 |
(USA) 406 646 1118 x 12 • Email •
| |
Tour Calendar
|
|
| S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
| 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
| 8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
| 15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
| 22 |
23 |
24 |
25 |
26 |
27 |
28 |
| 29 |
30 |
31 |
|
Tour doesn't run this month.
| |
Los Angeles to Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon, Zion and more six day tour!
Itinerary
Day 1 - Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon - About six hours
| | This tour starts at the Los Angeles airport, from where you will fly to northern Arizona. The cost of this flight is included in the tour price, but there will be a checked luggage fee, which you will need to pay. After landing, you will take a shuttle to the Grand Canyon, where you will meet up with one of our guides. The portion of the trip from LA to the Grand Canyon is unescorted, which means you will not have a tour guide with you until you get to the Grand Canyon. |
Day 1 - Visit Vegas first!
| | We have another version of this tour which is a day longer. Instead of going directly from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon, you can travel via Las Vegas instead, and spend a night there first. Please check out the seven day version of this tour. |
| | Like almost all our tours, this is a small group trip. The vehicle used generally has between nine and 14 seats. Our guides are skilled in the geology, customs, traditions, history and people of the areas through which you travel – feel free to ask all and any questions! |
Day 1 - Grand Canyon to Page - About 5 hours, 30 minutes
Map | At the Grand Canyon we will take you to several of the main viewpoints, including Mather Point and Bright Angel. Your skilled guide will give you an overview of the layout of the South Rim, and then leave you on your own to explore for a while. You can stroll around the Canyon, take pictures, admire the views, buy souvenirs, or get something to eat. |
Day 1 - Spend more time at the Grand Canyon!
| | You can now extend your stay at the Grand Canyon. Instead of leaving the Canyon now and continuing your tour, you can spend as many extra nights there as you like. When you order the tour, you will see an option to add extra time at the Grand Canyon. Simply add as many additional nights as you want to stay there. Note that we will charge your card for the extra night(s) at the time we make the Grand Canyon hotel booking for you.
The way it works is that you will be taken out to the Grand Canyon, be shown some of the sights, and you will then check into your hotel. We always try and reserve a room at Bright Angel Lodge, which is at the rim. Depending on how late you book, this is often not possible, and we may book you at either Maswik Lodge, which is about a quarter mile (0.4 km) from the rim, or Yavapai Lodge, which is less than half a mile (0.75 km) from the rim, on the free shuttle route.
You will be at liberty to explore the Canyon on your own for the extra time that you choose. Please note that there will not be a tour guide with you for the extra night. The extended Grand Canyon stay is subject to lodging availability in the park. We will check this once the order has been placed.
Please also be aware that if the helicopter tour option is available on your tour, and you order it and extend, on some days you will need to take a taxi from the Grand Canyon to the Grand Canyon airport. We can help you arrange it, and we will pick you up after your helicopter tour, and take you back into the park.
The rest of the group will continue on their way through the Canyon to Page. If you extend, you will be picked up by one of our guides after your extended stay. The tour carries on as detailed below for those who are not spending a night or two at the Grand Canyon.Grand View Point And The East Side Of The South Rim |
| | The route we take out of the Grand Canyon travels along the less visited east part of the South Rim. There are several photo opportunities along the road. On the way we will stop at the Desert View Watchtower, a unique building designed by the legendary architect, Mary Colter, using rocks brought up from the bottom of the Canyon. The inside of the tower is full of artwork by Hopi (Indian) artists. Desert View Watchtower |
| | We will start dropping down from the South Rim, to the desert that is Navajo Nation land below. On the way we pass the Cameron Trading Post, one of the best purveyors of southwestern souvenirs and native American art and jewelry. If there is time we will stop here briefly.
Climbing up to a plateau once again, we start to approach Page, on the shores of Lake Powell. In the summer months, after checking in at your hotel we invite you to join our guide for a hike to Horseshoe Bend. When there is less daylight we may do Horseshoe Bend some other time.
