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The USA is home to dozens of national parks, but the West has some of the most scenic – from Yellowstone’s steaming geyser basins and roaming bison, Arches’ natural stone cathedrals, Zion’s river walkways and the Grand Canyon’s vast scale.
Travelling independently to these parks can be rewarding, but the distances are vast and logistics add up fast. On an escorted tour, you see more with less effort, with expert insight and everything taken care of.
That’s precisely the appeal of our Epic Wonders of the National Parks, a 17-day National Park US tour linking nine parks across seven states, from geyser country to desert canyons and sandstone spires.
Whether you’d like to experience sky-high views, wander the quiet waterfront parks or experience the buzz of an ice hockey game, there’s something for everyone in this beautiful and diverse city.
Below, we’ve highlighted the best national parks for a Western USA circuit – the very landscapes you’ll encounter on Travelsphere’s expert-led itineraries.
Yellowstone was the first national park in the USA, established in 1872 by President Ulysses S. Grant.
The park is famous for its hot springs and geysers, including Old Faithful, which is named for its predictable and impressive eruptions. It’s also known for its rich wildlife, with more mammals than anywhere else in the mainland United States, including bison, wolves and grizzly bears.
Visiting Yellowstone feels like stepping into a giant, open-air science lab. You can move between steaming basins and cool forests and watch the landscape change from one valley to another. Boardwalks keep you safely above the hot ground while you wander past pools the colour of sapphires and rust.
Highlights of Yellowstone National Park holidays include Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin boardwalks, the Grand Prismatic Spring overlook, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone from Artist Point, dawn wildlife watching in the Lamar Valley and the chalk-white terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs—all visitor favourites.
Weather changes quickly at altitude, so bring layers, sun protection and water – and keep a safe distance from the roaming bison and elk that call the park home.
Just south of Yellowstone, the Teton Range cuts a jagged granite skyline that’s mirrored in the calm lakes of Grand Teton National Park.
The mood here is alpine and unhurried, with wide-screen vistas in every direction. Along the shoreline paths, you’ll catch the scent of pine, hear the river flowing through willows, and, with luck, spot moose tucked into quiet creeks. As evening comes, the sun paints the peaks a deep copper and the water turns glass-like.
It’s easy to explore. Take the Jenny Lake boat shuttle and follow short trails to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. Pause for classic reflections at Oxbow Bend and Schwabacher Landing, photograph the historic Moulton barns on Mormon Row, and the panoramic view from Signal Mountain.
Grand Teton is at a high elevation, and the sun can be strong. Mornings are cool, and summer afternoons can bring brief storms. Dress in layers, carry water and sun protection, and give wildlife plenty of space.
Arches National Park is a landscape of natural stone arches, fins and towers, with more than 2,000 arches scattered across rust-coloured desert. You move over weathered rock formations and soft sand as the colour of the sandstone shifts through the day, with the snowy La Sal Mountains often framing the horizon.
While here, some visitors choose to walk the rolling three-mile out-and-back route to the 52-foot-tall Delicate Arch and wander through the impressive Windows, Turret Arch and Double Arch. Those feeling sure-footed on the rocks might continue to Navajo and Partition. To make these sights more iconic, walk Park Avenue and pause at Balanced Rock during golden hour on your loop.
Arches is open all year round, with timed entry depending on the season (your Holiday Director will plan the perfect time to visit). Shade is limited, so carry water and sun protection and carefully stay on marked trails to protect fragile soil.
At Island in the Sky, you stand on a sandstone mesa a thousand feet above a maze of buttes and canyons carved by the Green and Colorado Rivers. The views go on for miles, with layers of rust-red rock fading into the blue sky before the sunset turns everything a warm orange. Snow-topped mountains line the horizon, and you’ll feel a fresh, sage-scented breeze as you walk between overlooks.
Top sights include Mesa Arch, the Grand View Point path along the rim, the Green River Overlook and the Shafer Trail viewpoint. Visitors to Canyonlands National Park often take the short climbs to Upheaval Dome’s two lookouts. Geologists still debate how this was formed – either by a meteor impact or a salt dome (ancient salt deep underground that pushes rock upwards).
If time allows, quieter viewpoints such as Murphy Point provide wide panoramas without the crowds.
Viewpoints are exposed with little shade, so bring sun protection, water and a hat. Short, well-maintained paths lead to the best lookouts.
Monument Valley feels cinematic the moment you see it – like the setting for a classic Western. Flat-topped and tower-like sandstone buttes rise from the desert floor here like sentinels, with shadows that shift with the sun. The silence is striking, especially at dusk and dawn, when the sandstone glows and soft desert winds hum through the grass.
The Valley Loop showcases classic views of the Mittens, Merrick Butte and Totem Pole. Visitors can join a Navajo guide to access restricted areas such as Mystery Valley and Hunts Mesa while hearing stories that anchor the landscape to its ancestral Puebloan history. This Tribal Park is located within the Navajo Nation, so visitors are asked to follow the local rules and respect cultural sites.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site in Colorado preserves sandstone mesas and the remarkable cliff dwellings that tell the story of Ancestral Puebloan life. This national park, with its juniper and piñon-scented air, is a rewarding stop for anyone interested in history.
