BEST OF THE BIGGIES - SOUTHWEST USA PARKS

SALT LAKE CITY • CANYONLANDS • ARCHES • MONUMENT VALLEY • GRAND CANYON • LAKE POWELL • BRYCE • ZION NATIONAL PARK •  LAS VEGAS

The most beautiful gifts America has to offer—our amazing national parks! Enjoy all the big, beautiful southwest parks to the fullest and overnight in historic National Park Lodges! Along the way we enjoy special Rail & Sail experiences with Native encounters, southwest cooking, and lots of photo stops to enjoy and capture the special and scenic paths that we travel.

Included in your travels:

· Your non-stop flights to from Seattle, PDX, SFO, LAX*

   *Other gateways by request. 

· National Park visits in Arches, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, also Lake Powell NRA,

   and Monument Valley Navajo Nation Park

· Modern comfortable hotels and lodges.

· Salt Lake City tour & welcome dinner

· Antelope Canyon tour with Native hosts

· Native Encounter on Navajo Reservation

· Horseshoe Bend river raft excursion

· Scenic driving tours of all parks

· Travel by modern air conditioned luxury motorcoach

· All park entries and sightseeing mentioned in itinerary

· No optional tours.

· Small group travel—no crowded buses

· Time for personal discoveries

· Experienced Tour Manager

· Caring and professional travel arrangements

* Please consider travel insurance for all travel

* Direct flight seating is limited—please book early.

Day 1 — Tuesday June 7 — Depart for Salt Lake! Make your way to your gateway airport. Meet your Tour Manager at SeaTac Airport, and check in for a quick, direct flight to Salt Lake City. On arrival we will enjoy a city tour including the Great Salt Lake, the Utah Capitol Building, and Temple Square. After a break for lunch, check in to our downtown hotel to freshen up and rest before our welcome dinner. In the evening consider a visit to Temple Square for choir or bell ringing practice depending on schedule. (dinner) *Other gateway airports available on request.

Day 2 — Wednesday June 8 — Depart for Moab Parks After breakfast at our hotel we head southeast past BYU and over Soldier Summit towards the great national parks in Moab, UT. On arrival, enjoy a visit to Canyonlands National Park—carved by the Colorado River and Green Rivers and looking quite similar to its big brother, “The Grand Canyon”. At day’s end, enjoy an included dinner together before turning in at our hotel. (breakfast, dinner)

Day 3— Thursday June 9 — Moab Parks Today we delve back into the natural beauty of Moab with a scenic tour of Arches National Park—one of America’s most recognizable and iconic parks! We will make multiple stops for short hikes and walks, as well as photo opportunities. Enjoy a free afternoon for Jeep rides or gallery hopping in Moab. (breakfast, picnic lunch)

Day 4– Friday June 10 — Monument Valley & the Grand Canyon Well rested and ready? Let’s continue touring and enjoy a visit to the famous scenery of Monument Valley. A staple for American western films, its rich Hollywood history is only surpassed by its great beauty. Enjoy lunch together at famous Goulding’s Lodge. This family was instrumental in bringing Hollywood to the Southwest, and it is a favorite place to try a traditional Navajo taco! We continue our journey west in our modern “covered wagon” with a stop on the Navajo Reservation for a “Native encounter” that may be one of the highlights of your trip! In the afternoon continue on to the Grand Canyon and our park lodge just a short walk from the rim of the Grand Canyon. (breakfast, lunch)

Day 5— Saturday June 11 — Lake Powell & Antelope Canyon Tour Enjoy a beautiful start this morning with our scenic drive heading out of the park. On arrival at the Glenn Canyon Dam and Page, Arizona, we will enjoy another amazing highlight of our travels—an included visit to the Antelope Slot Canyons. Hidden away on Native lands, these beautiful canyons are a short and easy walk to explore. Carved through sandstone by flash floods and natural erosion, their layers of sandstone in soft light are a photographer’s dream! Our Native American hosts will lead us on our easy walk through the canyon while showing us the very best camera angles for photos of a lifetime. It is said that the most expensive photo ever purchased was taken right in our very own cave! (breakfast)

Day 6—Sunday June 12 — Horseshoe Bend river rafting, continue to “Little Hollywood” After a hearty breakfast, enjoy a a motor-assisted raft trip through Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River near Lake Powell. The Lake is a result of the construction of the Glenn Canyon Dam, but no one can dispute its beauty. Another unique Native encounter after a break for lunch brings us closer with the “First People” of America, before we continue north and two nights at the historic Parry Lodge, home to the Hollywood stars when making westerns back in the day. (breakfast, dinner) 

Day 7– Monday June 13 — Explore Bryce Canyon & Zion National Parks  This morning enjoy a guided tour of the magical formations in Bryce Canyon; it is arguably one of the most beautiful parks in America. With its sandstone and limestone “hoodoos” carved by wind, water, and rain, you will be looking down into an amphitheater of amazing and almost animated rock formations. Enjoy a picnic lunch at Bryce before making our way back to cowboy country in Kanab. (breakfast, lunch)

Day 8—Tuesday June 14— Zion Park to Las Vegas After another peaceful night, enjoy a hearty breakfast. We are now off to explore Zion Park and its amazing red sandstone canyon walls. Enjoy easy walks and hikes before we head west toward Glitter Gulch and the bright lights of Las Vegas. Enjoy a farewell dinner with travel mates and a free evening to explore the “re-invented” Downtown Las Vegas and the Fremont Experience—a three block covered walkway with an amazing light show on the hour. (breakfast, dinner)

Day 9– Wednesday June 15 — a free morning in Glitter Gulch, fly home A free morning in Sin City before our afternoon direct flight home. (breakfast)