On this vacation, marvel at the West's premier natural wonders and see spectacular scenery, memorials, monuments, parks, canyons, and much more. Your tour starts in Denver and heads to South Dakota for visits to the Crazy Horse Memorial and Mount Rushmore National Memorial. On this special departure, you’ll also visit Little Bighorn Battlefield, which commemorates one of America’s most famous battles. Here, learn the true story of “Custer’s Last Stand.”Continue to Buffalo Bill’s frontier town of Cody, Wyoming. Then head to Yellowstone National Park to see magnificent views of Yellowstone Canyon, Lower Falls, and world-famous Old Faithful Geyser. Overnight in Yellowstone National Park (depending on the time of year) before journeying into breathtaking Grand Teton National Park for a delightful walk along glacier-fed Jenny Lake. In nearby Jackson, with its wooden sidewalks and swing-door saloons, you’ll have plenty of free time to tour on your own.Next, it’s on to Salt Lake City, Utah’s capital, for a sightseeing tour; then marvel at the “hoodoos” and dramatic landscapes of Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park. Stunning scenery awaits you in both parks, so have your camera ready! Continue into Arizona to Page, on the shores of Lake Powell, and cross the Painted Desert to amazing Grand Canyon National Park. Your hotel is located in the park, giving you a rare opportunity for great views and time to explore this spellbinding place. For a thrill of a lifetime, take an optional flightseeing trip over the Grand Canyon. Finally, travel to Las Vegas, where this spectacular vacation ends. On this vacation through some of the West’s premier national parks, you’ll see breathtaking scenery that cannot be found anywhere else—a trip of a lifetime!
Highlights:
Scenic Highlights:Black Hills, Deadwood, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Lake Powell, Painted Desert, Grand Canyon National Park.
Itinerary:
Day #1 Denver. Enjoy time at leisure to relax or to do some independent exploring. Your Tour Director is on hand this evening to answer any questions.
Day #2 Denver–Cheyenne–Black Hills of South Dakota–Keystone. Depart Denver and travel north to Cheyenne. See the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota and continue to Custer. Then, see the CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL, a monument carved out of a mountain that pays respect to the great Native American hero, Chief Crazy Horse. (CB)
Day #3 Keystone–Mount Rushmore–Deadwood. Drive deep into the Black Hills, through what was Sioux Indian territory, to see the stunning granite face of MOUNT RUSHMORE, a giant monument to four great American presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Afterward, visit TATANKA: The Story of the Bison, and experience the richness of the Lakota people. On to Deadwood, a lawless frontier town during the 1876 Gold Rush, where Jack McCall murdered Wild Bill Hickok during a poker game. Overnight here, and discover Deadwood’s Wild West ways as you walk in the footsteps of legends like Calamity Jane and Seth Bullock.
Day #4 Deadwood-Sheridan. Little Bighorn Battlefield. We head this morning through the rich high country where open-range cattle kings made war on the homesteaders in the 1890's. This afternoon we visit the LITTLE BIGHORN BATTLEFIELD NATIONAL MONUMENT which commemorates one of America's most significant and famous battles. Here on June 25 and 26, 1876, two divergent cultures clashed in a life or death struggle. During your time at the Battlefield, hear the story of the great war leader of the Sioux, Crazy Horse, and about the defeat of the US Seventh Cavalry by Lakota (Sioux), Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors. While standing in the midst of this beautiful and tranquil setting, learn the true story of "Custer's Last Stand" that has been immortalized in thousands of books, paintings and films. We overnight in the town of Sheridan located in the Bighorn Mountains. (CB)
Day #5 Sheridan–Cody. This morning, we arrive in Buffalos Bill's frontier town of Cody. During your free time here, we suggest a visit to the Buffalo Bill Historic Centre, home to five unique museums including the Whitney Gallery of Western Art, the Plains Indians Museum, Cody Firearms Museum, and the Buffalo Bill Museum telling the life and legend of this bigger-than-life character. Enjoy a stroll down Cody's main street with its unique shops and restaurants making sure to visit the historic Irma Hotel for a cold drink in the saloon. You may also wish to join our optional trip down the Shoshone River. (B)
Day #6 Cody–Yellowstone National Park. Proceed through Shoshone National Forest to YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. Travel along Grand Loop Road to Artist Point for views of Yellowstone Canyon and the Lower Falls. See the bubbling geyser basins and the consistent “blow” of Old Faithful, Yellowstone’s most famous geyser. Overnight in Yellowstone National Park.NOTE:Departures traveling to Yellowstone National Park in April/May and September/October will stay in West Yellowstone. Routing and areas visited in Yellowstone National Park are subject to favorable weather, gate access, and road conditions. When conditions are unfavorable, routing may be adjusted accordingly.
Day #7 Yellowstone–Grand Teton National Park–Jackson. Head south into magnificent GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, one of America’s last preserves of wild solitude. Its 13,770-foot-high ridges are crested with snow most of the year. Stroll along the shores of beautiful glacier-fed Jenny Lake before ending the day in the Wild West town of Jackson with its wooden sidewalks and swing-door saloons. This evening, join an optional barbecue cookout and Wild West show.
Day #8 Jackson. With its wooden sidewalks and swing-door saloons, Jackson is like a film set. Time today for an optional float trip on the Snake River. (CB)
Day #9 Jackson–Salt Lake City. Today, drive to Salt Lake City for an overnight stay. Set on the edge of Great Salt Lake Desert, this center of the Mormon religion is where Brigham Young declared to his followers, “This is the place.” An included sightseeing tour shows you the capital of Utah, including Temple Square, the adjacent tabernacle, and the Beehive House.
Day #10 Salt Lake City–Bryce Canyon National Park. On to BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK with its 20 miles of sandstone cliffs and ever-changing colors. See some of Earth’s most brilliant shades of rock, sculpted by nature into pillars called “hoodoos.”
Day #11 Bryce Canyon National Park–Zion National Park–Page. Travel to ZION NATIONAL PARK with its landscape carved over millions of years by rushing streams. Steep canyons, stone towers, and verdant vegetation form the scenery of Zion. Head east into Page on the shores of Lake Powell.
Day #12 Page–Painted Desert–Grand Canyon National Park. Enjoy an optional flight over scenic Monument Valley. Then, cross the Painted Desert and through Kaibab National Forest. Arrive for an overnight at the South Rim of GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK with free time to explore.
Day #13 Grand Canyon National Park–Las Vegas. For a once-in-a-lifetime thrill, take an optional flightseeing trip over the Grand Canyon. Next up: the world-class entertainment of Las Vegas.
Day #14 Las Vegas. The trip ends today with guests departing on individual schedules. Transfers to Las Vegas McCarran International Airport are included. You can extend your vacation with extra nights and explore “Sin City” further with a variety of exciting optional activities.
Hotels:
DENVER Comfort Inn Downtown Denver (ST)
KEYSTONE Mt. Rushmore’s White House Resort (T)
DEADWOOD Comfort Inn at Gulches of Fun Deadwood (ST)
SHERIDAN Best Western Sheridan Center (MF)
CODY Buffalo Bill Village (ST)
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK Yellowstone National Park Lodges (NP)
JACKSON Painted Buffalo Inn (ST)
SALT LAKE CITY Red Lion Hotel Salt Lake City Downtown (MF)
BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK Best Western Ruby’s Inn (ST)
PAGE Quality Inn Lake Powell (MF)
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK Grand Canyon National Park Lodges (NP)
LAS VEGAS Harrah’s Las Vegas (F)