Self-Launched National Parks of the American West: Las Vegas to San Francisco

Fly into Las Vegas (LAS) — well-connected from most major US and international airports. Pick up your pre-booked rental car (book ahead via Rentalcars.com or Kayak for best rates; a 15-day compact/SUV hire split between two people runs approximately £25-35/person/day). Check into a budget hotel on or just off the Strip — options like the Excalibur or Circus Circus offer rooms from £40-60/night. Explore the Strip on foot, grab cheap eats at a casino buffet, and rest up for an early start.

🚌Fly into Las Vegas (LAS). Rental car pick-up at airport (~£25-35/person/day split between 2, booked via Kayak or Rentalcars.com).

🛏Excalibur Hotel & Casino or Circus Circus (~£40-60/night per room)

• →Pick up rental car at LAS airport
• →Check in to budget hotel on/near the Strip
• →Walk the Las Vegas Strip and Fremont Street
• →Casino buffet dinner (~£15-20)

Hit the road early for the scenic 2.5-hour drive from Las Vegas to Springdale, Utah, gateway to Zion National Park. Purchase your America the Beautiful Annual Pass (~£60/person) — it covers entrance to all national parks on this trip, saving significant money. In the afternoon, hike the Watchman Trail (3.3 miles round-trip, 368ft elevation gain) for sweeping views of the canyon, Temples and Towers, and the town of Springdale. Stay in Springdale for easy park access.

🚌Rental car Las Vegas to Springdale (~160 miles, ~£15 fuel per person). Free Zion shuttle bus within the park.

🛏Cable Mountain Lodge or Cliffrose Springdale (~£80-110/night per room) or Zion Canyon Campground (~£20-25/person)

• →Drive Las Vegas to Springdale (~2.5 hrs)
• →Purchase America the Beautiful Annual Pass at park entrance (~£60 — covers all parks on this trip)
• →Hike the Watchman Trail (3.3 miles RT, easy-moderate, free with pass)
• →Explore Springdale town and grab dinner

Spend a full day in Zion. The highlight is The Narrows — one of the most iconic hikes in the US, where you wade up the Virgin River through towering slot canyon walls. Rent water shoes and a hiking stick from Zion Outfitter in Springdale (~£35-45). Start early from the Temple of Sinawava trailhead. The bottom-up route is free with your park pass and you can go as far as conditions allow. In the afternoon, take the park shuttle to Angels Landing viewpoint or Scout Lookout for panoramic canyon views.

🚌Free Zion National Park shuttle bus.

🛏Cable Mountain Lodge or Cliffrose Springdale (~£80-110/night per room) or Zion Canyon Campground (~£20-25/person)

• →Hike The Narrows from Temple of Sinawava (free with America the Beautiful Pass)
• →Rent water shoes and trekking pole from Zion Outfitter Springdale (~£35-45)
• →Afternoon hike to Scout Lookout / Angels Landing viewpoint
• →Dinner in Springdale

Drive 1.5 hours north-east to Bryce Canyon National Park, home to one of Earth's most otherworldly landscapes — a vast amphitheatre of flame-red hoodoos, spires, and pinnacles. Walk the Rim Trail for sweeping overview shots, then descend into the canyon on the Queen's Garden and Navajo Loop combo trail (3 miles, moderate) to weave between the towering hoodoos up close. Arrive early — sunrises here are legendary. Stay nearby in Bryce or Panguitch.

🚌Rental car Zion to Bryce Canyon (~86 miles, ~£10 fuel per person). Free park shuttle (seasonal).

