Hike the Great National Parks of the Western USA: Self-Launched

Fly into Harry Reid International Airport (LAS). Take the free airport shuttle or a rideshare (~£10–15) to a downtown Las Vegas hostel or budget hotel. Check in, grab a cheap all-you-can-eat buffet (plentiful and affordable on the Strip), and get an early night — you're hitting the road first thing tomorrow. If you want a taste of the famous nightlife, arrive a day or two early.

🚌Rideshare or airport shuttle from LAS to downtown (~£10–15)

🛏Downtown Vegas hostel or budget motel (e.g. Hostel Cat Las Vegas or similar) — approx. £25–35/night

• →Check in and explore Fremont Street Experience (free)
• →Optional: sample a casino buffet dinner (~£15–20)

Pick up your pre-booked rental car or campervan early (book in advance via rentalcars.com or Outdoorsy for campervans — split between travel companions to save significantly). Drive ~2.5 hours from Las Vegas to Zion National Park. Enter on the America the Beautiful Annual Pass (£65/person, covers all national parks — buy online at store.usgs.gov before you go). Hike the Emerald Pools Trail or Angels Landing lower section (~4 miles, 2 hrs). Note: Angels Landing summit requires a permit — book via recreation.gov well in advance (~£5). After hiking, drive a further 1.5 hours to a campsite near Bryce Canyon. Book Bryce Canyon campgrounds on recreation.gov in advance — Sunset Campground is the most popular.

🚌Rental car/campervan from Las Vegas — approx. £45–60/day split between 2–3 people

🛏Sunset Campground, Bryce Canyon (~£18–22/night per pitch, split between companions)

• →Hike Emerald Pools Trail in Zion National Park (included with America the Beautiful Pass)
• →Optional Angels Landing lower section (permit required ~£5 via recreation.gov)
• →Campfire cooking at Bryce Canyon campsite

Rise early for sunrise at Bryce Point — one of the most spectacular light shows in the American West, completely free. Spend the morning hiking the classic Navajo Loop + Queen's Garden Trail combo (~3 miles, 2–3 hrs, 521ft elevation change) descending into the canyon's famous hoodoo formations. For a longer day, add the Peekaboo Loop (~5 miles). All trails are self-navigable with the free NPS Bryce Canyon app or AllTrails. Entry covered by the America the Beautiful Pass. Pick up groceries at the small Bryce Canyon General Store or pre-stock in nearby Tropic for campfire cooking.

🚌Car parked at trailheads — use the free Bryce Canyon shuttle in peak season (May–Sept)

🛏Sunset Campground, Bryce Canyon (~£18–22/night per pitch)

• →Sunrise at Bryce Point (free)
• →Navajo Loop & Queen's Garden Trail hike (7 miles, free with America the Beautiful Pass)
• →Optional: Peekaboo Loop extension
• →Campfire dinner at campsite

Pack up camp and drive ~2.5 hours south to Page, Arizona. First stop: Horseshoe Bend. Entry is £5/vehicle — park at the Horseshoe Bend trailhead and walk the easy 1.5-mile round trip to the iconic Colorado River overlook. Next, book an Antelope Canyon tour — this is mandatory as the canyon is on Navajo Nation land and requires a licensed Navajo guide. Book direct with Chief Tsosie's Original Antelope Canyon Tours (chieftsosie.com) or Antelope Canyon Navajo Tours (~£50–65/person). Upper Canyon tours include a jeep ride; Lower Canyon is often cheaper and less crowded. Afterwards, drive ~2.5 hours to a campsite near the Grand Canyon South Rim. Book Mather Campground on recreation.gov well in advance.

🚌Self-drive rental car, approx. 5 hrs total driving today

🛏Mather Campground, Grand Canyon South Rim (~£18/night per pitch)

• →Horseshoe Bend hike (1.5 miles round trip, £5/vehicle entry)
• →Antelope Canyon guided Navajo tour (~£50–65/person, book direct at chieftsosie.com or antelopecanyonnavarrotours.com)

An early start is essential — Grand Canyon trails get brutally hot by midday. Entry covered by the America the Beautiful Pass. The most popular self-guided day hike is the Bright Angel Trail: hike down to the 3-Mile Resthouse (6 miles round trip, ~1,000ft descent) or push to Indian Garden/Havasupai Gardens (9 miles round trip). Alternatively, the South Kaibab Trail to Ooh Aah Point or Cedar Ridge is shorter and arguably more spectacular. The NPS strongly advises against hiking to the river and back in a single day — plan accordingly and carry at least 4 litres of water. Spend the evening at camp watching the sunset over the rim.

🚌Free Grand Canyon Shuttle buses between visitor centre, campground and trailheads

🛏Mather Campground, Grand Canyon South Rim (~£18/night per pitch)

• →Self-guided hike on Bright Angel Trail or South Kaibab Trail (free with America the Beautiful Pass)
• →Sunset viewing from Mather Point or Yavapai Point (free)
• →Campfire dinner

Hit Route 66 for a proper slice of American road-trip culture. Stop in Seligman, Arizona — the town that inspired the movie Cars — for a diner breakfast at Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In (~£8–12). Browse the Route 66 memorabilia shops, then continue to Oatman, a near-ghost town famous for its wild burros roaming the streets. Grab a cheap lunch at the Oatman Hotel saloon. Continue driving west, crossing into California. Tonight, stay at a budget motel near Barstow or Needles — cheap roadside motels abound here (Motel 6, Budget Inn, etc.) at around £40–55/night.