Horseshoe Bend is one of the west's best kept secrets. The hike there is about 20 minutes each way, up and down a hill, and at times the ground below is made up of loose sand. The views of the Colorado River far below, seen through the precipitous canyon walls, are spectacular.Horseshoe Bend: Optional hike |
| | You are on your own for dinner. Remember that tomorrow morning there is a free breakfast included in the tour price. |
Day 2 - Antelope Canyon tour - About 1 1/2 hours
| | You will be touring Antelope Canyon, in a specially converted off road vehicle, led by a Navajo guide.
Antelope Canyon 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. |
Day 2 - Antelope Canyon
| | 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. |
Day 2 - Page to Monument Valley - 132 mi / 212.39 km - About 2 1/4 hours
Map | Leaving Page we head east, across the Navajo Reservation. Every now and again you will see small Indian dwellings scattered across the harsh landscape.
As we approach the tiny Navajo town of Kayenta, the mesas and buttes for which the area is so well known start coming into view. Soon you can just about picture yourself in a scene from an old Western movie as we travel towards Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, as it is officially known. |
Day 2 - Monument Valley tour - About 2.25 hours
| | Up next is a tour of Monument Valley, conducted by a Navajo guide, in an off road vehicle. 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 may take in are movie locations, 1000 foot monoliths, rug weaving, and, of course, the famous monuments are visited.John Ford Point at Monument Valley |
Day 2 - Monument Valley to Navajo National Monument - About 1 hours, 5 minutes
Map | We leave Monument Valley and travel across the Navajo Reservation, through the small town of Kayenta. Near Black Mesa, we'll make the turn north towards Navajo National Monument. |
Day 2 - Navajo National Monument - About an hour
| | There are some great viewpoints here, but the main area of interest is to be found down an easy stroll, to an overlook of some ancient cliff dwellings. Note that the trail slopes slightly downhill getting there, and is a little uphill on the way back. The total distance is about one mile (1.6 km) round trip. If you choose not to go, you can explore the interesting Visitor Centre and souvenir area.
At the end of the trail you will be able to gaze across the canyon to the Betatakin cliff dwellings, which were built in the middle of the 13th century. The alcove in which these were built is one of the biggest to be found anywhere. These dwellings were at one time home to the Ancestral Puebloan People, predecessors of today's Native Americans. |
Day 2 - Navajo National Monument to Shonto Trading Post - About 35 minutes
Map | We will now travel along a dirt road to the Shonto Trading Post. Shonto is only visited during the summer months, and also only when the dirt road is in good condition, with no prospect of rain or flooding. When we do not stop at Shonto, we will go straight from Navajo National Monument to Page. |
Day 2 - Shonto Trading Post - About half an hour
| | This is an authentic, Navajo owned trading post, unlike the large commercial ones you will find around the southwest. You will meet and talk to Navajo people at the trading post, and also be able to look at and buy handcraft that is made by people living on the Reservation. The rugs are particularly attractive, and are a traditional Navajo item. |
Day 2 - Shonto to Page - About 1 hours, 5 minutes
Map | It's a relatively short drive from Shonto, across the Navajo Reservation, to Page. |
| | You are once again on your own for dinner. We'll see you tomorrow after breakfast, which is once again included in the tour price. |
Day 3 - Page to Bryce Canyon - About three hours
Map | Leaving Page we will drive over the Glen Canyon Dam Wall. A short distance up the road is a little known trail which leads to spectacular views over Lake Powell. Time permitting, we will drive up there to take a very brief look at the spectacular golden canyons partially submerged under the blue waters of Lake Powell.
The road to the small town of Kanab leads past Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Kanab itself has been the setting for many western movies. From Kanab we will travel along a picturesque Utah back road, through some tiny towns, before arriving at Bryce Canyon. |
Day 3 - Bryce Canyon - About 2.5 hours
| | 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 amphitheater carved out of a variety of rock types. You will be taken to the three main overlooks, and will have time to walk around and explore these. |
Day 3 - Spend additional time at Bryce Canyon!
| | Feel free to spend an extra night or two just outside Bryce Canyon, at Bryce View Lodge. Please order this option when you check out, and note that it is subject to availability. If you do choose to extend at Bryce Canyon, you will continue with the regular tour after your extension.