🛏Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel or Ruby's Inn (~£80-120/night) or Bryce Canyon Pines Motel (~£60-80/night)

• →Drive Zion to Bryce Canyon (~1.5 hrs)
• →Walk the Rim Trail overlooks: Sunrise Point, Sunset Point, Inspiration Point
• →Hike Queen's Garden + Navajo Loop combo trail (3 miles, moderate, free with pass)
• →Sunset at Bryce Point

Drive ~3 hours south-east to Page, Arizona — home to two of the Southwest's most photographed sights. Book a Navajo-guided tour of Lower Antelope Canyon via GetYourGuide or directly through Dixie Ellis' Lower Antelope Canyon Tours or Ken's Tours (~£40-55/person) — this is a required guided tour on Navajo Nation land, so there's no way around it, but it's absolutely worth it. Afterwards, take the short 1.5-mile round-trip hike to Horseshoe Bend overlook (£8 parking fee). Overnight in Page.

🚌Rental car Bryce Canyon to Page (~170 miles, ~£18 fuel per person).

🛏Holiday Inn Express Page or Courtyard Page (~£90-120/night) or budget motels from ~£60/night

• →Drive Bryce Canyon to Page, AZ (~3 hrs)
• →Navajo-guided Lower Antelope Canyon tour — book via GetYourGuide or direct with Ken's Tours or Dixie Ellis (~£40-55/person)
• →Hike to Horseshoe Bend overlook (1.5 miles RT, £8 parking fee)
• →Dinner in Page

Drive ~2 hours south to the Grand Canyon South Rim — one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Walk the Rim Trail between viewpoints (Mather Point, Yavapai Point, Bright Angel Trailhead). For a deeper experience matching the G Adventures/NatGeo expert-led hike, book a ranger-led geology or history talk (free, listed on the NPS website) or a Grand Canyon Association Field Institute day hike (~£70-100/person, bookable direct at grandcanyon.org/fieldinstitute). Descend partway into the canyon on the Bright Angel Trail for the full wow factor.

🚌Rental car Page to Grand Canyon South Rim (~130 miles, ~£14 fuel per person). Free Grand Canyon shuttle buses within the park.

🛏Maswik Lodge (book via recreation.gov, ~£110-140/night) or Tusayan village motels (~£80-110/night)

• →Drive Page to Grand Canyon South Rim (~2 hrs)
• →Walk the Rim Trail: Mather Point, Yavapai Geology Museum, Bright Angel Trailhead
• →Hike partway down Bright Angel Trail (go to 1.5-Mile Resthouse and back — moderate)
• →Optional: Book Grand Canyon Association Field Institute ranger-led hike (~£70-100/person) at grandcanyon.org/fieldinstitute
• →Free NPS ranger talks and geology programmes (check nps.gov/grca for schedule)
• →Sunset at Hopi Point on the Rim Trail

Channel your inner road tripper on the Mother Road. Drive west along Historic Route 66 through the ghost town spirit of Seligman — birthplace of Route 66 — stopping at Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In, the original Rusty Bolt gift shop, and the vintage motels and neon signs that inspired the Pixar film Cars. Browse the general store and soak in pure Americana. Head on to Williams, a well-preserved Route 66 town, for the night.

🚌Rental car along Historic Route 66 (~120 miles total, ~£13 fuel per person).

🛏The Lodge on Route 66 Williams or Rodeway Inn Williams (~£70-100/night)

• →Drive Grand Canyon to Seligman along Historic Route 66 (~60 miles)
• →Explore Seligman: Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In, Rusty Bolt, vintage motels and neon signs
• →Drive Route 66 west to Williams (~60 miles)
• →Dinner on Route 66 in Williams — try Red Raven Restaurant or Cruisers Cafe 66

An epic day of driving through America's most extreme landscape. Head west from Williams across the Mojave Desert to Death Valley (~4.5 hrs). Stop at Zabriskie Point for alien badlands panoramas, walk the salt flats of Badwater Basin (the lowest point in North America at 282ft below sea level), and see the crinkled ridgelines of the Artist's Palette drive. Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes are great at sunrise or sunset. Death Valley is best visited October–April — check weather before travelling in summer as temperatures exceed 50°C.

