SCENIC PARKS EXPLORER
Price
Duration
Min People
Tour Code
TFL-SPE
Overview
This National Parks tour is an iconic journey, culminating at the Grand Canyon, through Zionโs pink cliffs, Monument Valleyโs imposing mesas, Grand Tetonsโ alpine landscapes and Mount Rushmoreโs rock-hewn faces. Hear from a Native American storyteller and overnight in Yellowstone, soaking it all in in just 15 days.
Included/Excluded
- An expert Travel Director and professional Driver
- Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted
- All porterage and restaurant gratuities
- All hotel tips, charges and local taxes
- Breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals
- Must-see sightseeing and surprise extras
- Audio headsets for flexible sightseeing
- All transport and transfers shown
- Luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi in most countries or alternative transportation (such as rail journeys)
- Optional Experiences and free time
- On occasion, hotels of similar standard and location may be utilised.
Day 1: Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas (Welcome Reception)
- From glitz and glitter to lavish dining, the desert playground of Las Vegas extends a warm welcome.
- More than a high energy city of tempting nightlife, the soul-stirring surrounding landscapes make up Americaโs most beloved national parks.
- Kick off your US National Park tour meeting your Travel Director for a Welcome Reception and then soar 550 feet above the centre of the Las Vegas Strip on the High Roller, North Americaโs tallest observation wheel.
Welcome Meet your Travel Director at 18:00
Included Experience: High Roller Las Vegas
Day 2: Ride Through Colourful Zion National Park (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)
- Thereโs no better place to admire the Southwestโs multi-colour landscape than the towering cream, pink and red cliffs of Zion National Park.
- Drive through the park hugged by red cliffs and stop for lunch at Zion Lodge.
- Be sure to keep your camera at-the-ready for the enchanting landscapes of Bryce Canyon.
- Feel dwarfed by the otherworldly rusty red limestone hoodoo spires that rise surreally from the desert floor to Utahโs skies.
- Join Ebenezerโs Barn & Grill and The Bryce Canyon Wranglers for an unforgettable evening of live country music and a delicious BBQ dinner.
Included Experience: Visit Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park and Ebenezer’s Dinner and Show
Day 3: Uncover The History Of Salt Lake City (Breakfast)
- Fortunately for you, you have a second day in Bryce Canyon National Park, where youโll unlock the parkโs iconic hoodoos.
- Next up in Salt Lake City, discover the local secrets of Utah’s capital seeing its Mormon centre, Temple Square and discovering the beliefs and history of the Mormon pioneers who settled here.
- Salt Lake City is a vibrant and progressive city with cafes, boutiques and new restaurants popping up all the time โ so youโll have plenty of choice as you explore the city today.
- Ask your Travel Director for recommendations of dining options that suit your mood as you explore the city surrounded by picturesque mountains.
Included Experience: Orientation Tour of Salt Lake City and Morning in Bryce Canyon National Park
Day 4: North to Jackson (Breakfast)
- Get ready for a change of scenery on your US National Park tour today, taking in views of Powder Mountain and southeast Idaho as you head north from Salt Lake City to Jackson.
- Standing in the shadows of the Teton Rangeโs icy peaks, this mountain town has an Old West look with a modern twist.
- Get a feel for the outdoor vibe – home to three ski areas and many rugged trails โ on your own.
- Grab dinner this evening in one of the old-timey saloons and steakhouses destined to fuel your adventures through western frontiers.
Included Experience: Jackson, Wyoming
Day 5: Travel Through Scenic Grand Teton National Park (Breakfast/Dinner)
- Grand Teton National Parkโs alpine landscapes of eight peaks tower over 12,000 feet above you.
- Learn how, established in 1929, Grand Teton is home to a 40-mile mountain range straddling Idaho and Wyoming with views of wildlife, glacier-carved lakes and alpine terrain.
- Inhabited first by Native Americans and later American pioneers, Grand Teton is the perfect place to explore over 200 miles of hiking trails and take in views of the Tetons from the Snake River.
- Get your bearings choosing to join a gentle Snake River Float Trip in the Park, learning from your guide about the parkโs resident wildlife.
- The promise of Yellowstoneโs geothermal wonderland leads to your next destination.
- Arriving in Yellowstone, stay right in the heart of it all overnighting at one of the lodges in this iconic national park.