There is a free shuttle that runs from a location that is a couple of hundred yards from Bryce View Lodge, into the park and around much of Bryce. Please be aware that this is a seasonal shuttle, which generally runs from the end of April to the end of September, although this is subject to change. We do not recommend extending at Bryce if the free shuttle is not running, as it will be difficult to get around.
You will carry on with the scheduled tour if you do not want to stay a little longer at Bryce. |
| | Please note that depending on the routes we are running today some tours will now go directly to Salt Lake City, and not travel through Zion to Las Vegas. If you do proceed on to Salt Lake now, the route will take you through the small town of Panguitch, up over a mountain range, and north up Interstate 15 to Salt Lake.
The alternative route to Zion is laid out below. We will let you know the itinerary ahead of time, and, whatever happens, you will be going from Salt Lake to Yellowstone tomorrow. |
Day 3 - Bryce Canyon through Zion - About 2 3/4 hours
| | We will take a particularly scenic Utah back road, following first the Sevier River and then the Virgin River, towards Zion National Park. Zion's story is one of rock and water, with plenty of both to be seen. The relatively soft and porous Navajo Sandstone is often layered over impregnable Kayenta Shale, and the interaction of this rock with the water has created myriad amazing shapes and patterns.
We will enter Zion at the less used east entrance, and take in the striking rock formations, with trees actually growing in the rocks. You will see how massive sand dunes have solidified into rock over the millennia. After traveling through an amazing tunnel that was blasted into the Navajo sandstone almost a century ago, we descend down a precipitous switchback road, to discover the Great Arch of Zion, a gigantic work in progress. |
Day 3 - Zion to St. George - About 45 minutes
Map | From Zion we will wind our way to Interstate 15 and the main road back to Vegas, which goes through St. George. |
Day 3 - St. George to Las Vegas - About two hours
Map | Leaving St. George, we travel down the picturesque Virgin River Gorge. We will pass through Mesquite, a casino town on the Arizona Nevada border, before driving across the desert and back to the bright lights of Las Vegas. |
| | As detailed above, we may transport you to Salt Lake by road or by air, and if you have not already traveled directly from Bryce to Salt Lake by ground, you will now be flying there. |
Day 3 - Vegas to Salt Lake City - About 1 hours
| | The fight from Vegas to Salt Lake is included in the tour price, and takes about an hour. After you land at the Salt Lake airport a shuttle will take you to your downtown hotel. Unless they are sold out, we use the Crystal Inn, where there is a good, free, hot breakfast buffet tomorrow morning. |
Day 4 - Salt Lake City to West Yellowstone - 321 mi / 516.49 km - About 5.25 hours
Map | The route to Yellowstone goes up Interstate 15, past the Great Salt Lake and the Wasatch Mountains, before entering Idaho. At Idaho Falls you will leave the freeway behind, and start making your way through rural parts of the state. About 10 miles (16 kilometres) from West Yellowstone you go over the Continental Divide and into Montana. |
| | When we get to West Yellowstone we will stop to get your sack lunches, before making our way into the world's first national park, and possibly the most unique! |
Day 4 - Yellowstone - About 5 hours
Map | The roads running through Yellowstone make up a massive figure of eight. The lower loop of the figure of eight comprises most of the thermal features that are to be seen in Yellowstone, including, of course, Old Faithful!
