Rocky Mountains & Southwest Highlights — Self-Launched

Fly into Denver International (DEN). Take the RTD A-Line train into Union Station (~£8, 37 mins) rather than a taxi. Check into a hostel near LoDo or Capitol Hill (11th Avenue Hostel is the classic budget pick). Spend the afternoon walking the 16th Street Mall and RiNo street-art district, then grab a welcome beer at a brewery taproom — Great Divide or Wynkoop — instead of the tour's welcome drink.

🚌RTD A-Line airport train ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm or private twin in central Denver (~£35-45pp)

• →A-Line into Union Station
• →RiNo street art walk
• →Craft brewery taproom

Pick up a rental car in Denver (book well ahead; ~£35-50/day for a compact, split between travellers). Drive US-36 through Boulder to Estes Park, then enter Rocky Mountain National Park over Trail Ridge Road — the highest continuous paved road in the US, crossing the Continental Divide at ~3,700m. Stop at the Alpine Visitor Center, hike the short Colorado River Trailhead walk or the Adams Falls trail near Grand Lake. Watch for elk and marmots at dusk. Stay in a motel or the Shadow Mountain campground in Grand Lake.

🚌Rental car pickup; ~170km drive, Trail Ridge Road (seasonal, roughly late May-Oct)

🛏Grand Lake motel or campground (~£40pp motel / £12 camping)

• →Trail Ridge Road Continental Divide crossing
• →Alpine Visitor Center
• →Colorado River trailhead walk
• →Adams Falls

Morning hike from the Grand Lake east shore or the Green Mountain / East Inlet trails before checking out. Then drive north via US-34 and I-80 across the Colorado-Wyoming border to Cheyenne (~4 hrs). Cheyenne is a frontier railroad town: walk the depot district, see the Wyoming State Capitol and grab a cheap diner dinner. Motels on US-30 are the cheapest beds in town.

🚌~380km drive via US-34/I-80, fuel ~£25 shared

🛏Budget motel in Cheyenne (~£35-45pp)

• →Morning lake or valley hike
• →Cheyenne depot district
• →Wyoming State Capitol (free)

Drive I-25 north to Casper and stop at the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center (free entry) — the Oregon, California and Mormon trail story told with excellent interactive exhibits, the same museum the tour visits. Continue via US-20/26 to Cody (~5 hrs total). In Cody visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, which houses the Plains Indian Museum (the 'Native American cultural museum' on the original itinerary); one combined ticket covers all five museums (~£15). Evening at the Cody rodeo if in season (June-Aug, ~£15).

🚌~600km drive, fuel ~£40 shared

🛏Cody motel or hostel-style cabin (~£40-50pp)

• →National Historic Trails Interpretive Center
• →Buffalo Bill Center of the West / Plains Indian Museum
• →Cody Night Rodeo (seasonal)

Enter Yellowstone via the East Entrance early — dawn is the best wildlife window. Drive the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone for the Brink of the Lower Falls and Uncle Tom's Trail steps, then cross Dunraven Pass into Lamar Valley, the best place in the lower 48 to see wolves, bison and pronghorn. Arrive Gardiner via the North Entrance at Mammoth. Sleep in Gardiner (cheaper than park lodges) or reserve a park campsite months ahead.

🚌~200km drive inside the park, fuel ~£18 shared

🛏Gardiner motel or campground (~£45 motel / £12 camping)

• →Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone overlooks
• →Uncle Tom's Trail
• →Lamar Valley wildlife watching
• →Roosevelt Arch at North Entrance

Full geothermal day. Start at Mammoth Hot Springs terraces, drive south past Norris Geyser Basin, then walk the Grand Prismatic boardwalk (and the Fairy Falls overlook for the aerial view). Catch an Old Faithful eruption (predictions posted at the visitor centre), then loop the Upper Geyser Basin to Morning Glory Pool. Bring a picnic — park food is expensive. Return to Gardiner or overnight in West Yellowstone.

🚌~250km driving within the park

🛏Gardiner or West Yellowstone motel (~£45pp)

• →Mammoth Hot Springs terraces
• →Grand Prismatic Spring boardwalk
• →Old Faithful + Upper Geyser Basin loop
• →Norris Geyser Basin

Morning hike on the West Thumb Geyser Basin boardwalk beside Yellowstone Lake, then exit south through Grand Teton's John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway. Take the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram or the Jackson Hole gondola (check summer rates, ~USD 25-40) for Teton views, then check into a Jackson hostel or the cheaper motels in Victor/Driggs over Teton Pass (~£25 less per night). Evening at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar on Jackson's town square.

🚌~200km drive; gondola optional ~£25

🛏Jackson hostel dorm (~£45) or Victor/Driggs motel (~£35)

• →West Thumb Geyser Basin
• →Aerial tram / gondola for Teton views
• →Jackson Town Square + Million Dollar Cowboy Bar

Sunrise at Mormon Row's T.A. Moulton Barn (the classic photo), then Jenny Lake — hike to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point or take the shuttle boat. Drive to Signal Mountain summit for the valley view, then head south on US-89/I-80 to Salt Lake City (~5 hrs). Free evening at Temple Square and the Utah State Capitol, or a swim in the Great Salt Lake at Antelope Island if time allows. Overnight in a downtown SLC hostel.

