Denver

 

Welcome to Denver! Take your complimentary transfer to the hotel.

Your Tour Director is at the hotel this afternoon to greet you and answer your questions. Join us at 6 p.m. for a Welcome Drink at the hotel. Hotel: Grand Hyatt Denver

 

Stop at the resort of Vail and wander the pedestrian-only streets of this quaint alpine village.

Continue west through the breathtaking Rocky Mountains, enter the state of Utah and take in the spectacular red rock scenery of Castle Valley. Settle in at your ranch-style lodge, superbly located under lofty red rock cliffs on the banks of the Colorado River. Tonight enjoy a Cowboy BBQ with all the fixin’s. Hotel: Red Cliffs Lodge (B,HD)

 

Explore Canyonlands National Park and stop at the Island in the Sky, a mesa resting 1000 feet above the surrounding terrain and offering the best views of Canyonlands’ spectacular landscape of canyons, mesas and buttes. Back at the lodge, the afternoon is at leisure. A variety of optional activities will be available, including an exciting sunset jetboat ride on the mighty Colorado River. (B)

Start the day with a visit to Arches National Park, the greatest concentration of natural arches in the world.

Head south and re-enter Colorado. In Dolores, explore the Anasazi Heritage Center and learn about the history and culture of the Puebloans. End the day at Mesa Verde National Park, where your inside-the-park lodge offers sweeping vistas reaching into three states. Tonight, enjoy a gourmet dinner inspired by Native American flavours. Hotel: Far View Lodge (B,D)

 

Enjoy an in-depth visit of fascinating Mesa Verde.

Descend into a canyon for a guided visit to the impressive Spruce Tree House, an amazing dwelling built into a natural alcove containing 130 rooms and eight kivas. Continue to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park and board all-terrain vehicles for a guided tour of the valley floor, used as a backdrop for many western films. Visit some of the legendary sites where these movies were made, as well as restricted areas with rock windows and arches of unique shapes and sizes. Finish your evening with a Navajo cookout amidst the giant buttes and mesas of this unique landscape, while listening to Navajo storytelling and music. Hotel: The View Hotel (B,HD)

 

Wake up this morning to the backdrop of Monument Valley right outside your window. Perhaps take a leisurely stroll on a portion of the Wildcat Trail adjacent to the hotel. Be prepared for a dramatic change of scenery as you head to Lake Powell, the second largest man-made lake in the United States. Board a ferry at Hall’s

Crossing and cross the lake to Bullfrog Marina and your lodge, where the views from your room overlooking Bullfrog Bay will take your breath away. Hotel: Defiance House Lodge (Guaranteed Lake View Rooms) (B)

 

Magnificent scenery awaits you at Capitol Reef National Park, best known for its Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile-long warp in the earth’s crust. Then journey along one of the most beautiful roads in the world, Scenic Byway 12, winding through stunning Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Arrive at Bryce Canyon National Park and travel the length of this great natural amphitheatre. Learn how wind, erosion and iron oxidation created the extraordinary formations called hoodoos. Experience Bryce Canyon at sunset, when the light is at its best for picture-taking. Hotel: Bryce Canyon National Park Lodge (B,D)

 

Enjoy a last look at Bryce Canyon’s orange and red rock formations glowing in the early morning light before heading to Zion National Park, one of the most scenic canyons in the United States. Here join a guided tour by private shuttle and view the park’s best sites. Later head south into Arizona to the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park and the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. This evening watch the colours change by the minute as the sun sets on the canyon. Hotel: Grand Canyon Lodge (B)

 

If you thought last night’s sunset was great, don’t miss sunrise for a completely different experience!

After a leisurely breakfast, journey along the winding Cape Royal Scenic Drive to Point Imperial and Cape Royal for dazzling panoramas over the Grand Canyon. This afternoon is free; perhaps take a self-guided nature walk along one of the many trails, or simply relax at the lodge. This evening join us for a farewell dinner in the lodge’s magnificent dining room with superb views over the canyon. (B,D)

Your tour ends with a complimentary transfer to Las Vegas International Airport and the hotel on the famous Strip for passengers extending their stay in Las Vegas. Please do not schedule flights before 5:30 p.m. (B)