From West Yellowstone we'll follow the Madison River to Madison Junction. At Madison Junction we will turn right, or south, and travel along the Firehole River which runs through Yellowstone's thermal areas. The Firehole is famous amongst anglers for its pristine beauty and selection of brown, brook and rainbow trout. Depending on the time of the year, this area is often teeming with wildlife. With any luck you will see bison, elk, Trumpeter Swans and other animals and birds. A special treat in the spring is the baby bison calves. |
Map | The first main thermal area we will be visiting is the Lower Geyser Basin, and Fountain Paint Pots. There is a boardwalk system running around and through the Fountain Paint Pots area, 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 almost always seems to be erupting. |
| | The next stop is the Midway Geyser Basin, home to Grand Prismatic Spring - one of the largest anywhere in the world - as well as Excelsior Geyser, now dormant, but discharging thousands of gallons of water every minute. |
Map | It is a short drive to the Upper Geyser Basin, home of Old Faithful, the world's best known and most reliable gusher. There is also so much more to the area than just Old Faithful. Old Faithful Inn, a wonderful old building - recently renovated - is located there - and a system of boardwalks will take you around the various other geysers in the area. Old Faithful erupting! |
| | It is now time to go back to West Yellowstone. |
Day 4 - West Yellowstone - About 12 hours
| | We will take you to Yellowstone Motel, where you will be staying. After checking in you can explore the town, take a walk through the forest into Yellowstone, go to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center (a must see) or check out a movie at the Yellowstone Giant Screen Theater. |
Day 5 - Yellowstone Upper Loop - About 8 hours, 15 minutes
Map | The route that the tour takes will depend on possible road closures in the park, as well as the time of year, but it will be something like the following ... |
Map | There is going to be a lot to see and do. We'll head out of West Yellowstone towards Madison Junction, where the Firehole and Gibbon Rivers meet to form the Madison River. Turning left (north) we'll make for Norris Geyser Basin. Along the way we'll stop briefly at Gibbon Falls.
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. |
Map | 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.
You can stroll through the ever changing terraces at Mammoth, admiring the travertine creations and hot springs. |
Map | Leaving Mammoth we will travel towards Tower Roosevelt, which is where the road to the park's north east entrance, through the Lamar Valley, is. There is almost always wildlife to be seen in this area, even bears! |
| | At Tower Junction we will branch off the main upper loop road, and head through the Lamar Valley, towards the north east entrance to Yellowstone. This is a particularly beautiful part of the park, and where the keen wolf watchers are generally to be found. |
| | Everyone wants to see a bear in the wild at Yellowstone, and the trip from Tower Junction 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. |
Map | 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. 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 will check out the canyon and falls.
Other areas along the route that we may visit, time permitting, include Obsidian Cliff, Virginia Cascade and Undine Falls. |
| | One of the beauties of Yellowstone is that you never know what is around the next corner. This means that extra time could be spent looking at grizzlies, or perhaps trying to spot an elusive wolf, or even being stuck behind a buffalo jam for a while. For these reasons, today's itinerary is very flexible, and one or more of the above stops may be left out, depending on other activities as the hours progress.
A sack lunch is once again provided today. After a fun-filled day it is time to return to West Yellowstone. |
| | You are on your own for dinner and will spend the night in the same place. |
Day 6 - West Yellowstone to Grand Teton National Park - About 5 hours
Map | You will be picked up from your motel for the ride through the southern part of Yellowstone to Grand Teton. On the way we will once again go past the various geyser basins, and then climb over the Continental Divide twice, on the way to West Thumb.
As we drop down off the continental divide there are great views of Yellowstone Lake, the largest alpine lake in North America. |
Map | West Thumb is a delightful geyser basin, located right on the shores of the incredibly blue lake. We will stop to stroll around the boardwalk system that accesses the basin. An added bonus is that there are often elk at West Thumb. |
Map | The road between Yellowstone and Grand Teton is called the Rockefeller Parkway. It is only six miles and leads directly into the north entrance of Grand Teton. The main features of the park are the Grand Teton mountains, and a number of beautiful lakes.
You will see historic Colter Bay, Signal Mountain, Jenny Lake, Jackson Lake, Mount Moran, and much more. We also know the best places to find moose, and we will do our best to locate one or more for you.
You will take a leisurely drive through Grand Teton National Park, before arriving in Jackson. A sack lunch is provided today, which you can enjoy somewhere on the road. |
Day 6 - Jackson
| | Jackson is a quaint, touristy western town, and there will be a brief stop there. |
Day 6 - Jackson to Salt Lake City - About 5.5 hours
Map | The route back to Salt Lake generally climbs up over Teton Pass, and into Idaho, meeting up with Interstate 15 again near Idaho Falls.