🚌~450km drive, fuel ~£30 shared

🛏Salt Lake City hostel dorm (~£35pp)

• →Mormon Row barns
• →Jenny Lake + Hidden Falls hike
• →Signal Mountain overlook
• →Temple Square

Drive I-15 south then UT-20/UT-12 to Bryce (~4.5 hrs), arguably the most scenic highway in Utah. Arrive by mid-afternoon and walk the Rim Trail from Sunrise to Sunset Point. Stay in Bryce Canyon City or the cheaper options in Panguitch/Tropic. If you can, time it for sunset at Sunset Point — the hoodoos glow orange.

🚌~430km drive via UT-12, fuel ~£30 shared

🛏Bryce Canyon City motel or Tropic guesthouse (~£40-50pp)

• →Rim Trail walk
• →Sunset Point at golden hour

Get up early and hike down into the amphitheatre: the Navajo Loop + Queen's Garden combination (~5km, 2-3 hrs) is the signature route past Thor's Hammer and Wall Street. Free park shuttle in season. Drive south on US-89 to Kanab (~1.5 hrs), the base for the Arizona strip and a good-value motel town.

🚌~130km drive, fuel ~£10 shared

🛏Kanab motel (~£35-45pp)

• →Navajo Loop / Queen's Garden hike
• →Free Bryce shuttle
• →Kanab old town walk

Drive via Fredonia and Jacob Lake to the North Rim (~2 hrs; the North Rim is open roughly mid-May to mid-October only). Walk the Bright Angel Point trail from the lodge, then the Transept Trail along the rim. The North Rim is far quieter than the South — a tenth of the visitors. Return to Kanab for the night, or camp at DeMotte if you booked ahead.

🚌~250km return drive, fuel ~£18 shared

🛏Kanab motel (~£35-45pp)

• →Bright Angel Point
• →Transept Trail
• →North Rim visitor centre

Pre-book Antelope Canyon X or Lower Antelope Canyon with a Navajo-guided tour — entry to Antelope Canyon is permit-only and can only be visited with a Navajo guide (book on GetYourGuide or directly with Ken's Tours/Dixie Ellis, ~£45-90 depending on slot; book weeks ahead). Then drive 10 minutes to Horseshoe Bend (parking ~£8). Optional add-on: a Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park jeep tour (~£55-70) booked direct or via GetYourGuide. Sleep in Bluff or Mexican Hat — far cheaper than Page.

🚌~300km drive, fuel ~£22 shared

🛏Bluff/Mexican Hat motel or guesthouse (~£35-45pp)

• →Antelope Canyon guided tour (pre-booked)
• →Horseshoe Bend
• →Monument Valley jeep tour (optional)

Long driving day west-east: US-191 to US-491/160 through Cortez and Durango (~6-7 hrs). Optional splurge: the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (~£85-100 one way; book direct on durangotrain.com) through the San Juan Mountains — do the one-way with a bus/train return so you keep the car. Otherwise drive the Million Dollar Highway (US-550) over Red Mountain Pass, one of the great American road drives. Overnight in Glenwood Springs; the hot springs pool (~£20) is well worth it after a long day.

🚌~550km drive, fuel ~£35 shared; optional railway ~£90

🛏Glenwood Springs motel or hostel (~£40-50pp)

• →Durango & Silverton Railroad (optional)
• →Million Dollar Highway / San Juan Mountains
• →Glenwood Hot Springs

Drive to Aspen early (1 hr) and take the Maroon Bells shuttle from Aspen Highlands (vehicle access to Maroon Lake is restricted in daytime, ~£12 shuttle). Walk the Maroon Lake Scenic Trail and, if legs allow, the Crater Lake trail. Optional Aspen town wander, then return to Denver via Independence Pass (seasonal, narrow and spectacular) or the I-70 route (~3.5 hrs). Drop the rental car downtown.

🚌~300km drive; Maroon Bells shuttle ~£12; fuel ~£20 shared

🛏Denver hostel (~£35-45pp)

• →Maroon Bells Scenic Loop
• →Crater Lake trail
• →Independence Pass
• →Aspen town

Buffer day for weather, road closures or the flight home. Denver options: the Denver Art Museum (free on some days), the Botanic Gardens, Red Rocks Amphitheatre (free to walk in on non-show days, or catch a gig), or a day trip to Boulder's Flatirons. Return the car if not already done.

🚌Local RTD bus/light rail ~£5

🛏Denver hostel (~£35-45pp)

• →Red Rocks Amphitheatre
• →Denver Art Museum
• →Boulder Flatirons day trip

A-Line train to DEN for the flight home. If you're heading onward in the US, Denver Union Station is the Amtrak California Zephyr departure point for the Rockies westward.

🚌RTD A-Line ~£8

🛏—

• →Airport transfer