Self-Launched Camping America's West: 21-Day San Francisco Loop
21 days · United States (California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah)
G Adventures charges £3,150
No-markup version: ~£1,790 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched, independent version of G Adventures' 21-day camping loop of the American West — same national parks, same canyon sunsets, same Vegas neon, but done your way on a mix of Amtrak, budget flights, regional buses and a shared rental campervan/SUV. Sleeping in park campgrounds and budget hostels instead of a tour truck and tents-all-supplied, cooking most meals yourself at camp, and booking the optional big-ticket add-ons (Antelope Canyon, Grand Canyon helicopter, rafting) directly. All costs are approximate per-person GBP estimates based on current budget traveller rates and will swing with park fees, fuel and season.
Day-by-day
Arrive San Francisco — settle into the Mission
San Francisco, CA
Arrive at SFO and take BART into town (~£6, 30 min) rather than a £30 taxi. Check into a hostel dorm in the Mission or Fisherman's Wharf area. Spend the afternoon walking the Embarcadero and Golden Gate Bridge viewpoint, pick up a Clipper card for local transit, and stock up on camp groceries at Trader Joe's. Evening: cheap burrito in the Mission and an early night.
🚌BART from SFO to downtown ~£6
🛏Hostel dorm (HI San Francisco Downtown or Green Tortoise), ~£30
- →BART arrival into downtown
- →Golden Gate Bridge viewpoint walk
- →Mission District wander + burrito dinner
- →Buy Clipper card and camp groceries
San Francisco free morning, then Napa Valley
San Francisco → Napa Valley, CA
Free morning for Alcatraz if you book ahead (official Alcatraz City Cruises ~£32, book online weeks in advance) or a cable car ride (~£5.50). After lunch, take the San Francisco Bay Ferry to Vallejo (~£12) then the Vine bus to Napa (~£2). Check into a hostel or budget motel in Napa. Evening: a tasting at a walk-in tasting room in downtown Napa (~£15-25) — you don't need a tour to taste.
🚌SF Bay Ferry to Vallejo ~£12 + Vine bus ~£2
🛏Budget motel or hostel in Napa, ~£45
- →Optional Alcatraz visit (~£32, book ahead)
- →Cable car ride (~£5.50)
- →Downtown Napa walk-in wine tasting (~£15-25)
Napa to Yosemite National Park
Napa Valley → Yosemite, CA
This is a long transit day — the tour does it in a private van, you'll string together the Vine bus back to Vallejo, the ferry or BART to the East Bay, then Amtrak San Joaquins to Merced (~£25), then the YARTS bus into Yosemite Valley (~£15, runs seasonally). Enter the park and set up at a walk-in campground or book a Curry Village tent cabin in advance (reservations open months ahead on recreation.gov). Cook dinner at camp.
🚌Vine bus + BART + Amtrak San Joaquins ~£25 + YARTS bus ~£15
🛏Yosemite campground (reserve on recreation.gov) or Curry Village tent cabin, ~£25
- →YARTS scenic entry into Yosemite Valley
- →Tunnel View sunset
- →Camp setup and cook dinner
Yosemite Valley on foot and by shuttle
Yosemite National Park, CA
The Valley shuttle is free and gets you everywhere. Hike the Mist Trail to Vernal Fall (~3 hrs, free), rent a bike at Curry Village (~£30), or do the flat Mirror Lake loop. Pack a picnic lunch. Evening ranger talk at the amphitheatre (free) is a great budget highlight.
🚌Free Valley shuttle + walking
🛏Yosemite campground or Curry Village tent cabin, ~£25
- →Mist Trail hike to Vernal Fall (free)
- →Optional bike rental ~£30
- →Mirror Lake loop
- →Free evening ranger programme
Yosemite to Mono Lake and the Eastern Sierra
Yosemite → Lee Vining / Mono Lake, CA
Cross Tioga Pass (closed in winter — check road status) via YARTS to Lee Vining (~£15). Afternoon walk among the weird tufa towers at Mono Lake at the South Tufa area (park entry ~£2). Camp or stay budget in Lee Vining. Great cheap diner food in town.
🚌YARTS bus over Tioga Pass ~£15
🛏Lee Vining campground or budget motel, ~£25
- →Tioga Pass scenic drive
- →Mono Lake South Tufa walk (~£2 entry)
Death Valley and into Las Vegas
Lee Vining → Death Valley → Las Vegas, NV
No public bus does this leg, so this is where you either hire a car for the desert stretch (a week's rental split 3-4 ways is the cheapest realistic option, ~£35-45/day total) or join a small-group day shuttle. Cross Death Valley — stop at Zabriskie Point, Badwater Basin and the Mesquite Flat dunes (park entry ~£25/vehicle). Push on to Las Vegas and check into a hostel or budget Strip-adjacent motel. Evening: walk the Strip, free Bellagio fountains show.