On some days, if there is time, we may take more picturesque, scenic back roads, through very rural Wyoming and Idaho, and return to Utah that way. |
 Extend Your Stay | You have the option of extending your stay at certain locations during the tour.
Grand Canyon: +$125.00 per guest, per night
Bryce Canyon: +$100.00 per guest, per night
|
| Tour ID | 1276 |
Please note the following...- This tour is subject to a 3.00% per person fuel surcharge.
- The days and dates this tour runs can be seen in the calendar at the top right of this page.
- The entry fees to all parks are included.
- Five nights' lodging are included: Two nights at the Quality Inn or similar in Page; one night at the downtown Crystal Inn in Salt Lake City; two nights at a self catering studio at Yellowstone Studios and Cabins in West Yellowstone. If lodging there is sold out, you will stay at Al's Westward Ho Motel or similar in West Yellowstone.
- Vehicles are mini buses or executive vans, which are vans with individual, high back, reclining seats, with the exception of the route between the northern Arizona airport and the Grand Canyon, which may be operated by a supplier in a larger vehicle.
- If you extend your tour by staying a night at the Grand Canyon, you will generally be dropped off at Maswik Lodge, inside the Grand Canyon. If you are staying at one of the other two lodges, Bright Angel or Yavapai, you will need to take the free shuttle from Maswik to the lodge at which you are staying. The shuttles run approximately every 15 minutes, and the distance is about 1/3 of a mile. You will be picked up from your lodge the next day.
- Prices are based on double occupancy. Single, triple and quad occupancy rates are also available and will be seen at checkout. There is no tax. The price assumes you book with enough notice. The flight price(s) may be more expensive if you do not.
- After ordering please wait to receive a confirmation email from us before making any plans that are dependent on this tour.
- A minimum of two people may be required for a tour to depart. That is not two in your group, but a total of two.
- This tour starts at the Los Angeles airport. Please let us know if we can book you a shuttle there.
- The tour ends in the Salt Lake City downtown area. Please let us know if we can find you a hotel, at your expense.
- If there are fewer than six people on the Yellowstone part of the tour we reserve the right to have a shuttle take you from Salt Lake City to Idaho Falls on the fourth day, where our guide will pick you up. The same may apply on the sixth day, if there are fewer than six people. Our guide will take you from Jackson to Rexburg on the seventh day, where the shuttle will transport you to Salt Lake City. If this happens, the tour will end at the airport, and not downtown.
- At the start and perhaps very end, of the season, seasonal road closures and weather may prevent this tour being run as scheduled. In particular, the road from Old Faithful to Grand Teton generally opens in mid May. If that road is not open when you do your tour, more time will be spent in parts of Yellowstone, and Grand Teton will be omitted. In addition, Dunraven Pass (between Tower Falls and Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone) also generally opens in mid May. Finally, general road maintenance in the park may affect the way this tour operates.
- The off road tours at Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon are included.
- Three breakfasts and three sack lunches are included.
- Portions of this tour may be subcontracted to other reputable vendors.
- All times are approximate. We are not responsible for the consequences of any delays, and this itinerary may change without notice.
- We are also not responsible if flight delays cause you to miss part of this tour. if that happens all we will refund is the cost of the portion of the tour that you missed.
- Depending on the time of the year, there may be a short wait in northern Arizona.
- Payment And Cancellation Details: CANCELLATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR THIS TOUR. Changes will also not be accepted, and refunds will not be given. Please consider purchasing trip insurance as our cancellation policy is strictly enforced. The payment schedule is as follows: This tour has an air leg(s). The cost of the flight(s), plus half of the remaining balance will be charged any time from when you make the booking. The final balance will be charged 30 or fewer days from the tour date, at our discretion.
TOP
This tour can be ordered online here. Please call us at (USA) 406 646 1118 x 12, or mail us for additional information.
|