🚌Self-drive along Route 66 and I-40, approximately 6 hours driving

🛏Budget roadside motel near Barstow or Needles, CA (~£40–55/night)

• →Stop in Seligman for Route 66 history and diner breakfast (~£10)
• →Visit Oatman ghost town and meet the wild burros (free)
• →Drive iconic stretches of Route 66

Drive north from the Barstow/Needles area into the Sierra Nevada foothills (~4 hours). Enter Sequoia National Park — covered by the America the Beautiful Pass. Stop to see the General Sherman Tree (the world's largest tree by volume) — a short 2-mile round trip walk from the car park. Then hike up Moro Rock, a spectacular granite dome with 350 steps leading to panoramic views of the Great Western Divide (~0.5 miles, 30–45 mins). Set up camp at Lodgepole Campground (book on recreation.gov in advance, ~£22/night). Cook dinner at the campsite.

🚌Self-drive rental car, approximately 4 hours driving

🛏Lodgepole Campground, Sequoia National Park (~£22/night per pitch)

• →Visit the General Sherman Tree (free with America the Beautiful Pass)
• →Hike Moro Rock (0.5 miles, free with pass)
• →Explore the Giant Forest sequoia grove

Spend a full day exploring both adjacent parks — both covered by the same America the Beautiful Pass. Drive the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway (CA-180) into Kings Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in North America. Hike Zumwalt Meadow Trail (1.8 miles, easy, spectacular valley views) or the more challenging Rae Lakes Loop section if time allows. Back in Sequoia, try the Lakes Trail or High Sierra Trail for bigger elevation and panoramic views. Wildlife spotting is excellent here — watch for black bears (use bear canisters at camp, mandatory and rentable at the visitor centre ~£5).

🚌Self-drive between Sequoia and Kings Canyon on CA-180 and Generals Highway

🛏Lodgepole Campground, Sequoia National Park (~£22/night per pitch)

• →Drive Kings Canyon Scenic Byway (free with pass)
• →Hike Zumwalt Meadow Trail in Kings Canyon (~1.8 miles, free)
• →Hike in Sequoia National Park — Lakes Trail or Tokopah Falls (~4 miles)
• →Wildlife watching (black bears, mule deer, coyotes)

Drive north from Sequoia to Yosemite (~4 hours via CA-41, the Wawona Road — the most scenic entrance). Entry covered by the America the Beautiful Pass. Note: Yosemite Valley requires a timed entry reservation from May–September — book on recreation.gov as soon as your dates are confirmed (releases 2 days in advance and fills instantly). Check in to your campsite near the western entrance (Hodgdon Meadow Campground is a good option, ~£18/night, some pitches reservable on recreation.gov). Hike to Yosemite Falls (Lower Yosemite Fall Loop, 1 mile easy) for your first taste of the valley's grandeur.

🚌Self-drive from Sequoia via CA-41 (Wawona Road entrance to Yosemite), ~4 hours

🛏Hodgdon Meadow Campground or Crane Flat Campground (~£18–22/night per pitch, book on recreation.gov)

• →Enter Yosemite via the Wawona Road for iconic Valley views
• →Hike Lower Yosemite Fall Loop (1 mile, free with pass)
• →Valley floor orientation walk with views of El Capitan and Half Dome
• →Campfire dinner

Make the most of a full day in what many consider America's greatest national park. Use the free Yosemite Valley Shuttle (runs every 10–20 mins, April–November) to reach trailheads without driving. Top self-launched hikes: the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls (3 miles round trip, 1,000ft gain — outstanding) or push on to Nevada Falls (7 miles round trip). Mirror Lake Loop is a flat, easy 5-mile option. Half Dome requires a permit via recreation.gov lottery (~£10) — apply months in advance. Pick up a packed lunch from Yosemite Village store or the deli (~£10–12). The free Yosemite app and AllTrails both provide excellent offline maps.

🚌Free Yosemite Valley Shuttle between campground and trailheads

🛏Hodgdon Meadow Campground or Crane Flat Campground (~£18–22/night per pitch)

• →Mist Trail to Vernal Falls (3–7 miles depending on distance, free with pass)
• →Mirror Lake Loop (5 miles, free with pass)
• →Optional: Half Dome hike (permit required, apply via recreation.gov lottery ~£10)
• →Yosemite Valley floor walk with views of El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Fall

Pack up camp for the last time and drive ~3.5 hours west to San Francisco via CA-120 or US-395 and I-580. Drop off your rental car at SFO or a downtown location. On arrival, walk or take BART (~£5) to the waterfront for views of the Golden Gate Bridge from Crissy Field or the Embarcadero. Grab a San Francisco sourdough lunch at the Ferry Building Marketplace (~£10–15). If flying home, SFO is easily reached by BART from downtown (~£9). If extending your stay, hostels in the Mission, Castro, or Fisherman's Wharf neighbourhoods run from £30–45/night.

🚌Self-drive rental car return to SFO or downtown San Francisco drop-off; BART from downtown to SFO (~£9)

🛏Optional: San Francisco hostel if staying on (e.g. HI San Francisco City Center, ~£35–45/night)

• →Scenic drive through the Central Valley to San Francisco
• →Views of the Golden Gate Bridge from Crissy Field or Vista Point (free)
• →Lunch at the Ferry Building Marketplace (~£10–15)
• →Explore Fisherman's Wharf or Mission District (free)