Great National Parks of Western USA

SALT LAKE CITY

An orientation tour of Salt Lake City will give you a fascinating insight into its unique history and culture. It dates back to 1847 with the arrival of the Church of the Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), the first settlers in the valley, who travelled far in their search for an isolated area where they could practise their religion. Our journey then commences on a long but fascinating drive that takes us south-east, travelling over the Wasatch Plateau into the remote Price and Green river basins. 

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

This morning, when the light is at its best, we’ll visit one of our tour’s highlights, Arches National Park. Boasting the world’s largest concentration of natural sandstone arches within a relatively small area, there are around two thousand colossal sandstone arches, soaring spires, monoliths and balanced rock formations, making the landscape utterly unique and a photographer’s paradise.

This Mars-like topography, with its changing colours of oranges and deep reds, is sure to leave an indelible mark on the memory. Spend the afternoon at leisure – your options include a boat trip on the Colorado River or a 4x4 offroad tour.

MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK

Leaving Moab, we soon cross into Colorado and arrive at Mesa Verde National Park, the only one exclusively devoted to Native American archaeological remains. Marvel at the past dwellings of the Anasazi, an Ancestral Puebloan people who inhabited the area between AD 600 to AD 1300. Their intriguing mud-brick buildings are some of the best preserved in the country, thanks to the dry desert climate and the stunning cliffside location under massive folds of rock – a truly extraordinary sight.

DURANGO & SILVERTON RAILWAY

We enjoy a real highlight this morning, as we take a ride on the Durango and Silverton Railroad,
one of the USA’s best-loved heritage railways. Running on narrow-gauge tracks originally laid in the 1880s, the locomotives used today date from the 1920s and are completely coalfired and steam-driven. As the railway slowly gains height, the scenery becomes ever more rugged, with the muted greys and pinks of the jagged peaks contrasting beautifully with the dense forests in the deep valleys below.

Our wonderful vintage train follows the Animas River Valley through the San Juan National Forest, until it reaches the charming ex-mining community of Silverton. We re-board our coach headed for the small town of Montrose.
 

GRAND JUNCTION TO FORT COLLINS

Today we continue our journey to northern Colorado to the historic town of Fort Collins, stopping en route for lunch (not included) in the town area of Vail in Eagle County, located in the White River National Forest.

MOUNT RUSHMORE & RAPID CITY

After breakfast we leave Fort Collins and head north to South Dakota, where we will visit Mount Rushmore. The faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln look down over the Black Hills from stony heights to inspire and remind us that even the impossible is possible. You’ll be fascinated by the story of the one man who designed and sculpted this incredible monument and the ingenious techniques used in its construction, all set in the glorious natural beauty of mountains, forests and emerald meadows.

We arrive at Rapid City, the capital of South Dakota. Our hotel tonight is located within walking distance to the downtown area, which is easy to explore on foot. 
 

CUSTER STATE PARK & CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL

Today we drive through scenic Custer State Park, home to abundant wildlife, including bighorn sheep, antelope, elk, coyote, prairie dogs, and ‘begging burros’, wild donkeys with a reputation for approaching passing vehicles to ‘ask’ for food. We’ll also visit the Crazy Horse Memorial, still in the process of being sculpted from the mountain cliffs – on a truly vast scale, it will be 172 metres high and 195 metres long when completed.

DEADWOOD & DEVILS TOWER

Heading east, we pass through legendary Deadwood, the historic gold rush town and a National Historic Landmark, with its wonderfully restored Main Street. Settled by illegal gold rushers in the 1870s, it attracted gunslingers, gamblers and outlaws, including Wild Bill Hickok, who was gunned down here during a poker game. One of the town’s most famous citizens, Calamity Jane, was immortalised in the film of the same name by Doris Day in the song, Deadwood Stage.

Crossing back into the wide-open spaces of Wyoming, we’ll visit the remarkable Devils Tower National Monument. The remains of an ancient volcano rising mystically above the surrounding area, it has been a spiritual icon for many of the Plains tribes and is also instantly recognisable as the aliens’ landing ground in Steven Spielberg’s film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. 
 

LITTLE BIGHORN BATTLEFIELD

Today we cross into the vast grassy hills of Montana, site of the US Cavalry’s greatest defeat at the hands of Native American tribes. Commanded by the flamboyant Lt Col Custer, the famed US 7th Cavalry suffered huge losses against the combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, led by several major war leaders including Crazy Horse. Our local guide will take us through the dramatic events that led up to Custer’s Last Stand. We stay the night in Cody. In the evening, you may wish to experience the Cody Nite Rodeo, which runs on a nightly basis from June till August.

CODY & YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

The town of Cody is named after ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody, US soldier, bison hunter, showman and one of the most colourful figures of the Old West. His career began at age 11 when he worked on the wagon trains, then at 15 he was the youngest rider on the Pony Express. He was also a Union soldier in the Civil War, a famed fighter against the Indians and most notably, the founder of the Wild West Show that ran for 30 years. He was probably the world’s first international showman, dining with heads of state, including Queen Victoria. After a visit to he Buffalo Bill Center of the West, we cross into Yellowstone National Park over the 8,500-foot-high Sylvan Pass.
 

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Wilderness is the theme of the day as we head into the park, the USA’s first and finest nature
reserve. The breathtaking scenery is incredibly special – see the stunning Lower Falls, twice the height of Niagara; the awe-inspiring Yellowstone Grand Canyon; wonderful bubbling mud pools, steaming rivers and hot springs, including the most famous geyser of all, Old Faithful. There are opportunities to catch sight of the park’s strikingly diverse wildlife, such as herds of bison and elk, or if you’re lucky, grizzly bears.

WEST YELLOWSTONE & SALT LAKE CITY

Today we continue the journey south through some fascinating landscapes. We take a stop at the city of Idaho Falls, surrounded by the Snake River, as we head back to Salt Lake City. Here we visit Temple Square, forty years in its construction and the Beehive house, one of the two official residences of the first Church leader, Brigham Young.
 

RETURN FLIGHT

After a leisurely morning we take an early afternoon transfer to the airport for our overnight flight home.

ARRIVE HOME

We arrive home full of memories of a unique tour.