America's Magnificent National Parks

On this Summer 2018 Insight tour, travel between some of the most beautiful places in America.

D AY 1

ARRIVE PHOENIX AND TRAVEL TO SCOTTSDALE.

Welcome to Arizona. Your airport transfer takes you to your tour hotel in Scottsdale. Enjoy the grounds of this desert oasis. At 18:00, join your Tour Director for a Welcome Dinner with wine.

SEDONA AND THE WONDERS OF THE MIGHTY GRAND CANYON.

Head north to the quaint bohemian colony of Sedona, where you can browse the shops and galleries, before travelling on to Grand Canyon National Park. Perhaps take an optional flightseeing tour by helicopter or plane over this natural wonder? Spend the night inside the park, experiencing the peace and quiet once the crowds have departed. During your stay, join a Local Expert for an informative presentation about the wonders of the Grand Canyon. In the evening, enjoy a Highlight Dinner with wine in the Thunderbird Room while taking in the magnificent views.

MONUMENT VALLEY AND LAKE POWELL.

Head to the historic Cameron Trading Post, featuring Southwest American Indian arts and crafts. Your journey carries on through the colourful Painted Desert to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, where you will board all-terrain vehicles to explore the valley with your Navajo guide. Stop at the Glen Canyon Dam to learn about its impact on the Colorado River before arriving at your lakefront resort.

LEISURELY LAKE POWELL.

(Relaxed Start) In the morning, choose to enjoy the resort’s facilities, or perhaps join an optional float trip down the scenic Colorado River? Later, take an included leisurely cruise through scenic Antelope Canyon with its dramatic, steep, sandstone walls.

BRYCE CANYON AND ZION NATIONAL PARKS.

Head to Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah for a leisurely walk along Sunset Point to view the great amphitheatres of the odd-shaped monoliths, known as hoodoos. Travel through more amazing scenery to the lush cliff-and-canyon landscape of Zion National Park. In the evening, join your Tour Director and newfound friends for a Highlight Dinner with wine.

ZION TO LAS VEGAS, FROM NATURE TO NEON.

Board a private Zion Canyon Shuttle, with live commentary, to experience the scenic highlights of the park, followed by some time to explore on your own. A complete change of scenery awaits you in the afternoon when you arrive in Las Vegas; bright lights, shopping malls and huge themed hotels.

SALT LAKE CITY.

Travel to Salt Lake City, the most populous city and capital of Utah, also the headquarters of the Mormon faith.

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 Lodge and the stunning peaks of Grand Teton National Park.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.

See the Grand Tetons thrust skyward 6,562 feet (2,000 metres) from the valley floor. Enter Yellowstone, the world’s first National Park, known for its unique geothermal activity, spectacular landscapes, and abundant wildlife.

GEYSERS AND COLOURFUL MUDPOTS AT 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 will be plenty of time to see the colourful bubbling mudpots and observe Old Faithful shooting water over 120 feet (37 metres) in the air. See wildlife in their natural habitat and hear the roar of the Lower Yellowstone Falls.

THE RANCH AT UCROSS.

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, indulge in a ranch style Highlight Dinner with wine.

DEVILS TOWER INTO THE BLACK HILLS.

Start your morning with horseback riding, fishing or just relaxing in your beautiful surroundings. Then, head towards Devils Tower, an astounding geologic feature that protrudes out of the surrounding Black Hills and is considered sacred to the Lakota and other tribes. 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. Enjoy the scenery before sitting down to dinner.

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. Then, hear stories told by members of the Lakota tribe 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. Perhaps get up-close and personal with herds of buffalo on an optional jeep safari?

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 your leisure before enjoying a Celebration Dinner with wine.

DEPART DENVER.

Alternatively, travel south from Custer State Park where your tour ends on arrival in Denver. A transfer is available to Denver International Airport.


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