🚌Shared rental car ~£15 pp (split) or group shuttle
🛏Hostel or budget motel near the Strip, ~£40
- →Death Valley National Park (Zabriskie Point, Badwater Basin, Mesquite Dunes)
- →Las Vegas Strip walk
- →Bellagio fountains (free)
Full free day in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV
Do Vegas on your own terms. Free: the Strip, Fremont Street, the neon museum exterior. Cheap thrills: a casino floor coffee and people-watching. Splurges if you want them: a Cirque or comedy show (~£50-150, book direct or via TodayTix), the High Roller observation wheel (~£25), or a day trip to Hoover Dam by tour bus (~£55). Keep drinking costs down by buying from a liquor store.
🚌Walking + Deuce bus day pass ~£6
🛏Hostel or budget motel near the Strip, ~£40
- →Fremont Street Experience (free)
- →Optional show (~£50-150)
- →Optional Hoover Dam tour (~£55)
- →High Roller observation wheel (~£25)
Zion National Park
Las Vegas → Springdale / Zion, UT
Drive or take a shuttle to Springdale at the gates of Zion (~2.5 hrs). Zion's own shuttle is free. Hike the Riverside Walk, or wade the Narrows if conditions allow (rent gear in Springdale ~£25). Angels Landing now requires a permit — enter the lottery in advance on recreation.gov (free to enter, ~£5 if you win). Camp at Watchman campground or a Springdale hostel.
🚌Shared rental car ~£15 pp or Las Vegas–Springdale shuttle ~£35
🛏Watchman campground or Zion hostel, ~£25
- →Zion Canyon Scenic Drive
- →Riverside Walk / The Narrows hike
- →Free park shuttle
- →Optional Angels Landing permit lottery
Bryce Canyon and Scenic Byway 12 to Moab
Zion → Bryce Canyon → Moab, UT
Early start for Bryce Canyon (~1.5 hrs) — walk the Queens Garden / Navajo Loop among the hoodoos (park entry ~£28/vehicle). Then take Highway 12, one of America's great scenic roads, east towards Moab (~4 hrs). Long day; pre-book a Moab hostel or campground as Moab fills up fast in season.
🚌Shared rental car ~£18 pp
🛏Moab hostel dorm or campground, ~£30
- →Bryce Canyon hoodoo hike (Queens Garden / Navajo Loop)
- →Scenic Byway 12 drive
Arches National Park and Dead Horse Point
Moab, UT
Arches now uses timed-entry reservations in peak season — book online in advance (~£2 booking fee + £28/vehicle). Hike to Delicate Arch (3 miles, free) and Windows section. Afternoon: optional rafting on the Colorado (~£55 with a local outfitter like Moab Adventure Center) or a bike rental (~£40). Drive to Dead Horse Point State Park (~£15/vehicle) for sunset over the canyon.
🚌Shared rental car ~£15 pp
🛏Moab hostel dorm or campground, ~£30
- →Arches National Park + Delicate Arch hike
- →Optional Colorado River rafting ~£55
- →Dead Horse Point sunset
- →Optional mountain bike rental ~£40
Canyonlands and Monument Valley
Moab → Monument Valley, UT/AZ
Morning in Canyonlands (Island in the Sky district, ~45 min from Moab, park entry ~£28/vehicle) — Mesa Arch is a short easy walk with a huge view. Then drive south to Monument Valley (~2.5 hrs) and camp at Goulding's or the Navajo-run campground. Sunset over the buttes is free from the visitor centre viewpoint; a Navajo-guided jeep loop inside the valley is ~£75-100 direct with local operators.
🚌Shared rental car ~£15 pp
🛏Goulding's campground or budget lodge, ~£30
- →Canyonlands Mesa Arch
- →Monument Valley sunset viewpoint
- →Optional Navajo jeep tour ~£75-100
Lake Powell and Horseshoe Bend
Monument Valley → Page / Lake Powell, AZ
Drive to Page (~2 hrs). Hike the short Horseshoe Bend trail (free, parking ~£8) for that postcard view of the Colorado. Book Antelope Canyon direct with a Navajo operator in advance — Upper Antelope is ~£85-110, Lower is cheaper and less crowded. Afternoon swim or kayak at Lake Powell (~£25 kayak rental). Camp at a Page-area campground or budget motel.
🚌Shared rental car ~£12 pp
🛏Page campground or budget motel, ~£30
- →Horseshoe Bend hike
- →Antelope Canyon tour (book direct, ~£85-110)
- →Lake Powell swim or kayak rental ~£25
Grand Canyon South Rim
Page → Grand Canyon South Rim, AZ
Drive ~2.5 hrs to the South Rim (park entry ~£28/vehicle). Walk the Rim Trail between viewpoints for free, or hike partway down the Bright Angel Trail — turn around well before you're tired, it's downhill going in. Stay for sunset at Mather or Hopi Point. Camp at Mather Campground (book on recreation.gov) or a Tusayan budget motel.
