Six national parks flaunting some of the world’s most spectacular scenery fill this six-day tour. Pinnacles, gorges, monuments, mesas, and canyons will astound you. Arches and buttes in pink, buff, lavender, mauve, tan, red, brown, and black delight the eye, while the cool blue of river and stream soothes the soul.

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Park rules and restrictions due to COVID=19 may require changes to this itinerary and impact park entrance, times, and lodging. We will inform passengers in advance when we can, but some changes may be required last-minute. Passenger flexibility is appreciated!

 

Included meals are denoted: Breakfast: B, Lunch: L, Dinner D

 

Day 1

We drive across the colorful landscape of northwestern New Mexico. We visit the Hopi Cultural Center before continuing to Lake Powell for one night. 

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Day 2               B 

We explore beautiful Antelope Slot Canyon stepping off our truck into the desert and enter an amazing fantasy world of sandstone that has been carved by many years of wind and water. We continue to Zion National Park, where we join the tram tour for an overview of the great park. Afterwards, we have additional free time in the park on our own.  Zion National Park welcomes us with checkered mountains and overwhelms us with its massive vertical canyon walls towering over the narrow Virgin River Canyon

 

Day 3               B, L

Bryce Canyon National Park includes some of the earth’s most colorful rocks, shaped by erosion into fantastic forms. Besides seeing the countless weirdly-shaped rock formations in Bryce Amphitheater, we drive along the rim road for additional dramatic vistas.

 

Day 4               B, L

We follow Highway 12, one of Utah’s most scenic routes, through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to Capitol Reef National Park which protects a 100-mile-long wrinkle in the earth’s crust called the Waterpocket Fold. We learn how the fold was formed and see man’s few imprints on this stark land.  We then arrive in Moab where we lodge two nights. 

 

Day 5               B

In Arches National Park we learn how nature created the over 100 arches and visit some of the finer specimens. We lunch in Moab. This afternoon we drive to the heart of Canyonlands National Park. From here we see broad vistas across canyon after canyon, with the Colorado and Green Rivers in the deepest depths. From Dead Horse Point, we look way down to a gooseneck on the Colorado River. 

  

Day 6

We begin to head home, stopping in Durango CO for lunch, then continuing on to Albuquerque, full of memories of the stunning National Parks we’ve seen.

 

Itinerary subject to change