This tour provides a great opportunity to spend quality time in seven National Parks (Zion, Bryce, Capital Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Mesa Verde, and the Grand Canyon), plus Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon. The tour involves driving over 2,000 miles of beautiful mountains, deserts, and mountain valleys, and includes two of America’s most scenic highways

We begin and end the tour in Las Vegas and visit the states of Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado, as well as pass through three Native American reservations. Our guides are the best in the area and provide a comprehensive overview of the history, geology, plant life, and culture of the West. The owner, Ron, is a distant relative of Butch Cassidy, a native of Utah, and you will hear several stories of “Uncle Butch” as we conduct our tour. We have a great love and appreciation for the places visited, and we strive to share our enthusiasm with our clients.

There is opportunity to walk on a number of trails in the parks visited. Some of the trails can be strenuous and, for those who want, we will suggest trails to explore and even go with you when possible. If walking is not for you, we can easily accommodate your needs as well with optional activities.

We tour during the spring, summer and fall and will experience different temperatures so please dress accordingly. Also, if you want to do some walking, please have shoes or boots that are designed for dirt and rock trails.

This is an eight-night, nine-day tour and offers 8 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 3 dinners. Key activities include: Large-screen movie at Zion National Park; four-hour Narrow-Gauge Railroad ride from Durango to Silverton, Colorado; dinner and entertainment at the Navajo Village; dinner and beer at a microbrewery in Moab; Navajo-led Monument Valley back-country tour and lunch; Navajo-led Antelope Canyon tour; and, your choice of either a two-and-one-half-hour Navajo Tapestry Lake Powell boat ride or a float trip down a 14-mile section of the Colorado River. Lodging is in above-average hotels, and we use small deluxe motor coaches, vans or Suburbans for transportation, depending upon the number of tour participants.

We look forward to touring with you!!!

TOUR INFORMATION AND ITINERARY:

DAY ONE: LAS VEGAS, ST GEORGE, AND ZION NATIONAL PARK

We meet you in Las Vegas at the Stratosphere Hotel for an 8:00 AM departure and then begin your Grand Circle National Park Adventure and go directly to Zion National Park, a short three-hour drive away.

Zion National Park is one of nature’s greatest wonders. Gigantic red and white rock monoliths tower around you like a skyscraper city of stone, concealing pockets of abundant flora and fauna. See the Great White Throne, Angel’s Landing, the Court of the Patriarchs, and the Narrows where the Virgin River has carved out a narrow canyon with 2,000 foot cliffs on each side.

In the late afternoon, we view the giant screen production “Treasure of the Gods“. After checking into our motel (one of Springdale’s finest), there is a welcome and get-acquainted dinner for all to attend. D

DAY TWO: GRAND CANYON

After breakfast, we drive from the depths of the canyon up the switchbacks and climb 3,000 feet in just three miles to the Zion Tunnel. Once through this mile-long tunnel, we emerge into a fascinating world of rock and sand formations that extend on each side of us. We like to take an early morning walk to a site with a number of excellent Anasazi petroglyphs. From there, we depart for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

This drive is truly amazing. The North Rim is a thousand feet higher than the more popular South Rim, is less crowded and, for many of us, more beautiful.

Words cannot describe and pictures cannot capture the awesome spectacle of this majestic site. The Grand Canyon has always been known as one of the eight wonders of the world and we can’t agree more. We visit the most spectacular sites, pausing to get out, walk along the rim and enjoy the beauty of the place. A delicious picnic lunch is served at one of the sites overlooking the Canyon.

We visit the North Rim Lodge. One of our favorite things to do is to sit back on one of the rocking chairs in the Lodge’s indoor and outdoor sun porches and take in the grandeur of all that surrounds us. A gift shop is located nearby for those who want to purchase souvenirs. From there, we continue on to Page, Arizona, for dinner and lodging. B

DAY THREE: LAKE POWELL AND PAGE, ARIZONA

This beautiful reservoir/lake is nearly 200 miles long and highlights the contrast between the red rock formations and blue water. We tour the Glen Canyon dam and then have lunch in the Wahweap Marina.

