Getting to Nature By Bus
Traveling by bus can be a great way to travel between urban centers, and even to smaller towns. If you want to get out of populated areas, say to national or state parks, however, intercity buses usually aren’t a great option. There’s no Greyhound terminal in Yosemite, after all, so how could you get there by bus? Lucky for you, nature lover, there are some special bus lines and options that can get you our of doors and off the beaten track.
Green Tortoise
Green Tortoise, is, to say the least, not your typical bus company. Besides running two hostels in Seattle and San Francisco, the company conducts overland bus tour adventures, with the express goal of helping riders see the beauty of the United States. Sample trips include two-week cross-country expeditions, with nights camping and in sleeper coaches, and a month-long Alaska adventure. Two weeks of a bussing and camping adventure will run you about $1,000, food and park entrances included, and about $2,500 for their 30-36 day adventures.
Adventure Bus
The Western United States is packed with sights, from the Grand Canyon to Death Valley to Washington’s snowcapped mountains. The proximity of these sights means you can see a lot of breathtaking nature in a short amount of time. The company Adventure Bus has capitalized on this notion, taking travelers and their converted sleeper coach Molly to parks all along the left coast. The bus converts from a modified couch and sitting area into twin beds for every adventurer. Packing all the sights in with Adventure Bus can be a little expensive, though: A week long trip to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Arches, Monument Valley, and Moab, Utah, will cost a little over $1,000.
TrekAmerica
This company bills itself as the budget travel and adventure company for “18-38’s” who want to see the United States. You can take two-week whirlwind tours of Western parks, Alaskan wilderness, Canadian canoeing, and more, for $1,400-1,600. All hotels, park fees, and camping equipment are included in the price.
Burke Christian Tours
This tour company offers family-oriented motor coach tours of many different areas of the United States. Explore the crystal clear waters of the Florida Keys, or if a winter vacation is more your style, head to Vermont for snowmobiling. The motor coach means you get to experience a wide variety of sites in a short span of time. Prices decrease depending on how many are in your family; a six-day trip ranges from $800-900 a person for a quad, to over $1,200 for a single.