I did this tour in May this year, you are going to have an amazing time and see some incredible sights.

One tip I would give you is to take a warm sweater with you and a raincoat.

The first few days it was tshirt weather but once we hit Cody it became really cold.  The two days in Yellowstone and Grand Teton you will need a big sweater to keep warm.  Once you hit Salt Lake City it warms up and is tshirt and shorts weather for the rest of the trip.

When we were there it rained a few times in the desert (once at Canyonlands, once at Bryce Canyon and a heavy rain shower with thunder and lightning at Moab).  If you have a light raincoat I would take that on the bus with you as you never know when you will need it.  You can always leave it on the bus when you are off exploring.

Dawn

I'm also booked on the National Parks trip, May 2026. (Thank you Dawn for your good advice. I'll be packing a warm fleece and a waterproof). Just to give you a heads up that if you need an ESTA for entry to the USA,  the cost is increasing as of 1st October this year. So, it might be worth applying before 30th September to avoid the increase. I submitted an online application, which was approved almost immediately and is valid until September 2027. May 2026 will come around before we know it and I look forward to meeting you then. It's going to be a wonderful trip and I can't wait! 

Liz

I am going on this trip soon 8th October and was wondering if there any others on here doing this trip then.

Ail

I am booked on this trip.  Marie

I'd be interested to have more information based on experience.

Jean 

All of the hotels are of a good standard.  While the majority of them don't have a restaurant there are always plenty of places to eat in the places you are staying in.  Our tour manager pointed out all the places to eat in each town and there were always plenty of places within a 5-10 minute walk from the hotel.

Yes, you do spend a lot of time each day sitting on a bus, there's no getting round that but it's not too bad.  You will have a break every couple of hours to stretch your legs and the places you are going are worth it.

Dawn

I did this tour pre-pandemic and, as Dawn says, there's no getting around the long days on the bus but it is totally worth it for the views and experiences that you will have.

I think the majority of the hotels on the itinerary have changed since my tour in 2017 but I remember The Cody, in Cody, being out of town. However, the Hotel ran an informal taxi service to ferry guests to/from the centre of town to dine in the evening. 

I have one 'top tip' for this tour (and indeed any similar tours)  - group sizes can vary but in our case, we had 38 people on a bus with no middle door, meaning 'de-busing' took a while each time. There will be multiple 'coffee/comfort break' stops along your route but, as often happens, many places have few loo stalls and your break time will be limited in order to keep the tour on schedule. I recommend 'buddying up' with a fellow traveller and then, at the stops, one person join the queue to order refreshments while the other queues for the loos, then swap over. It's a little thing, but it really makes a difference when you have limited time.

Happy travels

MLB