sand Point, ID, and take the tour train from there to
Livingston, or wherever it terminates and then take their bus charter
to Yellowstone. Probably need to take out a second mortgage to do
it, but-------

Railroadman

I haven't been to Yellowstone since 1986 (via Shelby) and 1979 (via SLC)
because it has become so hard to get to. I would take Amtrak to Shelby,
MT, Rimrock Trailways and Greyhound the next day to Great Falls and
Bozeman or Livingston, and a scheduled Yellowtsone Park bus from there.
Rimrock (used to be Intermountain Bus lines) hubs everything at Great
Falls, and used to have a route to Havre, but no more.

The Empire Builder tends to be on time, being run by a competent
railroad, the CP and BNSF. The Cal Zephyr is run by dysfunctional Union
Pacific west of Denver and is always late.

I am going via Shelby this summer for Rimrock and Greyhound Canada to
Calgary. The Shelby station is the train & bus terminal as well as the
Chamber of Commerce or Visitor Center.

LJB wrote:
Yeah, I know Amtrak doesn't go anywhere near the park, but then, neither do
the airlines. (The closest airport with scheduled service is Bozeman,
MT. -- Oh, yes, and Jackson, WY, but I'm planning a winter trip, and West
Yellowstone seems to be the jumping-off point for the snowcoaches, Park
roads are closed to cars in the winter.)

My alternatives (from Baltimore/Washington) seem to be a 6-9 hour flight to
Bozeman (depending on the connections) and a 2 1/2 hour drive to West
Yellowstone, or a 4 hour flight to Salt Lake City (Possible to go non-stop
on Southwest Airlines) and a 6 1/2 hour drive to West Yellowstone.

To do this by train seems to involve either taking the California Zephyr to
Grand Junction (10 hour drive) or Provo (8 hour drive) (arrival and
departure times in Salt Lake City are at rediculously inconvenient hours,
and the travel time of the train between Provo and Salt Lake City is so
slow, I think they hitch the cars up to horses and pull them that way.), or
take the Empire builder to Shelby, MT. (6 hour drive). If I share a
Superliner standard bedroom, the cost is more or less price competitve with
the flights to Bozeman. (though not Salt Lake City if the Southwest Airline
promotional fare is available.)

Shelby, MT would be the most convenient, decent mid-day arrival and
departure times, and a straight shot down I-15 to the south, the only
problem is that there doesn't seem to be a car rental agency in the town.
Is that true, or am I just not looking hard enough? The ride on the
California Zephyr would be more scenic than the Empire builder between
Chicago and Shelby. Provo would be a good jumping off stop, but again, I'm
not sure if there are convenient car rentals.

Any suggesstions? I'll probably end up flying to Salt Lake city, but it
might be nice to consider the alternative of taking the train.

LJB wrote:


Any suggesstions? I'll probably end up flying to Salt Lake city, but it
might be nice to consider the alternative of taking the train.

If you can afford it (total tour package including hotels is abour $2000 per
couple) Montana Rail Tours offers train tours from Spokane to Livingston
with Yellowstone tours about every week during the summer and fall. See

http://montanarailtours.com

(Note: this kind of service is what Our Heroic President intends to
replace Amtrak with, outside the NEC. You Pee approves. Do you?)

Railroadman wrote:

we will probably
fly from Jacksonville, FL to Denver and ride Amtrak to Salt Lake City,

Serious question: why not just fly to SLC?

On Fri, 17 Oct 2003 20:45:37 -0400, (RJ) wrote:

Railroadman wrote:

we will probably
fly from Jacksonville, FL to Denver and ride Amtrak to Salt Lake City,

Serious question: why not just fly to SLC?
And miss all of that nice railroad mileage through the Rockies -- no
way Jose'. Besides flying to me is something I endure, not something
I like or do by choice, i.e. unless I am the pilot (once flew a C-172
and about 100 hours in a Mooney M20G).

Railroadman

On Fri, 17 Oct 2003 22:29:50 GMT, Silas Warner
wrote:

LJB wrote:


Any suggesstions? I'll probably end up flying to Salt Lake city, but it
might be nice to consider the alternative of taking the train.

If you can afford it (total tour package including hotels is abour $2000 per
couple) Montana Rail Tours offers train tours from Spokane to Livingston
with Yellowstone tours about every week during the summer and fall. See

http://montanarailtours.com

(Note: this kind of service is what Our Heroic President intends to
replace Amtrak with, outside the NEC. You Pee approves. Do you?)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No I don't approve, and my vote in next years election will prove that
unless Gore runs again, or Hillary. However, that Montana Rail Tour
is still the best thing going as far as riding the old NP, and
including a tour into yellowstone. I would expect it is more like
$2000 per person though. $2000 per couple is awful cheap, although I
don't think it is anywhere near as $$ as the AOE.
These trains have their place, and if you can afford it, they are very
neat - but they are not, nor are they intended to me, transportation
for the masses. Amtrak has two vastly different price structures. If
you are willing to go coach (which I am not), it is rather cheap if
you can stand to fast for a few days. Sleeper is about double coach,
even triple if just one person, but includes many amenities.

Railroadman

Railroadman wrote:

On Fri, 17 Oct 2003 20:45:37 -0400, (RJ) wrote:

Railroadman wrote:

we will probably
fly from Jacksonville, FL to Denver and ride Amtrak to Salt Lake City,

Serious question: why not just fly to SLC?
And miss all of that nice railroad mileage through the Rockies -- no
way Jose'.

Fair enough.

Besides flying to me is something I endure, not something
I like or do by choice,

The incremental time between a FL-Denver and FL-SLC flight can't be
much, assuming the same number of connections.