American Parks Trail Reviews
6 American Parks Trail reviews from past travellers that booked with Global Journeys.
4.83
5 Star
4 Star
3 Star
2 Star
1 Star
Yellowstone is magical 0 Ron & Jan, QLD, Australia, May 2017
Great trip and a very good time of the year to do Yellowstone. Late snow blocked access to the northern park but the snow added a magical touch to the park.
American Parks 9 Dianne, QLD, Australia, May 2017
We have been regular visitors to the US in recent years so we look for "new" destinations to explore in addition to visiting family now residing on the East Coast. My husband and I have completed many tours with Insight Vacations in America, Canada and Europe so we have had the opportunity to weigh up the pros and cons of coach tours and in particular ...read more with this company. Coach tours do not suit all and you regularly need to remind yourself why you have chosen a coach tour as opposed to a self drive holiday following the same route !
Having said that, this trip probably exceeded our expectations. The coach itself was extremely comfortable, plenty of leg room, on board wi-fi and a recharge power points for each seat. Our tour director appeared to have a good knowledge of local history and culture which he shared with the group and prior experience about how to get the best out of each location in the limited time that you have available.There were 33 passengers on tour, 50% Americans ( mainly east coast retirees) and 50% Australians (again mainly retirees). There is a lot of coach travel on this tour with a couple of days of extended mileage. To get the best out of the trip you need to have a good level of fitness. Whilst there is full porterage of your bags, the accommodation did not always have lifts and there are steps to be climbed at some locations. At a couple of overnight stops you do need to walk outdoors from the accommodation to dining areas.
If you are looking for big cities and shopping this tour is not for you. We looked forward to seeing some of the other American Icons away from cities , more of the US National Parks and staying in Rustic Lodges and we were well satisfied.
We did not realise that this tour was stage 3 of an extended West Coast tour that had started in San Francisco. So a few passengers had booked on all 3 stages; several more on the final two stages and others like us joined up for the final stage 3. We in fact, had completed the second stage that included Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion National Parks back in 2010.
We flew from LA airport to Salt Lake City two days in advance of the tour date and would have been otherwise disappointed with the tour's itinerary / commentary of this town. We booked on both a City local tour and a lake local tour before departing Australia ; we were also able to easily walk to Temple Square and also attend the free Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert on the Thursday evening. We also chose to depart the tour in Denver rather than Rapid City. The Insight coach provided this connection and this gave us better options for ongoing flights to New York. We stayed in a hotel close to the airport for a flight the following morning - note Insight Vacations' warning about booking flight times that are too early.
We chose a tour in early May because we wanted to see snow capped mountains. The south gate into Yellowstone had only just opened for the season, a couple of roads in the park were still closed because of a late snow fall but that was the risk we were prepared to take with this early date. We did not want to experience summer school holiday crowds and traffic jams especially in Yellowstone! The snow covered Grand Tetons were magnificent - it had been a heavy snowfall winter. There was heavy snow still on the ground in the southern parts of Yellowstone, some lakes were still frozen, the waterfalls and mountain streams were raging. It was also still cool enough to enjoy walking geyser trails at Yellowstone and the board walk at Mt Rushmore and for fireplaces to be enjoyed in lodge foyers.
We saw plenty of bison, elk, deer, prairie dog and were lucky enough to spot a grizzly bear ambling out of the lake ! There were 2 optional excursions for the tour - we did not book the river float as we had been very satisfied with our memories of a Colorado River Float on another tour. We would recommend the Bison Safari and Cookout optional though ( do not be put off - this is not rough road touring ! )
We were very happy with all the accommodation. We had not anticipated the scale of these lodges. There are many rooms ; not luxury, but all have interesting character décor, good linen, satisfactory bathrooms and pleasant foyers. Meals were usually limited to the accommodation's large dining rooms with a seasonal staff who, in May, were fairly new to the job! While the "no bookings system at Yellowstone" is not always ideal, it is all part of the experience and will make you appreciate even more the wonderful dinner later on at the more intimate U Cross Ranch. Take on board the fact that Americans often have to book a long time in advance to stay at some of these lodges. We were fortunate that our dates enabled us to stay at all the "onsite accommodation" and I would suggest that future travellers read the fine print carefully for accommodation on their chosen dates as a couple of local events impose some limitations.
Custer State Park and the Buffalo Bill Museum were our unexpected favourite destinations on this tour. Eating dinner looking out on the Grand Tetons at twilight is a special memory we will never forget.
This is the first time we have booked with Global Journeys - the savings, in addition to Insight's early payment and past traveller discounts were attractive. All our communication and payments were made online. The process was efficient and I felt confident with the company even without a face to face meeting.
Having said that, this trip probably exceeded our expectations. The coach itself was extremely comfortable, plenty of leg room, on board wi-fi and a recharge power points for each seat. Our tour director appeared to have a good knowledge of local history and culture which he shared with the group and prior experience about how to get the best out of each location in the limited time that you have available.There were 33 passengers on tour, 50% Americans ( mainly east coast retirees) and 50% Australians (again mainly retirees). There is a lot of coach travel on this tour with a couple of days of extended mileage. To get the best out of the trip you need to have a good level of fitness. Whilst there is full porterage of your bags, the accommodation did not always have lifts and there are steps to be climbed at some locations. At a couple of overnight stops you do need to walk outdoors from the accommodation to dining areas.
