Self-Launched: Camping Yosemite & Yellowstone (Seattle to San Francisco)
15 days · United States (Pacific Northwest & Rockies)
G Adventures charges £1,950
No-markup version: ~£1,180 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A DIY version of G Adventures' 15-day camping loop from Seattle to San Francisco through Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Yosemite. Instead of a private touring van and a CEO, you'll string together Amtrak trains, Greyhound/FlixBus coaches and a couple of short internal flights, sleep in hostel dorms in the cities and pitch your own tent (or grab a campground cabin) in the national parks, and book ranger-led walks and self-guided loop hikes rather than a group leader. Big driving days become rail and bus days; everything else — geysers, glaciers, bison jams, Tioga Pass — stays the same. Note: US park camping and hostel rates are high compared with most of the world, so the savings here are real but modest; the bigger win is flexibility. All costs are rough per-person estimates in GBP and exclude international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive Seattle
Seattle, WA
Fly into Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) and take the light rail (Link, ~£2.50) downtown to your hostel. Settle in, grab dinner in Pike Place or Capitol Hill, and pre-download park maps, campground reservations and your America the Beautiful annual pass details. Book your Amtrak/bus legs tonight if you haven't already.
🚌Link light rail from SEA to downtown, ~£2.50
🛏Hostel dorm, downtown Seattle (~£35)
- →Pike Place Market wander
- →Downtown orientation walk
- →Grocery shop for camping supplies at a supermarket (avoid park-priced food)
Seattle sightseeing, then east to Coeur d'Alene
Seattle → Coeur d'Alene, ID
Morning at the Space Needle/Chihuly area, Pike Place fish throwers and the waterfront, then catch an afternoon Greyhound/FlixBus east to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho (roughly 7-8 hours, ~£45). Pitch at a lakefront private campground in Coeur d'Alene or Honeysuckle Beach area — first night under the stars.
🚌Greyhound/FlixBus Seattle to Coeur d'Alene, ~£45
🛏Tent at Coeur d'Alene private campground (~£15 pitch share)
- →Space Needle exterior & Seattle Center
- →Pike Place Market
- →Evening lakeside camp setup
Glacier to Helena via the Missouri River
Glacier NP → Helena, MT
Slow morning in the park, then drive/bus south-east to Helena. En route, stop at the Gates of the Mountains area on the Missouri River — the boat tour runs frequently in season (book direct, ~$20/£16) and tells the Lewis & Clark story of the limestone cliffs. Overnight at a Helena budget motel or campground.
🚌Rental car or bus Glacier area to Helena, ~£30-45
🛏Budget motel or campground Helena (~£22 share)
- →Gates of the Mountains boat tour (~£16)
- →Lewis & Clark history stop
- →Helena historic downtown stroll
South to Yellowstone
Helena → Yellowstone NP, WY
Transfer day into Yellowstone's north entrance at Gardiner. Buy your America the Beautiful annual pass (~$80/£63) if you haven't — it covers Yellowstone, Glacier, Grand Teton and Yosemite and pays for itself by day 8. Camp at Mammoth or Norris (reserve on recreation.gov the moment the 6-month window opens). Evening walk to the hot springs terraces.
🚌Bus/rental car Helena to Gardiner (~3 hrs), ~£25
🛏Tent at Norris or Mammoth campground (~£12 pitch share)
- →Mammoth Hot Springs terraces
- →Elk spotting in Mammoth village
- →Camp setup
Yellowstone north loop
Yellowstone NP
Self-drive or shuttle-hop the northern loop: Mammoth Terraces, Undine Falls, Lamar Valley for bison, wolves and bears at dawn/dusk (best wildlife window in the park), and Tower-Roosevelt. Join a free ranger walk if one's running — schedules are posted at visitor centres. Return to camp and cook dinner over the fire.
🚌Rental car or park shuttle hop, ~£18
🛏Tent at Norris or Mammoth campground (~£12 pitch share)
- →Lamar Valley wildlife watching
- →Mammoth Terraces boardwalk
- →Free ranger-led walk
- →Undine Falls
Yellowstone south loop
Yellowstone NP
The headline day: Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin, Grand Prismatic Spring from the overlook trail, Fountain Paint Pot, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone with Artist Point. Pack a lunch — park food is pricey. Camp down at Grant Village or Madison.
🚌Rental car or park shuttle hop, ~£18
🛏Tent at Madison or Grant Village campground (~£12 pitch share)
- →Old Faithful eruption
- →Grand Prismatic overlook hike
- →Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone / Artist Point
- →Fountain Paint Pot boardwalk
Across the Continental Divide to Jackson
Yellowstone → Jackson, WY
Exit south over the Continental Divide via Craig Pass, with the Teton range filling the windscreen on the approach to Jackson Hole. Evening in Jackson: wander the wooden boardwalks, browse the antler arches on the square, and drop into the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar for the classic Western experience (free-to-£16 entry depending on the night).
🚌Rental car or bus Yellowstone south to Jackson (~2.5 hrs), ~£25
🛏Hostel or campground near Jackson (~£30)
- →Continental Divide crossing
- →Teton view pullouts
- →Jackson Town Square
- →Million Dollar Cowboy Bar
Grand Teton & on to Salt Lake City
Jackson → Salt Lake City, UT
Morning options: Jenny Lake shuttle boat and a hike to Hidden Falls/Inspiration Point (~£15), or whitewater rafting on the Snake River (~£55-75 booked direct), or a two-hour horseback ride from a Jackson outfitter (~£60). Afternoon transfer south to Salt Lake City (bus ~5 hrs, ~£35 or share a rental). Evening walk around Temple Square.
