Your tour will depart Las Vegas at about 7.00 a.m. The route out of Vegas will take you north, across a little strip of Arizona, and up the picturesque Virgin River Gorge, into Utah.  Passing through St. George in southern Utah, you'll branch off the highway at the little town of Hurricane, and head for Zion. 

Zion is Utah's most popular National Park, and its story is one of rock and water. We'll take a leisurely drive through the park, stopping frequently to take photographs and enjoy the scenery.

Our route will take us up a series of steep switchbacks, and through an incredible tunnel that has been blasted into the rocks, before exiting the park at the less frequently used east entrance.

Many who have seen both Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon tell us that Bryce is far more spectacular. You will marvel at the weirdly shaped hoodoos, in an amazing array of colorful hues.  A sack lunch is provided.

Bryce is not really a canyon, but a large amphitheatre carved out of a variety of rock types. There are four main viewing locations, and we will take them all in. If there is time, we'll travel a little deeper into Bryce, and get a look at Natural Bridge. 

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It's time to leave Bryce, and travel to Page, on the shores of Lake Powell. On the way, we'll stop for a short time in Kanab, on the Utah/Arizona border, where many western movies have been shot. You'll have an opportunity to get yourself a bite to eat, as well as purchase southwestern and native American souvenirs. From Kanab it is a scenic drive to Page, as you pass alongside the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. 

There is a lot to see and do in Page.   We generally like to start the day off with an early morning hike to Horseshoe Bend.  This an easy walk to a spectacular bend in the Colorado River, viewed through the canyon walls below.  Please bring a good pair of walking shoes with you.

Up next is an off road tour to Antelope Canyon, which is one of the most striking slot canyons known to man. A slot canyon is a narrow canyon sliced through a mesa by the forces of nature. Some canyons measure less than a yard across at the top, but drop a hundred feet or more from the rim to the bottom. Slots are cut and scoured by water and wind, with the striations of the sandstone becoming almost incandescent. From within you will see a palette of colors transmuted by light filtering down from above and bouncing from wall to wall. Antelope Canyon can only be visited using the services of an authorized Navajo Nation guide, and we use Carolene Ekis' Antelope Canyon Tours.

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From Page you'll travel to Monument Valley, over Navajo Nation land. Depending on the time of the year, many Indian souvenir stands will be open on the sides of the road, and we can stop so you can do some shopping for Navajo jewelry and souvenirs. On the way you will start to see some of the buttes and mesas for which the area is world famous.

Up next is a 1 1/2 to two hour tour of Monument Valley, conducted by a Navajo guide. Visitors love to see the buttes, mesas and other sandstone formations that are so prevalent in the Monument Valley area. Monument Valley is actually not really a valley at all, but a relatively flat plain surrounded by red cliffs, with the buttes, as well as the remnants of ancient volcanoes, towering from the earth. 

For fans of old western movies, Monument Valley is the epicenter of the west, with many great cowboys and Indians films having been shot in the area. The familiar rock shapes can be seen from many miles away, with the really great scenery to be seen on the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, which straddles the Utah/Arizona border. 

Amongst the sites that your tour will take in are Anasazi ruins, petroglyphs, movie locations, 1000 foot monoliths, rug weaving and Indian hogans.   The famous monuments are visited as well as many rock windows and arches of unique shapes. 

At the gateway to the park are some small shops, where you can buy Navajo souvenirs, and sample Navajo Tacos and fry bread, foods that are unique to the Navajo Nation. 

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The road to the Grand Canyon takes us through the east entrance, a side of the park that is much less used than the south entrance. This will enable you to get a look at the Desert View Watchtower, built by legendary architect Mary Colter in 1933.   Amongst the highpoints of the building are the Hopi Indian artwork inside.

We'll take a leisurely drive, stopping at various of the viewpoints, on our way to Bright Angel Lodge, where you will have the opportunity to admire the view, do some more shopping, and grab a bite to eat. 

New this year is a plane flight over the Grand Canyon, which is included in the tour price!  You'll board your sightseeing plane at the tiny Grand Canyon airport, for a 45 minute to an hour trip over the Canyon.

It is really only from the air that you get an appreciation of the shear magnitude of the Grand Canyon, as you gaze down through the canyon walls below, to the mighty Colorado River.

It's time to travel back to Las Vegas, and end the tour. Security concerns permitting, the route will take you back over Hoover Dam, where you will have the opportunity to take a few photographs.

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