America’s National Parks & Canyons

DAY 1 – OMAK, WA

Our journey south begins. This evening overnight at 12 Tribes. (MV)

DAY 2 – BUTTE, MT

Travel east through the Spokane Valley into the historic town of Wallace. Overnight in Butte. (R)

DAY 3 – WEST YELLOWSTONE, MT

Yellowstone National Park was established as the world’s first national park in 1872. Watch for an abundance of wildlife as we travel through the park. Settle in for the next two nights at the Stagecoach Inn. (B)

DAY 4 – YELLOWSTONE PARK

Observe coloured mud boil at the Fountain Paint Pots, then watch the magnificent eruption of Old Faithful Geyser. On the Grand Scenic Loop, prepare to be awed by steaming vents, deep coloured pools and beds of orange microbes. (B)

SPOTLIGHT on Yellowstone Park
Yellowstone became America’s first National Park in 1872. Explore this national treasure which spans three states. Mostly in Wyoming, the park spreads in to parts of Montana and Idaho and offers a variety of incredible firsts. Experience the most famous geyser that has erupted on the clock for decades – Old Faithful. Watch as steaming geysers erupt in all their glory and look out for all the wildlife as you witness the drama and beauty of the natural world unfold before your eyes. Learn the history that led to the conservation of these national treasures. Come and enjoy the thundering waterfalls, crystalline lakes and panoramic vistas over this historic two million acres.

DAY 5 – POCATELLO, ID

Begin the day at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center. Depart south to Pocatello. Discover the Museum of Clean. This fun, interactive attraction is sure to impress. Overnight at the Fairfield Inn & Suites. (B,D)

SPOTLIGHT on The Discovery Center
The Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center is a wildlife park and educational facility. The Center offers every visitor to Yellowstone a chance to uniquely experience the world of grizzly bears and gray wolves. All the animals at the center are unable to survive in the wild and serve as ambassadors for their wild counterparts.

DAY 6 – VERNAL, UT

Experience the deep multi-coloured canyons, unique geologic features, breathtaking scenic vistas and vast forest landscapes of Flaming Gorge Country. Arrive into the town of Vernal, also known as “Dinosaurland” and home to the largest quarry of prehistoric Jurassic dinosaur bones. Overnight at the Holiday Inn (B)

SPOTLIGHT on Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park, a sprawling reserve in southern Utah, is known for crimson-coloured hoodoos, which are spire-shaped rock formations. The park’s main road leads past the expansive Bryce Amphitheater, a hoodoo-filled depression lying below the Rim Trail hiking path.

DAY 7 – TORREY, UT

Utah’s dinosaur legacy comes to life at the stunning glass Dinosaur National Monument where geological and climatic forces have tilted, warped and eroded the earth’s crust to reveal a treasure trove of more than 1,500 fossils. Follow the Diamond Dinosaur Prehistoric Highway to Price and on to Torrey for our overnight at the Days Inn. (B)

SPOTLIGHT on Zion National Park
Zion National Park is a southwest Utah nature preserve distinguished by Zion Canyon’s steep red cliffs. Zion Canyon Scenic Drive cuts through its main section, leading to forest trails along the Virgin River. The river flows to the Emerald Pools, which have waterfalls and a hanging garden. Also along the river, partly through deep chasms, is Zion Narrows wading hike.

DAY 8 – BRYCE CANYON CITY, UT

Wind our way through the spectacular Escalante-Grand Staircase enroute to Bryce Canyon National Park, an immense semi-circular amphitheater of some of Earth’s most colourful rocks. Our overnight is at Ruby’s Inn located at the entrance to Bryce Canyon. (B,D)

SPOTLIGHT on The Tuacahn Amphitheatre
The brand-new Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella is the Tony Award®-winning musical that’s delighting audiences with its surprisingly contemporary take on the classic tale. This lush production features an incredible orchestra, jaw-dropping transformations and all the moments you love-the pumpkin, the glass slipper, the masked ball and more-plus some surprising new twists!

DAY 9-10 – ST. GEORGE, UT

Travelling to Zion, board the tram for a narrated scenic drive through the national park. A guided tour of St. George and a Broadway production of Cinderella at the Tuacahn Amphitheatre fill the next day. Go behind the scenes on a backstage walking tour. Overnight at the Red Lion Hotel. (2B,D)

DAY 11 – WENDOVER, NV

Visit Cathedral Gorge known for its unique landscape and formations. Overnight at the Montego Bay Casino Resort. (B,D)

DAY 12 – PENDLETON, OR

After a few stops we arrive in Pendleton. Overnight at the Red Lion Hotel.

DAY 13 – LYNNWOOD, WA

Travel through Oregon and central Washington. Overnight at Embassy Suites. (B, R)

DAY 14 – RETURN HOME

Bid farewell to your fellow travellers as we drive home this afternoon. (B)