🚌Bus Jackson to Salt Lake City, ~£35
🛏Hostel dorm Salt Lake City (~£30)
- →Jenny Lake shuttle + Hidden Falls hike
- →Optional Snake River rafting
- →Temple Square visit
The Loneliest Road to Tonopah
Salt Lake City → Tonopah, NV
A long transit day west on US-50 — the 'Loneliest Road in America'. There's no useful public transport on this stretch, so consider a cheap one-way rental car from SLC to Reno or Las Vegas (often £40-70/day split between two-plus travellers) or a Greyhound to Ely and onward. Overnight in Tonopah, an old silver mining town with a quirky mining park and genuinely superb dark-sky stargazing — lie out on a blanket after dark.
🚌One-way rental or Greyhound SLC to Tonopah, ~£55
🛏Budget motel Tonopah (~£30 share)
- →US-50 road trip
- →Tonopah Historic Mining Park
- →Desert stargazing
Into Yosemite via Tioga Pass
Tonopah → Yosemite NP, CA
Drive west and enter Yosemite through Tioga Pass (9,943 ft) — check road status first, as it closes with snow roughly Nov–late May; the alternative is the southern Hwy 41 entrance via Fresno. Overnight in the park (reserve a campground the day the 6-month window opens) or a budget spot in Lee Vining/Bridgeport if the pass is shut. Sunset at Olmsted Point over Half Dome.
🚌Rental car Tonopah to Yosemite, ~£45
🛏Tent in Yosemite campground or budget motel Lee Vining (~£16 share)
- →Tioga Pass scenic drive
- →Tenaya Lake
- →Olmsted Point sunset
- →Tuolumne Meadows walk
Yosemite Valley day
Yosemite NP
Full day in the valley: hike the Mist Trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls (~5-6 hrs, strenuous but the best day hike in the park), or the flat, easy Cook's Meadow/Mirror Lake loops. Rent a bike from Curry Village (~£28) or catch the free valley shuttle. Ranger programmes in the evening at Yosemite Village.
🚌Free Yosemite Valley shuttle
🛏Tent in Yosemite campground or hostel in Midpines (~£20 share)
- →Mist Trail to Vernal & Nevada Falls
- →Bike rental option
- →Cook's Meadow / Yosemite Falls walk
- →Free ranger programme
Yosemite to San Francisco
Yosemite → San Francisco, CA
Morning hike or a lazy swim in the Merced River, then transfer to San Francisco — YARTS runs public buses from Yosemite Valley to Merced Amtrak (seasonal, ~£12), continuing to SF by train (~£30), or catch a direct coach from the park area. Check into a hostel, then wander Fisherman's Wharf and the Embarcadero in the evening.
🚌YARTS + Amtrak or coach Yosemite to SF, ~£42
🛏Hostel dorm San Francisco (~£40)
- →Morning valley walk
- →Fisherman's Wharf
- →Embarcadero / Ferry Building
San Francisco and depart
San Francisco, CA
Last day: ride the Powell-Hyde cable car (~£6), walk the Golden Gate Bridge or rent a bike and cycle to Sausalito, and catch a sunset sailing trip on the bay if the weather holds. BART to SFO for your flight home.
🚌Cable car ~£6, BART to SFO ~£8
🛏Departure day (no overnight)
- →Cable car ride
- →Golden Gate Bridge walk or bike
- →Optional bay sailing
- →Lombard Street & Chinatown
Coeur d'Alene to Glacier National Park
Coeur d'Alene, ID → Glacier NP, MT
Cross into Montana for Glacier's peaks and lakes. Public transport here is thin, so the practical DIY option is a rental car from Coeur d'Alene or Spokane up US-2 into the park. Pitch at Apgar or St. Mary campground; if you're feeling flush, a scenic helicopter flight over the park (options from ~£200 direct with local operators) is the splurge the tour offered too.
🚌Rental car Coeur d'Alene to Glacier (~4.5 hrs), ~£40 split
🛏Tent at Apgar/St. Mary campground (~£12 pitch share)
- →Going-to-the-Sun Road drive (free)
- →Optional helicopter tour (~£200)
- →Lake McDonald shoreline walk
Hiking Glacier National Park
Glacier NP, MT
Full day on foot — Glacier is walker's country. Easy-to-moderate options: Avalanche Lake (2-3 hrs return), Trail of the Cedars boardwalk, or the Highline Trail for the ambitious. Bring bear spray (rent or buy locally, ~£35) and food. In season, ride the free park shuttle along Going-to-the-Sun Road between Apgar and Logan Pass rather than driving.
🚌Free Glacier park shuttle
🛏Tent at Apgar/St. Mary campground (~£12 pitch share)
- →Avalanche Lake hike
- →Trail of the Cedars
- →Logan Pass viewpoint
- →Free ranger talk at the visitor centre
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,180 | £1,950 |
| Duration | 15 days | 15 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £770 per person (39%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,180
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched: Camping Yosemite & Yellowstone (Seattle to San Francisco) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,180 per person for 15 days in United States (Pacific Northwest & Rockies). This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £1,950 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,180 — a saving of roughly £770 (39%) per person.
How long is the United States (Pacific Northwest & Rockies) trip?+
This itinerary runs 15 days, covering 15 day-by-day stops through United States (Pacific Northwest & Rockies).
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, hiking, wildlife trip through United States (Pacific Northwest & Rockies), self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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