If you are looking for big cities and shopping this tour is not for you. We looked forward to seeing some of the other American Icons away from cities , more of the US National Parks and staying in Rustic Lodges and we were well satisfied.
We did not realise that this tour was stage 3 of an extended West Coast tour that had started in San Francisco. So a few passengers had booked on all 3 stages; several more on the final two stages and others like us joined up for the final stage 3. We in fact, had completed the second stage that included Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion National Parks back in 2010.
We flew from LA airport to Salt Lake City two days in advance of the tour date and would have been otherwise disappointed with the tour's itinerary / commentary of this town. We booked on both a City local tour and a lake local tour before departing Australia ; we were also able to easily walk to Temple Square and also attend the free Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert on the Thursday evening. We also chose to depart the tour in Denver rather than Rapid City. The Insight coach provided this connection and this gave us better options for ongoing flights to New York. We stayed in a hotel close to the airport for a flight the following morning - note Insight Vacations' warning about booking flight times that are too early.
We chose a tour in early May because we wanted to see snow capped mountains. The south gate into Yellowstone had only just opened for the season, a couple of roads in the park were still closed because of a late snow fall but that was the risk we were prepared to take with this early date. We did not want to experience summer school holiday crowds and traffic jams especially in Yellowstone! The snow covered Grand Tetons were magnificent - it had been a heavy snowfall winter. There was heavy snow still on the ground in the southern parts of Yellowstone, some lakes were still frozen, the waterfalls and mountain streams were raging. It was also still cool enough to enjoy walking geyser trails at Yellowstone and the board walk at Mt Rushmore and for fireplaces to be enjoyed in lodge foyers.
We saw plenty of bison, elk, deer, prairie dog and were lucky enough to spot a grizzly bear ambling out of the lake ! There were 2 optional excursions for the tour - we did not book the river float as we had been very satisfied with our memories of a Colorado River Float on another tour. We would recommend the Bison Safari and Cookout optional though ( do not be put off - this is not rough road touring ! )
We were very happy with all the accommodation. We had not anticipated the scale of these lodges. There are many rooms ; not luxury, but all have interesting character décor, good linen, satisfactory bathrooms and pleasant foyers. Meals were usually limited to the accommodation's large dining rooms with a seasonal staff who, in May, were fairly new to the job! While the "no bookings system at Yellowstone" is not always ideal, it is all part of the experience and will make you appreciate even more the wonderful dinner later on at the more intimate U Cross Ranch. Take on board the fact that Americans often have to book a long time in advance to stay at some of these lodges. We were fortunate that our dates enabled us to stay at all the "onsite accommodation" and I would suggest that future travellers read the fine print carefully for accommodation on their chosen dates as a couple of local events impose some limitations.
Custer State Park and the Buffalo Bill Museum were our unexpected favourite destinations on this tour. Eating dinner looking out on the Grand Tetons at twilight is a special memory we will never forget.
This is the first time we have booked with Global Journeys - the savings, in addition to Insight's early payment and past traveller discounts were attractive. All our communication and payments were made online. The process was efficient and I felt confident with the company even without a face to face meeting.
Wonderful tour 0 Jeri & Garry, WA, Australia, Sep 2015
We had a wonderful tour with a very knowledgeable and entertaining tour director. The coach was very roomy and comfortable. It was advertised as having WIFI, but for whatever reason it was unavailable the entire time. All locations were very beautiful and we were lucky enough to take an optional float tour down the Snake River through the Grand Tetons. ...read more This was a highlight for us. Hotel accommodations and meals that were offered were for the most part excellent. I think the only exception was the Old Faithful Inn. The Inn is very beautiful but is an older inn and the rooms were comfortable but with basic facilities. Each day we had many tour inclusions and the tour director added a few more in when he could. He also made sure that there were plenty of restroom stops. We were exhausted by the end of each day and slept well each night. Both my husband and I agree that if we ever had the opportunity again, we would not hesitate in joining another Insight Tour. Also Michelle at Global Journeys was excellent and very helpful with getting our tickets to us early as we were going to other places on the US before joining our tour. We highly recommend Global Journeys!
Thank you to Insight Vacations 0 Norma & John Shore, Australia, Jun 2012
Fantastic tour. Very professionally organized. The driver and tour director were excellent.
A wonderful experience 0 Norma & John Shore, Australia, May 2012
The Insight American Parks Trail was a wonderful experience. The Tour Guide and driver were a great team who cared for every need. Accommocation was excellent and the sights taken in gave a wonderful overview of the Parks. The whole experience, from booking with Frances to the end of the tour was handled with extreme professionalism and was quite painless ...read more for us.
At this time of year the weather was perfect 5 Liz & Alan Pace, Australia, May 2012
The Insight American Parks Trail was one of the best tours we have experienced. At this time of year the weather was perfect and the scenery of the National and State Parks was superb. We were lucky enough to experience a surprise snowfall at the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, which enhanced the amazing colours of the mountains. It was fascinating to ...read more see the rapid change from mountain to prairie, from wilderness to fertile valleys in the space of one day. We even had a lunch at a genuine diner where the owner shut down his business to accommodate the whole busload of diners. The pace of the tour was just right, plenty to see and do. Our tour director made the history of each area come alive and we were able to ask questions of our very competent driver who happened to be a Native American lady. A great experience.
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