🚌Rental car Williams to Death Valley (~270 miles, ~£28 fuel per person — long drive, budget for fuel).

🛏Stovepipe Wells Village Hotel (~£90-130/night) or Panamint Springs Resort (~£80-110/night) or camping at Furnace Creek Campground (~£15-22/person)

• →Drive Williams to Death Valley (~270 miles, ~4.5 hrs)
• →Stop at Zabriskie Point for badlands panoramas
• →Walk Badwater Basin salt flats (lowest point in North America)
• →Drive Artist's Palette scenic loop
• →Walk Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes at sunset
• →Star gazing — Death Valley is a certified Dark Sky Park

Drive north from Death Valley through the Owens Valley and into the Sierra Nevada foothills (~3.5-4 hrs) to Sequoia National Park. Enter via the Ash Mountain entrance and ascend into the Giant Forest. The General Sherman Tree — the world's largest known living single-stem tree by volume — is a short 0.8-mile walk from the car park and genuinely stops you in your tracks. Wander the Congress Trail loop through ancient groves. Overnight in or near the park.

🚌Rental car Death Valley to Sequoia (~200 miles, ~£21 fuel per person).

🛏Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia (~£130-170/night — book well ahead at visitsequoia.com) or Three Rivers motels outside the park (~£70-100/night)

• →Drive Death Valley to Sequoia National Park (~200 miles, ~3.5-4 hrs)
• →Visit the General Sherman Tree — world's largest living single-stem tree (free with pass)
• →Walk the Congress Trail loop through the Giant Forest (~2 miles, easy)
• →Stop at Moro Rock for 360° Sierra Nevada panoramas (short staircase climb)
• →Tunnel Log drive-through fallen sequoia

Sequoia and Kings Canyon share a border and your America the Beautiful Pass covers both. Drive the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway — one of the most dramatic roads in California — down into Kings Canyon itself, one of the deepest canyons in North America. Hike the Zumwalt Meadow loop (1.5 miles, easy) alongside the Kings River with granite walls soaring 3,000ft overhead. Visit Roaring River Falls. Return to Sequoia for a second night or push north towards Yosemite.

🚌Rental car within Sequoia/Kings Canyon park roads (~80 miles round trip, ~£9 fuel per person).

🛏Wuksachi Lodge Sequoia (~£130-170/night) or John Muir Lodge in Kings Canyon (~£130-160/night) or Three Rivers motels (~£70-100/night)

• →Drive the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway (Highway 180) into the canyon
• →Hike Zumwalt Meadow loop (1.5 miles, easy, free with pass)
• →Visit Roaring River Falls
• →Cedar Grove Village lunch stop
• →Optional: Drive back via Hume Lake scenic detour

Drive north from Sequoia to Yosemite Valley (~3.5 hours via Fresno). Enter via the Arch Rock entrance and descend into Yosemite Valley — the view of El Capitan and Half Dome as you arrive never gets old. Stop at Valley View and Tunnel View for iconic shots. Walk the valley floor: Bridalveil Fall, El Capitan Meadow, and Yosemite Falls trailhead. Yosemite Valley is extremely busy in summer — a timed entry reservation is required (book via recreation.gov, ~£12-15). Overnight in Yosemite Valley or gateway town of El Portal.

🚌Rental car Sequoia to Yosemite (~200 miles, ~£21 fuel per person). Free Yosemite Valley shuttle within the valley.

🛏Yosemite Valley Lodge or Curry Village tent cabins (~£100-150/night — book via travelyosemite.com months ahead) or El Portal motels (~£90-120/night)

• →Drive Sequoia to Yosemite Valley (~3.5 hrs via Fresno/Highway 41)
• →Book timed entry permit in advance via recreation.gov (~£12-15)
• →Stop at Tunnel View for the classic Yosemite Valley panorama
• →Walk to Bridalveil Fall (0.5 miles RT, easy)
• →Walk El Capitan Meadow
• →Yosemite Falls Trail (lower falls, 1 mile RT, easy)

A full day to explore Yosemite's greatest hits. Take the free valley shuttle to the Mirror Lake trailhead and do the 5-mile loop around the lake — stunning Half Dome reflections. Drive or take the free bus up to Glacier Point (~1 hour from the valley) for the most photogenic view in Yosemite: Half Dome, Nevada Fall, Vernal Fall, and the entire valley spread below you. In the afternoon, consider the Happy Isles Nature Center and the short walk towards Vernal Fall via the Mist Trail.

