mlglazer

Any advice on very good Bus Tours through Western National Parks. Would like to visit as many parks as possible in one trip. Best time of year advice also would be helpful.

lovestohike

If you are ok with a combo bus/train (Amtrak) tours, Amtrak has some fun trips to the national parks. We have enjoyed one tour and have used it also for planning our own independent travel.
For their options, see

http://www.vacationsbyrail.com/natio...rks/index.html

mlglazer

Good advice - never gave it a thought. Thank you.

bachslunch

There are a couple bus tour companies that offer such options. One that I've used is AdventureBus:

http://www.adventurebus.com/

and one thing I liked about them is that you do get out and do some good hiking with these folks. Note that there is a roughing-it camping feel here for eating and sleeping, though I managed fine with it. I did the two-week Best of the National Parks tour with them that went to Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon, Arches, Monument Valley, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton, plus days spent in Moab and Jackson. They offer other tour itinerary options as well.

There are other companies that offer similar tours. Note well that some apparently also offer a good bit in the way of hiking options, though reportedly others don't.

You'll likely get advice on this forum to plan your own trip, which strikes me as a good idea if you can do the driving required and don't mind making lodging arrangements ahead of time. If nothing else, you'll get maximum flexibility this way.

ElendilPickle

Which parks do you want to see, and how much time do you have for this trip? It may be easier to drive yourself unless you're OK with seeing just a little bit of a lot of parks.

Lee Ann