Included Experience: Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park Lodges
Optional Experience: Snake River Float Trip through Grand Teton National Park
Day 6: See the Grandeur of Yellowstone National Park (Breakfast)
- See how Yellowstone National Park – one of the worldโs oldest national parks with over 500 geysers โ is in a league of its own.
- At the end of your visit, youโll surely appreciate its vastness, variety of landscapes and terrains, wildlife, vegetation, lakes and geologic wonders like the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.
- Alongside your Travel Director, marvel at Old Faithful, the thousand-year-old geyser which has been shooting water into the sky every 90 minutes for centuries.
- Stop at Lake Yellowstone, containing the largest number of wild cutthroat trout in North America, before viewing Artists Point.
- Savour a quiet moment at this viewpoint to watch the stunning cascade of the Lower Falls.
- Finish off an epic day of sightseeing at the impressive Fountain Paint Pot area where bubbling mud pots and geysers invite you to stand back and watch the show.
Included Experience: Visit Yellowstone National Park
Day 7: Experience Blue Skies And The Wild West (Breakfast/Dinner)
- Welcome to “Buffalo Billโs” hometown of Cody where the “Spirit of the American West” lives on.
- Visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West Museum to unlock the townโs history before taking your wild west adventure to the next level in Big Sky Country.
- At the historic Billings Depot, you’re treated to a Western dinner Be My Guest experience.
- Meet a local historian from the nearby Western Heritage Center whoโll share Billingโs railroad history from how the depot was built in 1903 as a hub for three major railroads.
- Get your fix of western hospitality and fare enjoying local Chef Stephen Hindman’s three-course menu featuring local produce, a choice of entrees, a seasonal dessert and beer and wine.
Included Experience: Visit the Buffalo Bill Center and Billings History BMG Experience
Day 8: Unlock The History of Little Big Horn (Breakfast)
- Today on your US National Park tour, explore history and living traditions starting with a visit to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, the battlefield where the ill-fated Custer led his men against a battalion of Sioux and Cheyenne warriors now known as Custerโs last stand.
- From battlefields to the Black Hills, make your way to the base of Crazy Horse Memorial, an iconic monument representing the Oglala Lakota warrior ‘Crazy Horse’.
- Admire the colossal carved face and learn about its origins during a walk-through of The Indian Museum of North America before arriving in Rapid City.
- Light up your night on an Optional Experience joining Mount Rushmore by Night with a Park Ranger.
- The sculpture lighting ceremony culminates as the faces of the monument are fully illuminated.
Included Experience: Visit Crazy Horse Memorial and Visit Little Bighorn National Monument
Optional Experience: Mount Rushmore Evening Lighting Ceremony
Day 9: Delve Into Native American Culture (Breakfast/Dinner)
- Whether or not you caught the show last night, the must-see sight of Mount Rushmore National Memorial makes a dramatic start to your day with the opportunity to take the perfect picture.
- View the faces of former American presidents etched into the granite rock-face.
- Later, you could join an Optional Experience venturing into Badlands National Park to explore 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest protected mixed grass prairie in America feeling like youโve entered an ancient world.
- A special MAKE TRAVEL MATTERยฎ Experience awaits this evening as you meet Lakota Tribe Member Stephen Yellowhawk who shares his passion for his culture over stories of his tribeโs history during a festive evening of singing, dance and music.
Included Experience: Discover Lakota Culture through Song and Dance and Visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Optional Experience: Badlands National Park Excursion
Day 10: Journey Through The Prairies To Denver
- Travel south on your US National Park tour through the expansive, rolling prairies of Wyoming to Denver, the Mile High City at 5,280 feet known for its thriving coffeehouse and brewery scene.
- Along the way, trade tales with your travel companions of all the stunning sights youโve seen.
- Cap off the day enjoying dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 11: Roam The Rockies (Breakfast/Lunch)
- Kickoff your day stopping in Vail, an alpine village and one of Colorado’s great playgrounds known for its epic powder-filled basins that have attracted skiers since the 1960s.
- Then discover local organic products and meet local farmers over a one-of-a-kind Be My Guest experience at Field to Fork, a four-season organic farm and boutique fruit stand, growing and celebrating the flavours of every season.
- Youโll love learning the local secrets of organic farming over a tour from the owners followed by a meal of farm-fresh ingredients.
- This evening in Moab, opt for an exhilarating Optional Experience flying over Canyonlands National Park during sunset.
Included Experience: Visit Vail Village and Field to Fork Farm
Optional Experience: Sunset Canyonlands National Park Tour – Fixed Wing Sightseeing
Day 12: Take In The Views of The Canyonlands (Breakfast)
- Get ready to gasp. Arches National Park is packed with striking natural arches.
