Budget Buses, Tours Hopping in the West

Backpackers planning on touring California, Arizona and Nevada this year have a range of opportunities, whether they want a “do-it-yourself” tour or a guided trip.

This is the second year for the Adventure Network for Travelers (the ANT). It’s a “hop-on, hop-off” transportation service that covers California and the Southwest. New destinations for this year include Sedona, Ariz., and Lake Tahoe, Nev. You set your own pace; tickets for each route are valid for six months. Stops are made for activities ranging from sea kayaking to surfing and mountain biking. Passengers are picked up and dropped off at hostels and budget accommodations, where beds are from $10 to $30 per night.

This year a ticket for the Southern Loop is $199. It links Los Angeles with San Diego, Mexicali, Phoenix, the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Bryce and Zion national parks and Las Vegas. The Northern Loop costs $239 and includes stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Mammoth Lakes, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, San Francisco, Monterey, Big Sur and Santa Barbara. The Whole Enchilada Loop, which includes the outer boundaries of the first two loops, is $329. Coastal trips between San Francisco and Los Angeles are $89 one way or $169 round trip. Travel between San Francisco and Las Vegas is $129. Contact the ANT at 870 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94102; telephone (415) 399-0880, (800) 336-6049.

This is also the second year for the Missing Link, a West Coast adventure tour service. The company operates an express shuttle between Las Vegas and Los Angeles for $35 one way, plus a variety of adventure camping trips out of Las Vegas ranging from one to three days. A three-day Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion Canyon trip, with hiking, is $160. A two-day “Twilight Zone”-themed camping tour is $65. For more information, call (800) 209-8586, or contact the Las Vegas Backpacker Hostel and Adventure Center at 1322 E. Fremont, Las Vegas, NV 89101; tel. (702) 385-1150.

The Missing Link, the ANT and the Us bus (a new bus service) will use the Las Vegas Backpackers Hostel and Adventure Center as a pick-up and drop-off point. This independent hostel only opened last June, so it won’t be in all guidebooks yet. Located in a former chain motel, it provides accommodations for at least 160, with a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, a shuttle service to the Strip at least five times a day, free breakfast and a travel service where you can arrange activities from rock climbing to rafting. Beds in dormitory rooms (there are six in a room) are $15 per night. Private rooms are $35 to $45 for up to three guests.

This is the first summer for the Us bus, also a “hop-on, hop-off,’ scheduled backpacker transportation service. Its service was scheduled to begin this weekend. The Us bus will cover the West Coast and many popular destinations nationwide, including Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, New Orleans, Nashville, New York, Cape Cod, Chicago, Niagara Falls, Washington and Miami. Stops are made at hostels, national parks, scenic points of interest and for activities and attractions.

Passengers also receive an Us bus telephone card with 30 minutes of free calling time that they can use to contact the reservations center, call home or make a hostel reservation. Each card has a unique number that works as personal voice mail, so someone from home can get in touch. An Us bus pass for travel within a 15-day period is $159; a 40-day period is $369. For details, call (800) TREKUSA.

Izon is a Toronto-based freelance writer. She can be reached at https://www.izon.com.