I have just read a trip report on another travel forum from a person who has just returned from the Travelsphere tour, he was highly complementary about the whole trip. He did mention some long days with early starts and late arrivals at hotels but stated that he would recommend the tour.

I would think late spring or autumn would be best. American Schools are normally on holiday from around the end of May until the beginning of September so you have to face places being crowded during these months and the heat in some of the states you will visit can be quite oppresive during June, July and August.

I'd certainly recommend going in early May. If you go somewhere like Yosemite for instance, the waterfall is in full flow as the spring snows melt. If you go end of summer, a lot of places are parched and no-where is as spectacular.
I have no experience of the companies you mention though

Cheers

TC

We went on the Travelsphere National park trip in May 1998.
It started in South Dakota,visiting Badlands and Mount Rushmore and ended in Las Vegas visiting many lovely places in between.
I thought it was too much travelling as we only spent 2 nights in 2 places so we literally lived out of our suitcases.
I spent every evening after having dinner deciding what to where the next day while my hubby watched TV.
We arrived in Jackson on a sunny day but woke up to a covering of snow.
We travelled mid May and had to pack clothes for all weathers.
I dont think the NP tour they do now covers so many miles as we did which is a good thing.
We noticed in the car parks of the hotels we stayed at,Titian coaches so they use some hotels that Travelsphere use but are a lot more expensive.
The driver and guide we excellent and it was an amazing 2 weeks.

not been on that tour but have looked at it,only problem we have found on previous coach tours is the amount of early starts and getting to hotels 5-6pm..then on most trips only having a night there then off again,most tours longest in one place is 2 nights by the end of the holiday you just feel very tired you see hell of alot and have a great time,but i always feel you just need a little bit longer in each place...just my view

Not been on this tour but have done a couple with Jetsave and they were excellent.

We went with Archers Direct last year on there Parks and Canyons tour. The whole trip was magic and enjoyed all the hotels and visits. Enjoyed being in cowboy country and the small towns were as pleasing as the big ones.We went in June after being held up with the ash in May.It is a compromise when you go as what is right for Yellowstone is very hot in Las Vegas.Since then we have been to Morocco with Archers and again very good for what we had paid on both trips

Of course the beat time to visit Yellowstone is May. At this time of the year we can see many attractions and sceneries that do not open during other seasons.

In my opinion, you do not need to work with any travel company. We went Yellowstone years ago totally on our own. Traveling on our own will save us a lot.

You can book tickets online to get a favorable discount. The Hot Springs within Yellowstone are must-visit places. Waterfalls here are impressive. We were also moved by the numerous wild animals in this park.