- On your jaw-dropping exploration, learn how these 6,000 natural sandstone arches were formed by rain and wind on this guided reserved visit led by your knowledgeable Travel Director.
- From one stunning landscape to the next in Canyon Country, see how the power of the Colorado River carves through the rocky red landscape at Canyonlands National Park.
- Drive onto the Island in the Sky – a mesa resting 1,000 feet (305 meters) above the countryside offering spectacular views over the dramatic sandstone formations.
- Take your experience to the next level with an Optional Canyonlands by Night light show, complete with a lip-smacking cowboy-style Dutch Oven Dinner and a trip on the Moab Queen II jet boat cruising by the lit-up canyon walls.
Included Experience: Visit Arches National Park and Visit Canyonlands National Park
Optional Experience: Canyonlands by Night Dinner and Cruise
Day 13: Mesa Verde National Park to Monument Valley (Breakfast)
- Within UNESCO-listed Mesa Verde National Park, admire some of the over 600 ancient cliff dwellings – including the largest in the country, the amazing dwelling known as Cliff Palace – carved in the sandstone of the canyon walls.
- Established by Teddy Roosevelt in 1906, the Park protects some of the best-preserved Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites in the United States.
- Deepen your connection with the first nations of this land heading toward Monument Valley – home to the Navajo Nation and the backdrop of many famous Hollywood Western movies.
Included Experience: Explore Mesa Verde National Park and Stays with Stories
Day 14: Tour The Remarkable Grand Canyon (Breakfast/Dinner)
- Your big day of bucket list sites on your US National Park tour begins in Monument Valley.
- Enjoy a unique exploration with a Local Specialist driving in an open-air vehicle past its towering sandstone buttes and mesas that rise from the barren landscape on a MAKE TRAVEL MATTERยฎ Experience.
- Continue through the ancestral home of the Navajo, winding along Desert View Drive, surrounded by mesmerising multi-coloured depths.
- Stop at Desert View Intertribal Cultural Heritage Site to hear stories, family histories and cultural demonstrations by tribal members on another MAKE TRAVEL MATTERยฎ Experience.
- We’ve saved the best for last: the Grand Canyon.
- Get a unique perspective from geological expert Canyon Tim who reveals the geological wonders on a private nature talk.
- Join your fellow travellers for a Farewell Dinner toasting to Americaโs National Parks at your accommodations inside Grand Canyon National Park.
Included Experience: Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park Tour, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER ยฎ Experience, Grand Canyon National Park with a Geology Expert, Explore Grand Canyon National Park andย Grand Canyon Inter-tribal Cultural Heritage Site, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER ยฎ Experience
Day 15: End Your Journey In Las Vegas (Breakfast)
- Consider an optional helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft flightseeing trip over the canyon.
- End your journey in Las Vegas where a transfer is provided to Las Vegas International Airport arriving at approximately 3:30 pm, or to Horseshoe Las Vegas for guests extending their stay.
Optional Experience: Grand Discovery Air Tour South Rim – 45 Min. Fixed-Wing Aircraft Flight / Grand Kingdom – 40 Min. EcoStar Helicopter Flight / North Canyon Tour Helicopter Flight. Bell Aircraft – 25 minutes
- Day 1: Horseshoe Las Vegas
- Day 2: Best Western Plus Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel
- Day 3: Sheraton Salt Lake City
- Day 4: Modern Mountain Motel, Jackson
- Day 5 – Day 6: National Park Lodges Yellowstone
- Day 7: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Billings
- Day 8 – Day 9: The Rushmore Hotel & Suites
- Day 10: Sheraton Denver Downtown
- Day 11 – Day 12: Best Western Plus Canyonlands Inn
- Day 13: Goulding’s Lodge, Monument Valley
- Day 14: National Park Lodges Grand Canyon
- Explore Navajo Tribal Park with a Navajo Guide, the Grand Canyon with Tim, a local geologist, and Crazy Horse Memorial with access to the base of the memorial.
- Visit Zion, Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Park, Arches, Mesa Verde, Grand Canyon National Parks, The Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Little Bighorn Battlefield, Monument Valley.
- Discover Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Jackson Hole, Rapid City, The Mile High City of Denver.
- View Iconic Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.
- See iconic Delicate Arch.
- Scenic Drive along Desert View Drive, Zion Canyon Road.