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Train or bus from Kansas City to Rocky mountains

Train or bus from Kansas City to Rocky mountains

Old Feb 12th, 2014, 11:51 PM
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Train or bus from Kansas City to Rocky mountains

Hi, me again! Was wondering if I where to take a trip from Kansas City to where ever the Rocky mountains are - I'm not from the USA... btw, could somebody please tell me approximately what the ticket would cost and if there are any youth hostels there that could be recommended.
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Old Feb 13th, 2014, 03:20 AM
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Um, the Rocky Mountains run the entire length of the country - plus up into Canada.

Have no idea if there are trains from KC - you would need to google Amtrak - but trains in the US are few and far between and not inexpensive. Buses go most places and are cheap.

But you will have to clarify what you want to do (hiking, see wildlife in national parks or???)and then figure out where you want to do it.

Suggest you get a decent guidebook so you can see the options - which are very many and varied - and than do some planning.

Some key questions: What time of year are you going? What is your budget like? How much time do you have?

Seeing national parks is very difficult without renting a car or taking a group bus tour - and lodging in the parks often sells out a year in advance.
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Old Feb 13th, 2014, 05:55 AM
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Most people would go to Colorado if they want to go to the Rocky Mountains. There should be regular bus service between Kansas City and Denver.

You could take the train but its usually as much money as flying and takes longer. It may be a decent option to take the train from Denver to Glenwood Springs.

Train service is Amtrak.com

Look at Greyhound or MegaBus for bus schedules and fares.

The main national park in Colorado is Rocky Mountain National Park. There are paid shuttles from Denver to Estes Park which is the town right outside the national park. There are free shuttles from Estes Park to the national park, and a couple of free shuttles in one section of the park. Other than that, you would either need a car or could take a paid tour.

You don't need to go to the national park to see the Rocky Mountains though. Head west from Denver and you will be in the mountains,there are many different options depending on your budget, mode of transportation and desired activities.
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Old Feb 13th, 2014, 07:20 AM
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wow OK sounds really cool! The options for my studying abroad year is between Kansas and Italy - which ever one my university approves I'm gonna go to pretty excited about all the possibilities. Over all budget really really modest but that's fine, I'm 21 and not fussy, so as long as I get to see some places when I'm there I'm good.
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Old Feb 13th, 2014, 07:41 AM
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Kansas is a big nothing. Kansas city is on the far eastern edge of Kansas - roughly 10 hrs via car. There is no direct train service from Kansas City to Denver. The only train service to Denver comes via Chicago, and Omaha, Nebraska.

I would opt for Italy over Kansas.
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Old Feb 13th, 2014, 08:25 AM
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Well, there is no comparing Italy and Kansas, but I work at a college in Kansas and my DD went to a university in Kansas and a number of students do their study abroad here, way more than I ever would have expected.
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Old Feb 13th, 2014, 09:41 AM
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Well, fmpden, that's a categorical statement if there ever was one!

And wrong.
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Old Feb 13th, 2014, 10:02 AM
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"Kansas is a big nothing."

I think there is a way to rephrase that to be a lot more accurate. Kansas has a lot of neat things and towns, but it is a wide state with a lot of rural areas. So, if you are traveling across it it may be a little sparse, but that's not all bad when driving because, by comparison, getting through/around cities can take up a lot of travel time.
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Old Feb 13th, 2014, 10:20 AM
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Kansas is fine. But it's not Italy!

Please, go to Italy.
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Old Feb 13th, 2014, 11:26 AM
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On another thread the OP indicated that she wants to get out and explore on the weekends and holidays. I think this would be really difficult to do in Kansas without a car.

Train travel is much more convenient in Italy than Kansas and would give you the opportunity to see more over a weekend.

Good luck!
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Old Feb 13th, 2014, 11:31 AM
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The beauty of coming to Kansas, mariette, is that (depending on how long your program is), you are centrally located in the US there. SO, if you can do 3- or 4-day weekends, you can easily get to Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Little Rock, Denver and Dallas.

SO, you can see a lot of America. I would highly suggest a trip to the Grand Canyon- as it is, by far, the one thing you cannot find in any other country, not even Italy. (Don't get me wrong- I love Italy and will be heading there in April. BUT, I've seen a lot of my home country and it is beautiful!)

Good luck and safe travels!
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Old Feb 13th, 2014, 12:05 PM
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"I think this would be really difficult to do in Kansas without a car."

Very true. That said, when I was a college student so many years ago, I didn't always have a car, but bummed rides and went to events with those that did (or on planned/group events).

But being able to hop in a car and go is pretty crucial to much of the US.