Ranger-led tours of Cliff Palace take visitors down among the rooms and towers, while Balcony House is a more adventurous option with ladders and short tunnels. The Mesa Top Loop offers views that show how early pithouses evolved into the cliff villages below.
The Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center houses exhibits that tell the story of Ancestral Pueblo culture here (Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum is undergoing long-term upgrades). Long House on Wetherill Mesa is also a good option.
Arguably the most famous national park in the world, the Grand Canyon’s sheer scale leaves many visitors speechless. Layers of rock drop a mile towards the Colorado River, with temples and buttes shifting in colour as light travels through the canyon. Along the rim, every viewpoint tells a different geological story – colours shift with the light from midday golds to evening maroons.
Here, park shuttle buses string together South Rim viewpoints along Hermit Road. Desert View offers wide-angle vistas and Mary Colter’s Desert View Watchtower. For a short, graded descent, some visitors walk part of Bright Angel or South Kaibab to the 1.5-Mile Resthouse or Ooh Aah Point and back.
Elevation differences are significant, and weather can vary by rim and season. If you prefer gentle walks, there are level rim paths and frequent shuttle stops.
For a once-in-a-lifetime experience, you can see the Grand Canyon from above on a Travelsphere tour. The Canyon Spirit helicopter tour, an optional excursion, departs from the South Rim and offers the most spectacular views of the canyon.
Explore Grand Canyon National Park as part of our Best of the West guided tour.
At Bryce Canyon National Park, an amphitheatre of rust- and apricot-coloured hoodoos (uniquely formed spires of rock) drops from a high plateau, forming a stone city sculpted by centuries of frost and heat.
Compared to other national parks in Utah, the air here is thin, the light clearer and slender pine trees frame the sights. Take in the sequence of rim viewpoints (Sunrise, Sunset, Inspiration and Bryce), then link the Queen’s Garden and Navajo Loop for a figure-of-eight that winds beneath Wall Street’s towering fins.
Bryce is higher than neighbouring parks, so mornings and nights are cooler even in summer. Bring a warm layer for evening or early starts.
Zion National Park’s main canyon is a corridor of sheer Navajo sandstone, creamy-pink walls towering above cottonwoods and the bubbling Virgin River. Even in the heat, the canyons hold pockets of cool shade, and you might be wading through shallow water one moment and striding over dry, polished rock the next. It’s a place that invites you to slow down: ride the shuttle, hop off for easy riverside walks and look up – the scale is quietly uplifting.
Many visitors start with the riverside walk into the mouth of the Narrows – the Temple of Sinawava is a stunning natural amphitheatre that marks the start of the famous walk. Angels Landing offers a dramatic panorama, while the shorter Canyon Overlook is a more accessible alternative.
You can link the Kayenta trail with the Emerald Pools to enjoy the pools and waterfalls, then continue to the park’s east side for gentle walks on striped slickrock.
The shuttle system makes exploring simple. However, shade can be limited and canyon temperatures rise in the afternoon. Carry water and a sun hat.
Striated ridges, eroded buttes, and rolling grasslands create an almost lunar landscape.
Drive the Badlands Loop Road and stop at Pinnacles Overlook for expansive views, then head to Yellow Mounds to see vivid bands of colour. The Notch and Door trails are short, easy walks with great photo spots.
Wildlife is part of the experience: you may see bison and pronghorn on the plains, bighorn sheep on crumbly slopes and lively prairie dog towns near their burrows.
Exposed viewpoints throughout Badlands National Park mean strong sun and quick-moving summer storms are possible. Pack layers, water and sun protection.
The sweet spot for exploring the Western circuit is late spring and early autumn. April and May bring wild flowers and lighter crowds in Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon’s South Rim, although their high elevations may still have snow.
In the summer, expect longer days. Dawn walks and sunset viewpoints in the desert could help you avoid the midday heat.
Exploring in September and October means you’ll enjoy clearer light, milder days and fewer crowds.
With 60 years of touring expertise behind us, you can travel the West in our safe hands.
Our expert Holiday Directors and local guides handle the logistics of our trips and bring each national park’s stories to life. Our carefully crafted itineraries balance well-known highlights with free time to explore. Our Epic Wonders of the National Parks guided tour covers nine national parks, ensuring you see the best of their remarkable landscapes.
Departures are guaranteed, and your booking is financially protected, so you can book your holiday with confidence and focus on enjoying the moments that matter.
Our Epic Wonders of the National Parks guided tour is the perfect US National Parks trip – an expertly curated journey through nine of the West’s national parks, balancing planned excursions with free time. If you want to add an extra special end to your trip, why not consider our Epic Wonders of the National Parks with Las Vegas add-on tour?
For a more rounded exploration of the West, opt for our Best of the West guided tour. You’ll enjoy national park sights as well as colourful city nightlife and stargazing at the Lowell Observatory.
Want to compare options? Browse all USA escorted tours to find the pace, places and season that best suit you.
Venture through seven states and be mesmerised by the breath-taking and diverse scenery on this Royal Geographical Society tour to Americas National Parks.
