Planning Advice

[AmtrakBlue]

I may be going out to UT again in August. This time, I'm thinking of flying to SLC to visit my daughter & SIL then catching the CZ to finish what I missed on my first trip on the CZ (CHI to PRO). I'm mainly interested in seeing the Sierra-Nevada mountains.

I'm wondering which station I should get off at once I've crossed the mountains that would provide me the easiest to get to (and least expensive) airport for my flight back to PHL or BWI. And would I need to include an overnight stay in my plans.

 

[Blackwolf]

Big question: Are you planning on checking baggage while aboard the train?

If you are, then I would recommend doing the following.

• Ride the California Zephyr all the way to Emeryville.
• Search around on-line to find out which of the three SF Bay Area airports are offering the lowest return airfare back east: San Francisco, Oakland, or San Jose.
• PM me with your choice of airport, and I'll help sort out where to stay and how to utilize the local public transit to get where you need to be.

If there is no checked baggage while aboard the train:

• Ride the California Zephyr to Richmond (RIC) which has a direct link to BART which can then be used for accessing either Oakland or San Francisco airports.
• San Francisco has a BART station inside the terminals, which makes it the easiest airport to connect with.
• Oakland has a small bus bridge between the BART station and the terminals; extra $3 (correct change only, either Cash or a BART ticket with $3 on it. If the BART ticket has more, you'll loose it as you won't get your ticket back.)
• San Jose is by far the more difficult airport to access, but it can still be done either by Amtrak Capitol Corridor or CalTrain to SJC, then lightrail to the airport station (about a 45 minute ride) and then a bus bridge to the airport.

*EDIT* I'd make mention of Sacramento airport, but there is virtually non-existent public transit between it and the Amtrak station. You would need to make arrangements with a cab or airporter (or get a hotel that has a shuttle.) Additionally, SAC tends to be a pricier airport to fly from, and you'll likely connect somewhere (very few direct flights to points east of the Rockies.)

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Big question: Are you planning on checking baggage while aboard the train?

If you are, then I would recommend doing the following.

• Ride the California Zephyr all the way to Emeryville.
• Search around on-line to find out which of the three SF Bay Area airports are offering the lowest return airfare back east: San Francisco, Oakland, or San Jose.
• PM me with your choice of airport, and I'll help sort out where to stay and how to utilize the local public transit to get where you need to be.

If there is no checked baggage while aboard the train:

• Ride the California Zephyr to Richmond (RIC) which has a direct link to BART which can then be used for accessing either Oakland or San Francisco airports.
• San Francisco has a BART station inside the terminals, which makes it the easiest airport to connect with.
• Oakland has a small bus bridge between the BART station and the terminals; extra $3 (correct change only, either Cash or a BART ticket with $3 on it. If the BART ticket has more, you'll loose it as you won't get your ticket back.)
• San Jose is by far the more difficult airport to access, but it can still be done either by Amtrak Capitol Corridor or CalTrain to SJC, then lightrail to the airport station (about a 45 minute ride) and then a bus bridge to the airport.

*EDIT* I'd make mention of Sacramento airport, but there is virtually non-existent public transit between it and the Amtrak station. You would need to make arrangements with a cab or airporter (or get a hotel that has a shuttle.) Additionally, SAC tends to be a pricier airport to fly from, and you'll likely connect somewhere (very few direct flights to points east of the Rockies.)

Thanks for the info. I did notice that SMF (Sacramento) was more expensive to fly out of.

I most likely will not be checking bags on the train since I want to leave from PRO (no checked bags) rather than from SLC.

I'm still in the early planning stages...just trying to get some ideas.

 

[Blackwolf]

Thanks for the info. I did notice that SMF (Sacramento) was more expensive to fly out of.

I most likely will not be checking bags on the train since I want to leave from PRO (no checked bags) rather than from SLC.

I'm still in the early planning stages...just trying to get some ideas.

No problem. For the most part, the Bay Area is decently easy to navigate. Glad to help!

 

[MisterToad]

I agree that flight options from the Bay Area are much more plentiful and generally less expensive than flights from Sacramento, but if you do happen to find a flight from Sacramento that works for you, there is a bus that runs hourly from downtown to the airport. It departs about 5 blocks away from the Amtrak station, and it's a 15-20 minutes bus ride to the airport. http://www.yolobus.com/media/Sac-SMF.pdf

 

[tp49]

Big question: Are you planning on checking baggage while aboard the train?

If you are, then I would recommend doing the following.

• Ride the California Zephyr all the way to Emeryville.
• Search around on-line to find out which of the three SF Bay Area airports are offering the lowest return airfare back east: San Francisco, Oakland, or San Jose.
• PM me with your choice of airport, and I'll help sort out where to stay and how to utilize the local public transit to get where you need to be.

If there is no checked baggage while aboard the train:

• Ride the California Zephyr to Richmond (RIC) which has a direct link to BART which can then be used for accessing either Oakland or San Francisco airports.
• San Francisco has a BART station inside the terminals, which makes it the easiest airport to connect with.
• Oakland has a small bus bridge between the BART station and the terminals; extra $3 (correct change only, either Cash or a BART ticket with $3 on it. If the BART ticket has more, you'll loose it as you won't get your ticket back.)
• San Jose is by far the more difficult airport to access, but it can still be done either by Amtrak Capitol Corridor or CalTrain to SJC, then lightrail to the airport station (about a 45 minute ride) and then a bus bridge to the airport.

*EDIT* I'd make mention of Sacramento airport, but there is virtually non-existent public transit between it and the Amtrak station. You would need to make arrangements with a cab or airporter (or get a hotel that has a shuttle.) Additionally, SAC tends to be a pricier airport to fly from, and you'll likely connect somewhere (very few direct flights to points east of the Rockies.)

The Yolobus route 42B runs from 5th and L Streets downtown (two blocks south of the Amtrak station) to the Sacramento Airport. Leaves every hour on the hour, takes about 15 minutes to get there and costs $1.75 and has operating hours convenient to all but the earliest flights out in the morning. Lately flights out of SMF have been comparable to those out of the Bay Area airports it's faster to get through SMF's security and Terminal B still hasn't lost it's "new terminal smell."

 

[PRR 60]

Whether you go to Sacramento or the Bay Area, I would definitely plan an overnight stay before your flight back east. The Zephyr is not reliable enough to recommend a same-day flight, and any flight leaving in the evening for the east would be a red-eye - cruel and unusual punishment, especially after what sometimes is a less than restful night's sleep on Amtrak.

I would vote for taking the Zephyr (with AmBus) to San Francisco, stay overnight there, and then BART to SFO in the morning for your flight home.