Self-Launched National Parks of the American West

Fly into Harry Reid International (LAS) and take the cheap public bus or a shared shuttle downtown. Stay on Fremont Street rather than the Strip for cheaper beds. Spend the evening walking the Strip free of charge — Bellagio fountains, Venetian canals, and people-watching. Eat at a taco stand or Chinatown for under £10.

🚌Public bus from airport ~£2, or rideshare ~£12

🛏Hostel dorm on Fremont Street (e.g. Hostel Cat, Sin City Hostel) — £30-45 pp

• →Las Vegas Strip walk
• →Fremont Street Experience
• →Bellagio fountains

Take a FlixBus or Greyhound from Las Vegas to St George (~2.5 hrs, £18-25), then the local SunTran/St George Shuttle to Springdale (£10). Alternatively, if you're hiring a car, pick it up in Vegas (from ~£35/day). Base yourself in Springdale at the park gate. Afternoon hike of the Watchman Trail (easy, 3 miles, sunset views). Camp or hostel in Springdale.

🚌FlixBus/Greyhound to St George ~£20; shuttle to Springdale ~£10

🛏Zion hostel dorm or campsite (Zion Canyon Campground) — £25-40 pp

• →Watchman Trail hike
• →Zion Canyon visitor centre

Hike The Narrows without a guide — it's a marked, safe route you can walk yourself. Take the park shuttle from the visitor centre to Temple of Sinawava. Rent canyon shoes, neoprene socks and a wooden walking stick from Zion Outfitter in Springdale (~£30-35). River flow and flash-flood risk are posted at the visitor centre each morning — do not enter if warnings are up. Evening: free ranger talk at the amphitheatre.

🚌Free park shuttle inside Zion

🛏Zion hostel dorm or campsite — £25-40 pp

• →The Narrows self-guided hike
• →Ranger talk

Early bus/shuttle to Bryce Canyon (~£15), hike the Queens Garden–Navajo Loop (3 miles, the best short circuit). Then continue south: no direct public transport, so the practical option is a shared shuttle or pre-booked FlixBus Las Vegas–Page connection, or drive if you hired a car (Vegas–Page route). Overnight in Page, Arizona — gateway to Antelope Canyon.

🚌Shuttle Bryce ~£15; onward bus/shuttle to Page ~£25

🛏Page motel room or Airbnb shared — £35-50 pp

• →Queens Garden & Navajo Loop hike
• →Sunrise Point viewpoint

Book Upper Antelope Canyon direct with Ken's Tours or Antelope Canyon Tours — slots sell out, reserve 4-6 weeks ahead (~£80-95). The tour is guided (mandatory, Navajo Nation requirement) and lasts ~1 hour. Afternoon hike to Horseshoe Bend (free, 1.5 miles round trip, park fee ~£8). Lunch at a Navajo-run café or the Dam Bar.

🚌Local rideshare or bike; all sites within 15 mins of Page

🛏Page motel/Airbnb shared — £35-50 pp

• →Upper Antelope Canyon tour
• →Horseshoe Bend hike

Take the Arizona Shuttle or a Greyhound connection Page–Flagstaff, then the free/fee-based Grand Canyon shuttle to the South Rim (~£50 total, 4-5 hrs). Walk the Rim Trail and catch sunset at Mather Point or Hopi Point. If you want to hike below the rim, walk down Bright Angel Trail to the 1.5 Mile Resthouse and turn back — no permit needed for day hikes.

🚌Arizona Shuttle Page–Flagstaff–Grand Canyon ~£50

🛏Mather Campground or Bright Angel Lodge dorm — £25-45 pp

• →Rim Trail walk
• →Mather Point sunset
• →Bright Angel Trail day hike

Morning at the canyon with a ranger-led geology talk (free). Shuttle/bus back towards Las Vegas with a stop in Seligman on Route 66 (book the bus or drive; FlixBus Flagstaff–Las Vegas ~£25). In the evening visit the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff if you're routing that way (~£20) for telescope viewing — one of the sites that discovered Pluto. Overnight Vegas.

🚌Bus Flagstaff–Las Vegas ~£25

🛏Vegas hostel dorm — £30-45 pp

• →Ranger geology talk
• →Seligman Route 66 stop
• →Lowell Observatory (optional)

Death Valley has no public transport inside the park — hire a car in Vegas for two days (~£35-45/day, split between travellers). Drive in via Furnace Creek, stop at Zabriskie Point and Twenty Mule Team Canyon, and walk out onto Badwater Basin salt flats at sunset. Fuel up before entering; the park is huge and fuel is expensive inside.