In the afternoon, we take a cruise on the lake and enjoy the outstanding Navajo Tapestry markings on the nearby red cliffs. (An optional float trip of 14 miles down the Colorado River is available as well.)

In the late afternoon, we go to the Navajo Indian Village for an evening performance and dinner.  Here, Navajos tell us of their culture and history, sing and dance in their native regalia, and demonstrate how they make their beautiful rugs and jewelry. They also give us a sampling of Navajo food for dinner. We return to the Courtyard by Marriott for the evening.  B D

DAY FOUR: ANTELOPE SLOT CANYON AND MONUMENT VALLEY

After breakfast, we are picked up and taken directly to nearby Antelope Canyon for a guided tour by local Navajos. Truly, this is one of the most beautiful slot canyons in all of America and a morning experience that our guests will be discussing for a very long time. After the tour is complete, we drive to Kayenta, Arizona, and then enter Monument Valley. Once we arrive, Navajo guides will escort us into this beautiful and historic valley in the backs of their pickups. (The road is bumpy and there is some jostling around, so those with bad backs or other physical restrictions, please let us know if you participate in this activity.)

The guides will show us many of the more famous landmarks as well as where John Ford and John Wayne made many of their well-known movies. They also take us into the seldom-visited backcountry for a look at some fantastic rock formations and then serve us a bar- b-que lunch.

We continue on to Bluff, Utah, for dinner and lodging. B L

DAY FIVE: FOUR CORNERS AND MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast, we continue our drive through the Navajo Indian Reservation, stopping briefly at the famous “Four Corners” landmark. Here, four states come together in one place (no similar situation exists anywhere else in the USA). At this site, one can literally put her hands and feet in four different states at once. Local vendors selling many kinds of handicrafts and jewelry offer some unique souvenirs.

As we head for Colorado, we pass through the Ute Indian Reservation and soon find ourselves in Mesa Verde National Park. After lunch, we head for the world famous Anasazi “Cliff dwellings”. We will see several of the best preserved ruins and walk down to the Spruce House and physically explore the ruins there, as well as enter into a kiva once used by the Anazasi.

We also stop at the museum, which has a wonderful array of ancient crafts, pottery, etc. of the Anasazi. Have lunch at a nearby cafeteria and then head for Durango, Colorado. After checking into our hotel, you are free to enjoy the many restaurants and shops located nearby. B

DAY SIX: COLORADO ROCKIES AND THE DURANGO AND SILVERTON RAILROAD

After breakfast, we take the Durango and Silverton Railroad to Silverton, Colorado. Built in 1981 to carry gold and passengers, this old-time steam engine and railroad experience offers a fun and scenic view of the San Juan Mountains, the Animas River, and is a tremendously enjoyable experience.

Once the train arrives in Silverton, lunch and shopping is available at a number of local restaurants and gift shops. We see and experience one of the most beautiful mountain highways in America, the “Million Dollar Highway” with its stunning views and scary drop-offs. This highway is always in the top ten roads to see in the USA. Some call this part of Colorado “little Switzerland” as there are a number of 14,000’ plus mountains in the area and offer some of the best mountain scenery in all of Colorado.

We stop in Ouray, a quaint old mining town, for ice cream and shopping, then begin our drive to Moab, Utah, and check into our hotel. Our hotel is in an excellent location in the middle of downtown Moab, next to a number of restaurants and shops. Dinner is on your own. B

DAY SEVEN: MOAB, ARCHES NATIONAL PARK AND DEAD HORSE POINT

We have an early morning tour of Arches National Park, one of Utah’s most famous parks with over a thousand natural arches. We see the various key vistas and take some short walks for those who want to get out and enjoy the early morning beauty.