Now, one thing the OP needs to think about is that part of college or Uni is meeting people and hanging out with them.
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Old Feb 13th, 2014, 12:17 PM
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It is a qualified statement even if Ackislander doesn't like it. I grew up in the sandhills of Nebraska, in high school drove a combine through the wheat fields of OK, Kansas, Nebraska, and I am qualified to say, It is a big nothing. Of course if you are into vast stretches of huge wheat & corn fields, bugs, hot weather, windy, dusty, some cattle, then this is the place for your. It is the bread basket of the US. There are some interesting little patches here and there but for the most part a huge amount of sameness.
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Old Feb 13th, 2014, 12:36 PM
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I got off an Amtrak train this morning and I still like them.
To go from Kansas City to the Rockies west of Denver you would take the Southwest Chief #4 at 7:43AM to Galesburg Illinois arriving about 12:10PM. In Galesburg you have a 4.5 hour layover before getting on the California Zephyr.
There is a hostel (not HI) in Glenwood Springs. There are two big old hotels on the north side of the Colorado River and I-70 that are near the largest hot spring fed swimming pool.
There is also an aerial tram up to Glenwood Cavern.
There is a good bus service that covers Glenwood and Aspen.
I checked one date in May and found a coach fare (one way) for $183. The fare for a roomette is between $500 and $600.
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Old Feb 13th, 2014, 12:51 PM
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It is possible, as explained above, to take Amtrak from KC to Denver but it is a 24 hour trip. Not worth the time for most people, except for my parents who, like tomfuller, enjoy train travel.
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Old Feb 13th, 2014, 01:07 PM
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Colorado has beautiful scenery and great microbrews.

I was comparing the cultural icons of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, where this young person is considering study to those further west.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the Kansas City Symphony, and the Kansas City Lyric Opera are better than anything similar until you arrive in LA or San Francisco.
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Old Feb 13th, 2014, 02:49 PM
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OP has a separate thread going about what there is to do in Kansas. Perhaps all of that discussion could just move over there?

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...und-kansas.cfm

As to the original question by the OP:
tomfuller has given you a price and travel time for Amtrak from Kansas City to Denver.
I just checked Greyhound (bus) and it is $72 one-way if you purchase a ticket in advance for Kansas City to Denver. The trip is about 18.5 hours.

I also just looked at flying on Southwest from Kansas City to Denver. A non-stop flight is 1 hour and 45 minutes. The usual price seems to be $106, but that depends on time of year and day of week. Right now there are flights in May and a few days in June for as low as $48. And no, that is not a typo. So really, if you are going to be around for a year you should be able to plan ahead and find a flight that is as cheap or even cheaper than the train or bus and will get you to Denver in under 2 hours. From there, you have options to get into the mountains as I mentioned in my first reply.

Ideally you would rent a car once if Denver if you are able to. It may seem expensive but the cost of taking a bus/train/shuttle to get around Colorado is not cheap either - and those options really do limit your ability to explore when and where you want to go. Again, with some advance planning you can usually find some deals on car rentals to make it more reasonably priced.

Just as an example, earlier I mentioned taking a paid shuttle from Denver to Estes Park, and then using the free shuttles to get from Estes Park into and around a portion of Rocky Mountain National Park. The shuttle from Denver to Estes Park is $85 for a round trip....and then you are limited to just one section of the national park that is serviced by the free shuttle. Easily 75% of the park is off limits to you because there is no shuttle service throughout the majority of the park. Opt for a car so you can see as much as you want.
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Old Feb 13th, 2014, 08:11 PM
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fmpden I grew up in the center of South Africa. It's flat and dry and hot and from the pictures I've seen of Kansas it looks a lot like my home. Corn field, sunflowers, cattle. All sounds normal to me.

I checked out the studying options every where and then looked at the location I think no matter where I go if it's for studying I should leave there with a great education... I don't get to pick between Kansas and Italy guys, I sent the stuff in for approval at my university and they're gonna tell me which program will be accepted... I loved Italy when I was there and completely fell in love with it, but then again I also loved the tiny parts of the US that I've been lucky enough to see. So I'm cool with either one.
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Old Feb 14th, 2014, 06:00 AM
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I've responded on your other thread. I know nothing about the KC bus system, but this appears to be the website. If you won't have a car, I think you will struggle, but at least check out where you can get to from the area around JCCC.

http://www.kcata.org/
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Old Feb 14th, 2014, 07:23 AM
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I live in Oklahoma(for 46 years) and I'm going to agree with fmpden. Other than a few decent places to eat there really isn't much that I enjoy doing in Kansas or Oklahoma.

But to the original post. Rocky Mountain Park is certainly worth doing and seeing!!! I cannot imagine taking a train or a bus to it though. I think most tourist from a different country would be in shock at our bus and train system. Completely useless, IMOP. I might be more inclined to take a horse and buggy and that's not even a joke.

You will get a fine education in Kansas!!!

BTW, a rental car at the Denver airport is one of the most expensive places I've ever rented a car.
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