Scenic Parks Explorer

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
America’s most beloved national parks. Kick off your
US National Park tour meeting your Travel Director for
a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant before settling
in for your western adventure beginning tomorrow.

There’s no better place to admire the Southwest’s
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 Utah’s skies. This evening, perhaps join Ebenezer’s
Barn & Grill and The Bryce Canyon Wranglers for an
unforgettable evening of live country music and a
delicious BBQ dinner.

Fortunately for you, you have a second day in Bryce
Canyon National Park, where you’ll unlock the park’s
iconic hoodoos. Next up in Salt Lake City, discover the
local secrets of Utah’s capital seeing its Mormon
center, 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
– so you’ll have plenty of choice as you explore the city
today. Enjoy dinner tonight at a local restaurant with
your fellow travellers

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
Range’s 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 –
on your own. Grab dinner this evening in one of the
old-timey saloons and steakhouses destined to fuel
your adventures through western frontiers

Grand Teton National Park’s 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
park’s resident wildlife. The promise of Yellowstone’s
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

See how Yellowstone National Park – one of the world’s
oldest national parks with over 500 geysers – is in a
league of its own. At the end of your visit, you’ll 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

Welcome to “Buffalo Bill’s” hometown of Cody where
the “Spirit of the American West” lives on. Visit the
Buffalo Bill Center of the West Museum to unlock the
town’s 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 who’ll share Billing’s
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.

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 Custer’s 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.

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 you’ve entered an
ancient world. A special MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®
Experience awaits this evening as you meet Lakota
Tribe Member Stephen Yellowhawk who shares his
passion for his culture over stories of his tribe’s history
during a festive evening of singing, dance and music.

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 you’ve seen. Cap off the day enjoying dinner at a
local restaurant.

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. You’ll 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

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 cowboystyle Dutch Oven Dinner and a trip on the Moab Queen
II jet boat cruising by the lit-up canyon walls.

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.

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
MATTER® 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 MATTER® 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
America’s National Parks at your accommodations
inside Grand Canyon National Park.

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