We'll pick you up at your Las Vegas Strip hotel at about 7.00 a.m. and travel north up interstate 15, crossing into the desolate Arizona Strip, before heading up the Virgin River Gorge and into Utah.  There will be stops along the way, to admire the views, take photographs, stretch your legs or grab a quick snack. Shortly after the small town of St. George, close to the Utah/Arizona border, we'll branch off the interstate, and cross back into Arizona. Right at the border between the two states, you'll see the twin polygamous towns of Hilldale and Colorado City, where an extreme Mormon sect still indulges in the old Latter Day Saint practice of multiple wives!
 

The scenery on this leg of the trip is interesting, almost all the way from Las Vegas. After dropping back into Arizona and traveling past scrub land and desert, we'll enter the Kaibab National Forest, as we start climbing up to the North Rim. This part of the Grand Canyon is over 8000 feet, and it can be cold there outside the middle of the summer, so please bring the appropriate clothing. We'll drive through some magnificent groves of Ponderosa pines, and sweeping wide open meadows that are filled with deer at sunrise and sunset, before entering the gates of the Grand Canyon.          TOP

Only about 10 percent of the people who go to the Grand Canyon visit the North Rim, which is not as easy to get to as the South.  There will be ample time to take in the views, grab your self a bite to eat, and relax and enjoy the incredible views.

After driving back through the Kaibab National Forest, we'll head east at Jacob Lake, and start our drop down to the desert below.   Depending on the time of the year, we should pass a number of Navajo roadside stands, and we'll stop to give you a chance to purchase souvenirs.  After a relatively short drive along the Vermilion Cliffs, we'll reach Page, on the shores of Lake Powell.

There is a lot to see and do in Page.   We hope you're not too tired for a short hike to Horseshoe Bend, a spectacular Colorado River overlook, viewed through the canyon walls below.  Please bring a good pair of walking shoes with you.

Spend the night in Page.  An example of the motel we use can be seen here.  A continental breakfast is provided tomorrow morning.

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The Colorado River flows from Lake Powell out of Glen Canyon Dam, towards Lee's Ferry, the official starting point of raft trips through the Grand Canyon.  Today you'll be taking a float trip down the river.  The adventure begins with an unusual ride down the two mile long Glen Canyon Dam access tunnel.  At river level, with the dam soaring almost 600 feet above you, you will board a comfortable, motorized pontoon raft for your journey downstream. 

For the next fifteen miles, you will experience one of the most dramatic stretches of river in the western United States.  Your experienced guide will tell the story of the area’s soaring sandstone cliffs, crystal blue-green waters, abundant wildlife, exploration by Major John Wesley Powell (after whom Lake Powell is named) and others, and the river's modern role in the Southwest’s water and power delivery system.

A stop to view an impressive set of ancient petroglyphs will offer you a chance to stretch your legs while bearing witness to the area’s former inhabitance by ancient native cultures.  If you choose, you may also refresh yourself by wading in the cold, clear river.     

The river portion of your trip ends at historic Lees Ferry, gateway to the Grand Canyon. The rafting company will either take you back to Page where your guide will meet you, or the guide will pick you up at Lee's Ferry.

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Travel to Monument Valley.  On the way you will start to see the mesas and buttes for which the area is so well known.  There will be plenty of time to take photographs, as well as stop to shop and eat at Navajo roadside stands

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Up next is a 1 1/2 to 2 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 likely take in are Anasazi ruins, petroglyphs, movie locations, 1000 foot monoliths, rug weaving and Indian hogans. The famous monuments are visited. 

At the gateway to the park is a section of road with vendors, where you can shop for Navajo souvenirs, and sample Navajo Tacos and fry bread, foods that are unique to the Navajo Nation. 

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Spend the night at the same motel.

Depending on whether there are people continuing on to do one of our Yellowstone tours tomorrow, the following portion of the route may be done in a different order.  The road to Zion passes through the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, after which there will be a short stop in the small town of Kanab to shop for southwestern, cowboy and Native American souvenirs and jewelry. 

Zion is Utah's most popular National Park, and its story is one of rock and water. We'll enter the park from the less traveled east entrance and take a leisurely drive through an incredible tunnel blasted into the Navajo sandstone, stopping frequently to take photographs and enjoy the scenery.

Our route will take us through an incredible tunnel that has been blasted into the rocks, and down a switchback road, towards the Great Arch of Zion.  At that point we'll turn around and retrace our steps, back to the east entrance.

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Travel to Bryce Canyon along a particularly scenic Utah back road. 

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.

Bryce is not really a canyon, but a large amphitheatre carved out of a variety of rock types.  You will have the opportunity to take a stroll from Sunrise Point to Sunset Point, if you choose, and we will also check out Bryce Point, the most spectacular view at Bryce.

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Bryce Canyon to Salt Lake City

271 miles
434 km
4 1/4 hours

It's now time to head for Salt Lake City.  You will be dropped off at a downtown Salt Lake hotel, ready to be picked up for the trip to Yellowstone tomorrow. 

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Salt Lake City to West Yellowstone

You will be picked up at your downtown Salt Lake City hotel at about 7.30 a.m., and  head off for West Yellowstone, Montana.   The initial route out of Salt Lake touches on the Great Salt Lake, at Willard Bay, before crossing over into Idaho.  There is some great scenery along the way, especially as you climb up into the skies, through the Targhee National Forest into Montana.   There will be opportunities for you to stop, admire the view, stretch your legs and buy a bite to eat.

