Commercially insured and pet-friendly shuttle service operating out of Gooder's Grove Hostel & Retreat. 

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Appalachian Zen Shuttles offers selective free shuttle service for guests of Gooder's Grove Hostel, along with commercial shuttle services independent of the hostel for hikers, individuals and groups. Shuttle service is provided to locations ranging from Amicalola Falls to Hot Springs, NC. We shuttle to and from all accessible trailheads on the Appalachian Trail in North Georgia and all of North Carolina, even to select locations in Tennessee. We also provide shuttle services for the Bartram, Benton MacKaye, and other area trails.

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FASTpacking Service:

Appalachian Zen Shuttles can help you FASTpack! It's 

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Planning a hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail? We make it easy! You can park, stay, get supplies and gear for your trip, and we can shuttle you to the trail! Book a stay at Hostel Around the Bend, leave your vehicle parked in our parking area ($5/day per vehicle parking fee), ride our shuttle to your starting point, and hike back to Hostel Around the Bend. We start running shuttles as early as 6:00am.

​Call us at 706-389-9668  for availability and to reserve a shuttle.
​Reservations are preferred, but we will do our best to accommodate last-minute shuttle requests.

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Gooder's Grove Guest Shuttles:

To/From the Trail:  Free Guest pick-up or drop-off at Unicoi Gap, Indian Grave Gap, Dicks Creek Gap, and Blue Ridge Gap when staying at Hostel Around the Bend.  For Unicoi Gap, Indian Grave Gap, and Blue Ridge Gap pickups, please call or text in the morning on day of pickup with your estimated pickup time. Pick-up and drop-off to other trailheads available for a fee.

To/From Town:  Free Guest shuttle  to/from town (location and schedule varies). One free scheduled town shuttle per guest per day stayed.   Shuttles at other times and to other locations available to guests for a fee.

​Slackpacking:  Free slackpacking options for Unicoi Gap and Blue Ridge Gap on day of stay. Other paid-for slackpacking options available and we can slackpack without stay too - please contact us for details and availability.  See "Slackpacking" for more information.

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Additional Area Shuttles:

Shuttles Around the Bend LLC is our for-hire shuttle service for Appalachian Trail hikers operating out of Hostel Around the Bend, 7675 Hwy 76 E, Hiawassee, GA 30546.

We provide safe, reliable transportation for hikers ranging from Atlanta, GA, to Fontana Dam, NC.  We service all accessible trailheads within our range as well as other locations away from the trail.
 

With slackpacking, you can leave most of your gear behind at Hostel Around the Bend that you wouldn't need for a day hike, so you can hike with a much lighter pack! You can borrow one of our day packs or use your own pack.   Stay the night at the hostel, hike during the day, then return to the hostel to stay another night in our comfortable beds!  We'll return you to where you left off on the trail. We can assist hikers with slackpacking in Georgia and parts of southern North Carolina.

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Slackpacking Options (free for Hostel Around the Bend guests during stay, shuttle fee charged without stay):

• From Blue Ridge Gap to Dicks Creek Gap: 5.8 miles

• From Indian Grave Gap to Dicks Creek Gap: 14.1 miles

• From Unicoi Gap to Dicks Creek Gap: 16.7 miles

• From Blue Ridge Gap to Unicoi Gap: 22.5 miles

Other slackpacking locations are available for a fee. We can also help hikers who are not staying at the hostel slackpack too! Pricing is available in the table below.

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Shuttle Rates:

The table below is organized from closest to furthest shuttle locations north and south from Hostel Around the Bend. We can shuttle to other locations besides those listed below, so if you don't see your location listed, please contact us for pricing and availability!

​Shuttle rates are based on mileage, driving time, and number of passengers. The rates shown in the table below are the total pre-tax price for the shuttle for up to 4 passengers (contact us if there are more than 4 people in your group).  All rates are subject to sales tax (rates shown are pre-tax prices).  Forms of payment we accept: cash, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and Venmo.  For shuttles not originating from Hostel Around the Bend, we require payment in advance for the full price of the shuttle  (we accept credit or debit card or Venmo).  Shuttles originating  from Hostel Around the Bend may be paid in advance or in-person before the shuttle departs.