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Does a city like this exist in the U.S.? I'm not talking about mass transit to urban parks, but large nature preserves, mountains, state parks, national parks, 100 mile+ trails, etc. where you can get lost for a week.
The closest to what I'm looking for is something like the frequent commuter trains in New York that drop you off next to tons of trails and state parks in the Hudson Valley.
In DC we technically have the MARC trains to Harpers Ferry, where you can then connect to the Appalachian Trail - but frequencies are atrocious, they don't operate on weekends (which is when there would be the most demand), and a daytrip is impossible since they're not bi-directional.
The Middlesex Fells get are accessible via the Orange Line which is 2,300 acres.
The 7000 acre Blue Hills reservation south of Boston is accessible via many MBTA bus routes that’s probably the closest on the MBTA system. Other than linking a couple bike trails that go up to a place that is remote (like there is one that goes basically all the way up route two) but if it includes a 100 mile bike ride to say the Berkshires seems like cheating)
I think Griffith Park at 4200 acres is big enough to qualify.
Looks like there's no transit to the Cascades, though. Lame. The farthest east you can go is the town of Snoqualmie (not Snoqualmie Pass) which is still a ways away from the real mountain/forest trails.
Yeah, I remember living in NoVa in 2018 and thinking about visiting Harpers Ferry (didn't have a car at the time). I worked during the week and was pretty miffed that MARC doesn't run on weekends. I never got to visit WV (and not that part of it) until years later.
Cars seem to dominate this even in theory. I can't think of anywhere in the world that mass transit serves the great outdoors well. But I don't know everything, maybe someone will surprise me with a pick.
Cars seem to dominate this even in theory. I can't think of anywhere in the world that mass transit serves the great outdoors well. But I don't know everything, maybe someone will surprise me with a pick.
The world is a big place and not in the scope of this sub-forum I can give you one example off the top of my head. In Oslo, Norway you can take the subway line 1 up to Holmenkollen or line 5 to Sognsvann. From either of those you are at the edge of Nordmarka which is a large wilderness park which is adjacent to other similar forest parks so in theory you could take the subway from Oslo city center and then hike or bike for hundreds of miles
In the US you have Forest Park in Portland which is adjacent to Washington Park which has a Max stop under the zoo. Forest Park itself is massive but there are also trails going all the way to the coast from there. You could also take a bus out to Troutdale, cross the Sandy River and get onto a lot of hiking trails up into the gorge from there.
The world is a big place and not in the scope of this sub-forum I can give you one example off the top of my head. In Oslo, Norway you can take the subway line 1 up to Holmenkollen or line 5 to Sognsvann. From either of those you are at the edge of Nordmarka which is a large wilderness park which is adjacent to other similar forest parks so in theory you could take the subway from Oslo city center and then hike or bike for hundreds of miles
In the US you have Forest Park in Portland which is adjacent to Washington Park which has a Max stop under the zoo. Forest Park itself is massive but there are also trails going all the way to the coast from there. You could also take a bus out to Troutdale, cross the Sandy River and get onto a lot of hiking trails up into the gorge from there.
That's nice but, you can get that from other cities. Besides, any serious person who is an outdoorsman uses a car to do that kind of stuff. Of course you can just muscle whatever you want if you want to. "In theory" is doing a ton of work.
The world is a big place and not in the scope of this sub-forum I can give you one example off the top of my head. In Oslo, Norway you can take the subway line 1 up to Holmenkollen or line 5 to Sognsvann. From either of those you are at the edge of Nordmarka which is a large wilderness park which is adjacent to other similar forest parks so in theory you could take the subway from Oslo city center and then hike or bike for hundreds of miles
In the US you have Forest Park in Portland which is adjacent to Washington Park which has a Max stop under the zoo. Forest Park itself is massive but there are also trails going all the way to the coast from there. You could also take a bus out to Troutdale, cross the Sandy River and get onto a lot of hiking trails up into the gorge from there.
Ah, Portland is a great pick. I remember taking the bus there to Multnomah Falls and there were trails everywhere including Oneonta Falls and the Columbia River Gorge. They even had a bus that took you from Hood River to Mount Hood.
So Columbia Gorge Express + Gorge to Mountain Express and then you're in the thick of Mount Hood National Forest.
The Middlesex Fells get are accessible via the Orange Line which is 2,300 acres.
The 7000 acre Blue Hills reservation south of Boston is accessible via many MBTA bus routes that’s probably the closest on the MBTA system.
None are places that you can get lost for a week. In both Blue Hills and Middlesex Fells, you can distinctively hear the drone of the nearby interstate highway. Not exactly what I would consider the feeling of "vast nature."
Yeah, I don't think this is really a thing in any US city, at least not intentionally or conveniently.
Public transit systems are overwhelmingly designed in the US to prioritize mobility within each metro region to connect hubs of population and commerce. That's pretty much the opposite of making useful connections to unspoiled nature.
Last edited by Duderino; 01-02-2023 at 07:27 AM..
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