🚌Hired car from Las Vegas ~£40/day (split)

🛏Furnace Creek campground or Stovepipe Wells motel — £20-45 pp

• →Zabriskie Point
• →Twenty Mule Team Canyon drive
• →Badwater Basin walk

Sunrise at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes (best light, no crowd), then a short hike at Father Crowley Vista Point overlooking Rainbow Canyon. Drive south-west out of the park towards Bakersfield, then up to Visalia — the gateway town for Sequoia. This is a long driving day (~5 hrs); break at Panamint Valley for photos. Overnight Visalia.

🚌Hired car ~£40/day; drop off before Sequoia if not keeping it

🛏Visalia motel or hostel — £30-45 pp

• →Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
• →Father Crowley Vista Point hike

Take the Sequoia Shuttle from Visalia to the park (seasonal, ~£10 round trip, runs late May–Sept; outside season hire a car). Walk the Big Tree Trail to the General Sherman Tree — the largest tree on earth by volume. In the evening join the Sequoia Parks Conservancy stargazing session (~£10-15) — the park is a Dark Sky location.

🚌Sequoia Shuttle from Visalia ~£10 (seasonal)

🛏Lodgepole campground or Wuksachi Lodge shared room — £30-55 pp

• →General Sherman Tree
• →Big Tree Trail
• →Stargazing session

Drive or shuttle over to Kings Canyon — the Generals Highway links the two parks. Stop at Grant Grove to see the General Grant Tree and the small chapel, then continue down into Cedar Grove for a riverside walk among the deepest canyon walls in the US. Bring food — services are minimal.

🚌Car or inter-park drive ~£30 (fuel share)

🛏Cedar Grove campground or Grant Grove cabins — £25-50 pp

• →Grant Grove walk
• →Cedar Grove riverside trail

Long transfer day (~5-6 hrs) heading north towards Yosemite. Realistically this leg needs a car, or a creative combo of YARTS (Yosemite Area Regional Transportation) from Fresno/Merced — catch a bus to Fresno then YARTS into the park (~£25 total). Arrive in time for sunset at Tunnel View with El Capitan glowing. Camp in the Valley (reserve Curry Village or Camp 4 far ahead).

🚌Bus to Fresno + YARTS into Yosemite ~£25

🛏Camp 4 or Curry Village tent cabin — £20-55 pp

• →Tunnel View sunset
• →Yosemite Valley arrival

Hire a bike in Curry Village (~£25/day) and ride the Valley loop — swinging bridge, Yosemite Falls, Mirror Lake. Afternoon hike the Mist Trail towards Vernal Fall (2.4 miles round trip; the full trail to Nevada Fall is 5.4 miles). Visit the Ansel Adams Gallery in the village (free). Cool off in the Merced River with Half Dome in view.

🚌Free Valley shuttle + bike hire ~£25

🛏Camp 4 or Curry Village tent cabin — £20-55 pp

• →Bike hire Valley loop
• →Mist Trail / Vernal Fall hike
• →Ansel Adams Gallery

Take YARTS out of the park to Merced or Fresno (~£15), then Amtrak San Joaquins to Oakland/Emeryville (~£30), with the free connecting Amtrak Thruway bus into downtown SF. Arrive mid-afternoon. Do your own walking 'city tour' of Haight-Ashbury, Golden Gate Park, the Palace of Fine Arts and Fisherman's Wharf — all free.

🚌YARTS + Amtrak San Joaquins ~£45

🛏HI San Francisco Downtown or Fisherman's Wharf hostel — £40-55 pp

• →Haight-Ashbury walk
• →Palace of Fine Arts
• →Golden Gate Park

Morning walk or bike across the Golden Gate Bridge (bike hire ~£15). Optionally book Alcatraz direct with City Cruises (~£35-40, book 2-3 weeks ahead) or a ferry to Sausalito. Grab brunch in the Mission, then BART to SFO for your flight home (~£8).

🚌BART to SFO ~£8

🛏— (departure day)

• →Golden Gate Bridge walk
• →Alcatraz (optional)
• →Mission District brunch