Later, we drive to Dead Horse Point for a spectacular overlook of the Colorado River, one of our favorite places to visit in the whole Southwest. Then, return to Moab.

The rest of the day is yours to have some fun in Utah’s playground. There are jet boat rides on the nearby Colorado River; jeep and Hummer tours of the surrounding areas; great shopping downtown, world famous bicycle trails to ride on, or….?

That evening, we get ready for some great food and entertainment as we take the group to a local micro-brewery to sample their unique beers. B D

DAY EIGHT: CAPITAL REEF NATIONAL PARK, FAMOUS HIGHWAY 12 AND BRYCE NATIONAL PARK

In the morning, we make our way to Capital Reef National Park, stopping briefly to see the Fremont Indian petroglyphs and then the Visitors’ Center. We soon start our drive over the famous Highway 12, recently named an “All American Highway” as one of the most scenic highways in America.

Lunch will be in Boulder, Utah, one of the most remote and picturesque towns in the USA. You will love the outstanding homemade fries and Cajun Pecan Blueberry pie. We arrive at Bryce National Park in mid to late afternoon.
 
We will visit several of the key sites and then check into the famous Ruby’s Inn for the evening. There is a restaurant and coffee shop located in the complex. Depending upon the time of year, there may be a rodeo in the evening. Ruby’s offers an excellent shopping opportunity for all kinds of Southwest treasures, books, or clothing. B L

DAY NINE: BRYCE, KOLOB AND RETURN TO LAS VEGAS

For those who want to get up early and see the sunrise at Bryce, you are in for a real treat. The early morning sun lights up the pink cliffs and hoodoos and offers a stunning sight.

From there, we start making our way towards Las Vegas. We will take the scenic Cedar Mountain route which offers a great view of Zion National Park from a distance, as well as several high alpine meadows; we stop briefly at Kolob, a seldom visited part of Zion that many locals consider some of the best scenery around; a brief lunch stop; a last minute shopping opportunity at a local jewelry store offering some incredible buys on Indian jewelry, and then arrival in Las Vegas around 2:30 pm. B

TOUR DETAILS AND PRICING:

This tour provides a great opportunity to see and experience the outstanding national parks in the American Southwest.   Our cost to you is $2,599 per person, double occupancy.  Single occupancy is $2,999.  This includes lodging, meals as indicated (B breakfast; L lunch; and D dinner); park entrance fees; water and snacks, transportation and assistance with luggage for those that need it.  The lodging is usually the best available in the area (AAA approved, three star) and the restaurants are also above average. 

We usually have small groups of 8 to 18, so we are able to be somewhat flexible with the amount of time we spend at a site.  We reserve the right to change the scheduled destination at our discretion.   We have infrequently experienced forest fires, flooding, droughts and any number of situations that have required us to make last minute changes.  If changes are required we will do our best, however, to substitute a quality experience and always provide you with a tour that exceeds your expectations. 

We require a 20% deposit at the time of the reservation and full payment 30 days before the tour departs.  We accept Visa and Master charge.   We do accept American Express credit cards as well, however, we charge an additional 2% handling fee for this particular credit card.

We encourage you to bring only one suitcase per person, plus a small carry on.  We use different kinds of quality vehicles from large motor coaches to vans and Suburbans, depending upon the size of the group.  We may tow a trailer if the luggage and group size required it. 

Many of our guests like to walk or hike on the various trails available in the national parks.  Please bring shoes with soles designed for walking on gravel, sand and rocks.
Also, there is a slight chance we may get rained on.  Please bring a plastic poncho or similar light rain gear.  It may be cold or very warm at some of the national parks, depending on the time of year you travel.  Please review the temperatures posted for the month you are with us and bring the appropriate clothing.  Dressing in layers is always recommended.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

DEPARTURE DATES:

Our scheduled departure dates for 2009 are as follows:

WEATHER INFORMATION BY MONTH:

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: