Try to arrive early in the day. One benefit of staying with us is meeting other hikers, conversing about gear and plans, and becoming part of a community.
Two days before you arrive, you should receive an email from us (if you don’t, then email us that evening!). It will confirm that we are expecting you and will provide a link to this page, which has specific information on how to get to our house from the airport, train station, bus depot, or anywhere in the downtown area.
To protect your gear, especially if you’re checking it, consider putting it inside an old duffel or suitcase. You can likely find one at a thrift shop. Once you arrive, we collect these and donate them to a thrift shop.
In the past, we have picked up hikers at the airport and train station because public transit was complicated. There are now better transit options, so we’ll ask you to use the transit system to get to our house. The instructions depend on what day and time you are traveling.
WEEKDAYS
Get to the Old Town Transit Center and take Bus #105, which will drop you off near our house (0.4 miles or 0.7 km away).
From the Airport: Once you have your luggage, exit the terminal and cross at the traffic signal/crosswalk to the pick-up area for shuttles. Find the pick-up spot for the free shuttle to the Old Town Transit Center. The shuttle is called The Flyer and runs every 20 minutes.
To Bus #105 at the Old Town Transit Center: Once you exit the airport shuttle bus, you will need to take the walkway under the train and trolley tracks. On the map below, see the arrows showing where you walk to get to Bus #105. Pay the $2.50 fare ON THE BUS. You can use bills or coins, but NO CHANGE IS PROVIDED. NO CREDIT CARD FOR BUS. The bus runs every 30 minutes; I’ve included the schedule below and also a map of the route, with instructions about where to get off. The bus ride will take about 40 minutes. The last bus that goes near our house leaves Old Town at 6:42. If you arrive too late for that bus, see WEEKENDS
Where to get off Bus #105: Pay attention to the route the bus is following, using the map above. Remember the bus ride will take 35-40 minutes. Once the bus turns right onto Governor Drive, wait until after the second traffic light to signal for a stop. There will be an elementary school on your right. (See the map below.) It’s probably a good idea to tell the driver what stop you need when you’re getting close. Get off the bus at Governor and Mercer, cross Governor and walk north on Mercer. Take the 4th left turn onto Wellesly Ave and then the 1st left onto Wellesly Ct. Our address is 6351 Wellesly Ct.
From the Amtrak Train: If you are taking the train south, the best plan is to get off at the Old Town Transit Center. See the first diagram/map above. Use the tunnel to get to bus #105. See the schedule, maps, and information on bus #105 above.
If you end up at the Santa Fe train station in downtown San Diego, exit the train station through the main doors, which puts you on Kettner Blvd. Cross Kettner Blvd to America Plaza and take the UCSD Blue Line Trolley (toward UTC) or Green Line Trolley (toward Santee) to the Old Town Transit Center. Before boarding, purchase a ticket for $2.50 at the Trolley Ticket Vending Machine. The machines take credit and debit cards or cash (but they only give change up to $5). Once you get to the Old Town Transit Center, see the instructions above for taking Bus #105.
Greyhound Bus Depot: We recommend that you do NOT take Greyhound across the country. When we pick up hikers who have done this, they ALWAYS tell us that it was a mistake and they were miserable. There is a Transit Center at 12th and Imperial, less than a block from the Greyhound depot. Take the UCSD Blue Line Trolley (toward UTC) or the Green Line Trolley (toward Santee) to the Old Town Transit Center. Before boarding, purchase a ticket for $2.50 at the Trolley Ticket Vending Machine. The machines take credit and debit cards or cash (but they only give change up to $5). Once you get to the Old Town Transit Center, see the instructions above for taking Bus #105.
From Downtown Hostels/Hotels/Motels: Find a Trolley stop near you and take the UCSD Blue Line Trolley (toward UTC) or the Green Line Trolley (toward Santee) to the Old Town Transit Center. Before boarding, purchase a ticket for $2.50 at the Trolley Ticket Vending Machine. The machines take credit and debit cards or cash (but they only give change up to $5). Once you get to the Old Town Transit Center, see the instructions above for taking Bus #105.
ON WEEKENDS AND EVENINGS
Bus #105 runs only a partial route and does not drive into our neighborhood in the evening (last full-route bus leaves Old Town at 6:42 pm, see schedule above) or on weekends (bus #105 runs once each hour, leaving Old Town Transit Center at 24 minutes past the hour). Follow the directions above and do take the #105 bus, but get off at the end of the line (Clairemont Square). You can call us from there (Frodo 858-449-9799, Scout 619-987-0289) and we’ll pick you up at the Western Dental Corner (see red oval in map below), or you can walk the 3.0 miles (down and up a hill) to the house.
From the Old Town Transit Center, a second option is to take the UCSD Blue Line Trolley that heads north to UTC. At the Transit Center, take the walkway under the train and trolley tracks, as shown on the map below. Purchase a ticket for $2.50 at the Trolley Ticket Vending Machine (shown on map). The machines take credit and debit cards or cash (but they only give change up to $5).
You will take the trolley all the way to the end of the line at UTC (University Town Center, a large shopping mall). From there you can walk the 1.9 miles (3 km) to our house (because what’s two miles when you’ll be walking ten times that far nearly every day for months?). It is difficult to pick hikers up at UTC, so please take the trolley only if you plan to walk to the house. If you have awkward luggage or it’s late in the day or you’re just tired from traveling, it’s better to take bus #105 to the end of the line and call us.
From the Trolley Station at UTC to our house:
Flying to LAX? See the page for International Hikers.