🚌Free Yosemite Valley shuttle. Rental car for Glacier Point drive (~20 miles each way).

🛏Yosemite Valley Lodge or Curry Village tent cabins (~£100-150/night) or El Portal motels (~£90-120/night)

• →Mirror Lake loop trail (5 miles, easy-moderate, free with pass)
• →Drive or shuttle to Glacier Point for panoramic Half Dome views
• →Walk the Mist Trail to Vernal Fall base (2 miles RT, moderate)
• →Happy Isles Nature Center and Merced River walk
• →Picnic in the valley with Yosemite Village store supplies

Drive west from Yosemite to San Francisco (~3.5 hours via Highway 120 and I-580). Drop the rental car at SFO or a city drop-off location. Check into your San Francisco hostel or budget hotel. Explore the city's iconic neighbourhoods: walk across the Golden Gate Bridge (free on foot), explore North Beach and Chinatown, ride a classic cable car (~£5 single), and head to Fisherman's Wharf for clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl.

🚌Rental car Yosemite to San Francisco (~200 miles, ~£21 fuel per person). Return/drop rental car.

🛏HI San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf Hostel or USA Hostels San Francisco (~£35-55/person/night in dorm or shared room) or budget hotels from ~£90/night

• →Drive Yosemite to San Francisco (~3.5 hrs, ~200 miles)
• →Drop rental car at city location or SFO
• →Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge (free)
• →Explore North Beach, Chinatown, and Fisherman's Wharf
• →Clam chowder bread bowl at Fisherman's Wharf (~£12)
• →Cable car ride (~£5)

Spend the day exploring San Francisco's vibrant neighbourhoods. Take the ferry to Alcatraz Island and tour the famous former federal penitentiary — book ahead via Alcatraz Cruises (cityexperiences.com, ~£35-45/person). Explore the Mission District's murals and taquerias, browse the Ferry Building Marketplace, and walk the Embarcadero. Head up Twin Peaks at sunset for panoramic city views. Grab dinner in the Mission for some of the best and most affordable food in the city.

🚌BART, Muni bus, cable car (~£5-10/day on city transport). Ferry to Alcatraz included in ticket.

🛏HI San Francisco Hostel or budget hotel (~£35-55/person dorm or ~£90-120/night private room)

• →Ferry + guided audio tour of Alcatraz Island (~£35-45 — book in advance at cityexperiences.com)
• →Ferry Building Marketplace for local food and coffee
• →Walk the Embarcadero and Bay Bridge views
• →Explore Mission District murals (Balmy Alley) and grab tacos (~£10-15)
• →Sunset at Twin Peaks or Corona Heights

Final morning in San Francisco. If time allows before your flight, visit the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park (£10-15) or take a morning walk through Haight-Ashbury and Golden Gate Park itself (free). Head to SFO via BART from any downtown station (~£10-12, ~35 minutes) — reliable, affordable, and no traffic stress. Depart refreshed from a truly epic 15-day road trip through the American West.

🚌BART from downtown San Francisco to SFO (~£10-12).

🛏Check out — depart from SFO

• →Morning walk through Golden Gate Park and Haight-Ashbury (free)
• →Optional: de Young Museum (~£10-15) or California Academy of Sciences (~£25)
• →Last coffee and sourdough at a local café
• →BART to SFO airport (~£10-12, 35 mins from Civic Center/Powell St)