🚌Shared rental car ~£15 pp
🛏Mather Campground or Tusayan budget motel, ~£30
- →Grand Canyon South Rim Rim Trail
- →Bright Angel Trail partial hike
- →Sunset at Hopi Point
Grand Canyon morning, optional helicopter, then west
Grand Canyon → Lake Havasu / Needles, CA
Sunrise on the rim (free, and better than any paid tour). If you want the helicopter flight, book direct with Papillon or Maverick (~£200-240) — genuinely one of the few splurges worth it. Then start the long westward drive towards the California border (~5 hrs). Cheap motel night in Lake Havasu or Needles; grab groceries and cook or eat cheap.
🚌Shared rental car ~£18 pp
🛏Budget motel in Lake Havasu / Needles, ~£35
- →Grand Canyon sunrise
- →Optional helicopter flight (~£200-240)
- →London Bridge, Lake Havasu (free)
San Diego
Needles → San Diego, CA
Long drive (~5 hrs) or drop the car and take Amtrak's Southwest Chief + Pacific Surfliner combo. San Diego is a great hostel city — stay in Ocean Beach or the Gaslamp. Free afternoon: Balboa Park gardens, the Gaslamp Quarter, and sunset at Sunset Cliffs. Cheap fish tacos for dinner.
🚌Shared rental car ~£18 pp or Amtrak ~£40
🛏Hostel dorm in Ocean Beach, ~£35
- →Balboa Park (free)
- →Sunset Cliffs sunset
- →Gaslamp Quarter walk
San Diego beaches and surf
San Diego, CA
Book a group surf lesson direct with a Mission Beach school (~£60) or rent a board for ~£15/hr. Afternoon: Coronado Island by ferry (~£5), Mission Beach boardwalk, or Old Town for free history wandering. Evening in Ocean Beach — cheap beers and live music.
🚌Local bus + ferry ~£8
🛏Hostel dorm in Ocean Beach, ~£35
- →Group surf lesson ~£60
- →Coronado ferry (~£5)
- →Mission Beach boardwalk
- →Old Town San Diego (free)
Los Angeles
San Diego → Los Angeles, CA
Take the Pacific Surfliner train up the coast to LA (~£25, 3 hrs, beautiful ocean views). Stay in a Santa Monica or Hollywood hostel. Free afternoon: walk Venice Beach boardwalk and Muscle Beach, then Santa Monica Pier for sunset. Cheap tacos on the boardwalk.
🚌Amtrak Pacific Surfliner ~£25 + Metro ~£5
🛏Hostel dorm in Santa Monica, ~£38
- →Venice Beach boardwalk
- →Santa Monica Pier sunset
- →Optional Universal Studios (~£80-110, book direct)
LA free day, then north on the coast
Los Angeles, CA
Morning free: Griffith Observatory (free entry, great city views), the Hollywood sign hike from Lake Hollywood Park, or a studio tour if you're a film nerd (~£55). Afternoon: start heading north — Amtrak Thruway/FlixBus up to San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara (~£25) and overnight there.
🚌Amtrak Thruway or FlixBus ~£25
🛏Budget motel or hostel in SLO / Santa Barbara, ~£40
- →Griffith Observatory (free)
- →Hollywood sign hike from Lake Hollywood Park
- →Optional studio tour ~£55
Highway 1 and Big Sur
San Luis Obispo → Monterey / Big Sur, CA
This is the stretch the tour does in a van — you can do it with an organised small-group Highway 1 day tour (~£60-80 from SLO or Monterey), or hire a car for two days with others. Check road closures on Highway 1 before you go (the Big Sur stretch closes in landslides periodically). Stop at McWay Falls, Bixby Bridge and a seal colony. Overnight in Monterey.
🚌Shared car ~£20 pp or Highway 1 day tour ~£70
🛏Monterey hostel or budget motel, ~£45
- →Big Sur drive
- →McWay Falls viewpoint
- →Bixby Creek Bridge
- →Optional whale watching from Monterey ~£45
Monterey to San Francisco
Monterey → San Francisco, CA
Morning at the free Monterey Bay coastal trail or a paid aquarium visit (~£40, genuinely excellent). Then Amtrak Thruway bus back to San Francisco (~£20, 3 hrs). Last night in the city — North Beach Italian dinner, a cheap drink in a Haight-Ashbury bar, and pack up.
🚌Amtrak Thruway bus ~£20
🛏Hostel dorm in San Francisco, ~£32
- →Monterey Bay coastal trail (free)
- →Optional Monterey Bay Aquarium ~£40
- →North Beach dinner
Depart San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Slow morning, BART to SFO (~£6) for your flight out. If you've got a late flight, the free Presidio Tunnel Tops park and Crissy Field are a nice last walk.
🚌BART to SFO ~£6
🛏—
- →Presidio Tunnel Tops / Crissy Field walk (free)
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,790 | £3,150 |
| Duration | 21 days | 21 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,360 per person (43%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,790
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.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched Camping America's West: 21-Day San Francisco Loop cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,790 per person for 21 days in United States (California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah). 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 £3,150 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,790 — a saving of roughly £1,360 (43%) per person.
How long is the United States (California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah) trip?+
This itinerary runs 21 days, covering 21 day-by-day stops through United States (California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah).
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, road-trip, hiking trip through United States (California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah), 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?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.