American Parks Trail
In this Summer 2018 Insight Vacation tour the National Parks of the west including Yellowstone!
DAY 1
ARRIVE IN SALT LAKE CITY.
Welcome to Salt Lake City, the capital and most populous city in Utah. On arrival at Salt Lake City International Airport, board your transfer to your hotel. At 18:00, join your Tour Director for a Welcome Dinner with wine.
JACKSON AND GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK.
As you depart Salt Lake City, see the famous Temple Square and State Capitol Building before travelling north across the Oregon Trail to visit historic Jackson, where arches of elk antlers adorn the central square. Later, continue to Jackson Lake and the stunning peaks and glaciers of Grand Teton National Park.
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, YELLOWSTONE.
The Grand Tetons thrust skyward 6,562 feet (2,000 metres) from the valley floor. Stop to admire some of the incredible views at Jenny Lake. Then enter Yellowstone, established in 1872 as the world’s first National Park and known for its unique geothermal activity, spectacular landscapes and abundant wildlife.
GEYSERS AND COLOURFUL MUDPOTS IN YELLOWSTONE.
(Relaxed Start) Walk among the geysers and watch them erupt. Spend time with your Tour Director for an informative stroll through Yellowstone’s Upper Geyser Basin. There is plenty of time to see the colourful bubbling mudpots and observe Old Faithful shooting water over 120 feet (37 metres) in the air. See free-roaming deer, elk and bison in their natural habitat. Then experience the roar of the Lower Yellowstone Falls as they thunder down the steep canyon walls.
THE UCROSS RANCH.
Depart Yellowstone National Park and travel through the stark Shoshone Canyon and Absaroka Rocky Mountains to reach the Wild West town of Cody. Visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, built in honour of one of America’s great Western legends. Head to Clearmont in Wyoming and after checking in to your hotel savour a ranch style Highlight Dinner with wine cooked by local ranch hosts.
DEVILS TOWER AND INTO THE BLACK HILLS.
(Relaxed Start) Start your morning with horseback riding with a rider guide, fishing or just relaxing in your beautiful surroundings. Then, head toward Devils Tower, an astounding geologic feature that protrudes out of the rolling prairie surrounding the Black Hills. This site is considered sacred to the Lakota and other Native American tribes that have a connection to the area. Then, travel to Spearfish Canyon, a great spot for wildlife enthusiasts where the breathtaking limestone palisades of this creek-carved gorge are more ancient than the Grand Canyon, albeit much closer together. Enjoy a rustic dinner at your lodge in the evening.
CUSTER AND THE WILD, WILD WEST.
Keep a lookout for pronghorn antelope as you cross the great high plains to the Black Hills of South Dakota. In Deadwood, join Kevin Costner’s Original Deadwood Tour and explore this once lawless town. With a Local Expert, hear about the days of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, who made this town famous during the gold rush of the 1870s. Later, hear stories told by Lakota tribe members as they share a live narrative of the Great Sioux Nation. Continue on to Custer State Park, renowned for its beautiful landscape and abundant wildlife.
THE MOUNTAIN MONUMENTS OF THE BLACK HILLS OF SOUTH DAKOTA.
View the Crazy Horse Memorial, dedicated to all Native Americans. Move on to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, where carvings of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt dominate the Black Hills. The rest of the day is yours to spend at leisure, before a Celebration Dinner with wine.
DEPART RAPID CITY OR DENVER.
Those ending in Rapid City may depart at any time. Travel south from Custer State Park where your tour ends on arrival in Denver, with a transfer to Denver International Airport.