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High meadows outside West Yellowstone

Our first major destination is a horse ranch, located in a beautifully high mountain valley (or hole, as old timers called it) just outside West Yellowstone.  It's time to go horseback riding!   (I'm not into horseback riding ... what do I do?)  Depending on what the group decides, there are a variety of trail options.  You can take a steep, high trail through the rugged mountain terrain, traversing the streams that flow down from the nearby Continental Divide, or you stay lower down in the wide, expansive meadows. 

In the summer, cattle are often moved from one area to another, and you may have the opportunity to play cowboy!    A sack lunch is provided today.

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It is a short drive from the ranch to West Yellowstone.  The motel at which you are staying, Al's Westward Ho, is the closest one to Yellowstone!  Our little restaurant/Internet Cafe is right next door, and supper at the restaurant is included in the tour price.  You will spend the night at Al's.

Breakfast is provided at our restaurant to start the day.   Please take a look at the sample menu. 

The roads that run through Yellowstone make a massive figure of eight.  Today we'll be exploring the Upper Loop of Yellowstone.  This will be a full and fun day!  The route we take will depend on possible road closures in the park, but it will be something like the following.

There is going to be a lot to see and do.   We'll head out of West Yellowstone towards Madison Junction, where the Madison, Gibbon and Firehole Rivers meet.  Turning left (north) we'll make for Norris Geyser Basin.  Along the way we'll stop briefly at Gibbon Falls.

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Although not as well known as the other geyser basins, Norris is the most thermally active part of Yellowstone.  It is divided into two separate areas:  Porcelain Basin and Back Basin.  You will have the opportunity to stroll around both, enjoying the pristine beauty.  Back Basin is home to Steamboat Geyser, the highest geyser in the world. 

The next stop is Mammoth Hot Springs, headquarters of the park, and home to a fascinating array of weird rock shapes, bright colors and sizzling hot springs. Elk are generally plentiful in this area, wandering around the old park buildings, and, if you're lucky, you might even see a whole herd.  

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You can stroll down the ever changing terraces at Mammoth, admiring the travertine creations and hot springs.  Your guide will be waiting at the bottom with a sack lunch.

Everyone wants to see a bear in the wild at Yellowstone, and the trip from Mammoth to Tower Falls is one of the best places to do so. The spring can be a great time to go looking for bears, as you have the opportunity of seeing mothers with their new born cubs.  Tower Falls is an impressive water fall.   Time permitting, we may also take a trip from Tower towards the northeast entrance of the park, through the Lamar Valley.  This is one of the locations in which wolves may be found.

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Assuming that it is open, the road from Tower Falls to Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone towers up into the sky as it crosses the Dunraven Pass at almost 9000 feet.   We then drop down to Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. 

The Yellowstone River has carved an impressive canyon through the rocks, over which two falls drop.  The Lower Falls is over twice the size of Niagara Falls!  It is in this area that you can catch a glimpse of the yellowish tinge to the rocks, from which the Yellowstone River got its name, but at a different location.  We'll check out the canyon and falls from a number of different locations.  You get so close to the Upper Falls that you almost feel like you can reach out and touch the thundering water.  Don't!

After a long, fun-filled day, it is time to return to West Yellowstone.            

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Breakfast is served in our restaurant again.  From West Yellowstone we will head east, and follow the Madison River, past a nest with a pair of breeding Bald Eagles, towards Madison Junction.  Depending on the time of the year, there is often a lot of wildlife in this area.  At the Junction we will turn right, or south.

The first major area at which we will stop is the Lower Geyer Basin, home to Fountain Paint Pots.  There is a boardwalk system running around and through the basin, and it is a great place to go for a stroll, if the bison haven't got there first!  Apart from the paint pots, there is also a selection of other thermal features in the area, including a number of geysers, one or other of which is inevitably erupting.

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From there we will travel a short distance to the Midway Geyser Basin.  Midway is home to two of the largest hot springs to be found anywhere in the world, as well as Excelsior Geyser, now dormant, but discharging thousands of gallons of water every minute. One of the springs, Grand Prismatic, is an amazing sights, with its incredible array of colors.

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The Upper Geyser Basin, home to the legendary Old Faithful, is just up the road, and we will visit there, and wait for the world's most famous geyser to erupt.  There will also be time to check out Old Faithful Inn, and maybe even some of the other geysers in the area. 

Depending on how long we had to wait for Old Faithful to erupt, there may possibly be an opportunity for a short walk around the Upper Geyser Basin.  Apart from Old Faithful, there are a host of other geysers and springs there, like Riverside Geyser and Morning Glory Pool.

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The road from Old Faithful to West Thumb, the next geyser basin, crosses over the Continental Divide twice, as it climbs through the forests.   West Thumb is located along the shore of the incredibly blue Yellowstone Lake. This stop is a brief one, to enable you to admire the view over the lake.

From West Thumb it's time to drop south through the bottom part of Yellowstone, over the Rockefeller Parkway, and directly into Grand Teton National Park.  Grand Teton does not have the amazing spectacles that Yellowstone does, but it is a beautiful area, and we'll take a leisurely drive through the park, stopping several times to take photographs and admire the views.

The western, touristy town of Jackson is right outside Grand Teton National Park, and we will stop briefly there for you to take a quick look at the town, and eat the sack lunch that we provide today. 

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The Snake River has some great rafting waters, and you'll be tackling an eight mile stretch, with the put in just outside Jackson.  (I don't want to go river rafting ... what do I do?)  This section of the river offers some exciting white water, under the watchful eye of an experienced guide.

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Jackson to Salt Lake City

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