Hike the Great National Parks of the Western USA

Arrive in Las Vegas, the indulgent oasis in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Meet your fellow adventurers and host at the hotel downtown in the early evening to discuss the adventure ahead. If you're eager to experience the famous nightlife of Vegas, consider arriving a couple of days before the adventure start date as you'll be setting off first thing tomorrow morning.

Leave the city lights behind and hit the road for your first taste of a classic American adventure. Cross the border from Nevada into Utah on your way to your first hike among the huge sandstone cliffs of Zion National Park. Weave through lush riparian woodland, catching glimpses of cascading falls, before tackling a climb up to an epic viewpoint across the canyon. Back in the van, you'll drive the final stretch to your first campground of the trip – just outside of Bryce Canyon National Park. Get to grips with setting up camp, then settle in for dinner and stories around the campfire in the great American outdoors – the first of many such nights to come.

Wake up early to catch the sunrise and its dazzling display over Bryce Canyon's multi-colored landscape. Today, you'll venture deeper into Bryce Canyon National Park along a series of trails, through a myriad of colors and rock formations. The park is a showcase of some of the youngest sedimentary layers along the Grand Staircase, a unique region of canyons, arches, plateaus, and cliffs. Your hike will see you descend below the rim into this otherworldly realm, connecting the Peekaboo, Navajo Loop, and Queen's Garden trails.

Pack down camp and bid farewell to Utah, hopping in the van for the drive to Page, Arizona. Head out for a short hike at Horseshoe Bend, the iconic lookout spot above the winding Colorado River. Next up is Antelope Canyon, a narrow slot canyon formed by millions of years of water and wind erosion. Accessible only with a specialist local guide, the tour begins with a jeep ride to the entrance of Antelope Canyon, then you'll navigate this surreal formation on foot. Rain and flooding still carve out the canyon, leaving behind ever-changing edifices which resemble brush strokes along a rock canvas, leading up narrow walls to glimpses of the light above. Back on the road again, you'll head towards the big one: eyes peeled for your first views of the Grand Canyon, before an evening arrival at camp.

Explore one of the USA's most famous sights today. The Grand Canyon, sculpted over millennia by the Colorado River, exposes some two billion years of the Earth's history. Spend the day appreciating the mesmerizing verandas along various trails. Tour leaders are not permitted to guide inside Grand Canyon National Park, so the hikes today are self-guided – but your guide will tell you the best paths to follow, and provide full details before you hit the trails. You'll find them easy to navigate together as a group. Back at camp, tuck into dinner under the stars after an epic day. The road trip continues tomorrow...

A journey through America's western states is packed with famous sights and iconic places, and Route 66 is the ultimate road trip. Known as 'The Mother Road', it is recognized as a National Monument in its entirety from Chicago to LA, representing generations of stories stemming from the complex history of the United States' western expansion. The small town of Seligman, Arizona has been instrumental in preserving its legacy, so you'll stop here for a dose of Americana and Route 66 flavor. Later, you'll stop at the nearly ghost town of Oatman, Arizona, which offers more insight into the history of human pursuits westward. True to the American-style road trip, you'll rest your head at a roadside hotel this evening.

Finish up this portion of the road trip with a resupply stop and the final stretch of road to cover, crossing into California and continuing on as the mountains of the Sierra Nevada come into view. Eventually, you'll begin to roll past the great forests of Sequoia National Park – one of the oldest protected natural areas in the world, and host to the largest living organism by volume on the planet, the General Sherman Tree. Many of the ancient sequoia trees that reside here have watched over the forest for thousands of years. Stretch your legs after all the driving with a hike up to Moro Rock, offering a brilliant view over the San Joaquin Valley via an ascent up 350 stairs to the top of the granite dome. You'll set up camp tonight in the foothills outside the park.

Enjoy a full day to explore and hike in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, with a plethora of trails through sequoia groves, past cascading falls, granite domes and valley lookouts. You have the option to hit a longer route in Sequoia National Park, or to join your guide on a drive between both parks to have a chance to navigate multiple shorter trails. A UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve, this diverse ecosystem is teeming with wildlife including black bears, wolves, coyotes and beavers.

Arguably, the best is saved for last on this trip. Yosemite National Park is the jewel in the crown of America's great wilderness landscapes, with sheer granite walls that rise more than 3,000 ft above the glacially sculpted valley floor. Regal waterfalls, hundreds of feet tall, attempt to steal the scene while rocky domes and peaks impose their will across the skyline. Take in your first impressions of Yosemite and get your bearings of the valley on a hike to see the impressive Yosemite Falls, before setting up your final camp spot of the trip near the western entrance to the park.

Head back into Yosemite National Park early, for a full day to explore the best trails. The Yosemite Valley shuttle system facilitates trail access around the Valley Loop, so you'll hop on the shuttles to reach trailheads which lead to some of the most epic parts of the park, including Vernal Falls and Mirror Lake. The sense of adventure is ever-present in Yosemite – from John Muir's exploits in the 1870s (which led to the creation of the National Park), through to modern-day feats by the likes of Alex Honnold (who in 2017 climbed El Capitan solo, without a rope). Yosemite oozes adventure and the great American outdoors from its every pore.

Bid farewell to Yosemite with a final breakfast at camp before hopping in the van for the drive to San Francisco. Arriving in the early afternoon, you’ll stop for lunch and take in the city’s spectacular setting on the bay, with sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge. The trip officially ends in central San Francisco at 3:00 PM, giving you plenty of time to catch an evening flight. If you’re extending your stay in the States, this is where you’ll say goodbye to your guide and fellow adventurers before heading to your own lodging.