bicycle as baggage at unstaffed station

[yarrow]

we are planning on going from spokane to fraser, co. want to take a mtn bike. no problem checking it in spk but there is no checked baggage at fraser on our return. do i have any options? even with substantial disassembly it would be an awfully big carryon. thanks

 

[DaveKCMO]

pretty sure all bikes must be *boxed* first, then checked, on all LD trains. some corridor trains allow bikes to be rolled on board (the missouri trains are one example). honestly, i would check to see if bike rentals are available at your destination.

 

[DaveKCMO]

amtrak's official bicycle policy page.

 

[wayman]

we are planning on going from spokane to fraser, co. want to take a mtn bike. no problem checking it in spk but there is no checked baggage at fraser on our return.

Actually, you've got a problem checking it in Spokane as well: they can't check baggage to Fraser either.

You could check it from Spokane to Grand Junction, rent a car in Grand Junction, and take your bikes to Fraser (or wherever). That's probably your best option, if you want your bikes and not rented bikes. I've taken the Zephyr to GJT and rented a car from there; it worked out very smoothly.

 

[RTOlson]

It would be nice if Amtrak had better options for accommodating bikes, but trains are already pretty full with passengers and luggage. Sometimes the conductor can put a bike into an outside locker of a Superliner coach, but there's no guarantee (especially on three trains).

If you don't want to rent a car, perhaps you could ship your bike via a package company? I know it is potentially blasphemous to mention it on this board, but Greyhound PackageXpress can ship from Spokane to Winter Park. The Greyhound stop is about 2.8 miles from the Amtrak stop so it's a manageable distance on foot.

I don't know how much your bike weighs, but I did a cost estimate for a 40-pound parcel that's 5 feet long and it cost about $60 one way. The bus route is 28.75 hours long, so the bike would easily beat you there.

Downsides - You would probably need someone off the train to pick up and drop off the gear. Greyhound package would arrive in Winter Park at 12:50 p.m. while your train would arrive in Fraser at 4:30 p.m. On return, the train leaves at 10:07 a.m. while the bus leaves at 12:50 p.m. (and arrives in Spokane at 4:30 p.m. the following day).

Good luck. It sounds like quite an adventure.