Circle the American West - 2017

1 DENVER.
Welcome to Denver! Your Tour Director is on hand late this afternoon to answer any questions.

2 DENVER-VAIL-GLENWOOD CANYON-GRAND JUNCTION.
Travel west into the Rockies and stop in Vail, one of America's most popular mountain resorts. Continue through the massive 549-metre-high (1,800-foot) walls of Glenwood Canyon before reaching the awe-inspiring natural beauty and dramatic red-rock landscape of Grand Junction. (B)

3 GRAND JUNCTION-COLORADO NATIONAL MONUMENT-ARCHES NATIONAL PARK-MOAB.
This morning, visit COLORADO NATIONAL MONUMENT with its canyons that drop as much as 152 metres deep (500 feet). On to ARCHES NATIONAL PARK, with more than 2,000 preserved natural sandstone arches. Once inside the national park, get a glimpse at the world-famous Delicate Arch, known as "The Chaps," from the designated viewpoint. Overnight in Moab, with time to stroll through the downtown shops for a great selection of Southwestern art and jewellery.

4 MOAB. EXCURSION TO CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK & DEAD HORSE POINT STATE PARK.
The day begins with magnificent CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK, a colourful landscape eroded into countless canyons, mesas, and buttes by the Colorado and Green Rivers. The remote Maze, the rugged Needles, and our destination today, the "Island in the Sky." Continue on to DEAD HORSE POINT STATE PARK, where your Tour Director tells you the legend behind the name. Stroll along the Rim Walk, towering 609 metres (2,000 feet) directly above the Colorado River. Dead Horse Point Mesa provides breathtaking views of southeastern Utah's canyon country and the pinnacles and buttes of Canyonlands National Park. Return to Moab, where the afternoon is free for independent activities.

5 MOAB-CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT-BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK.
Today's route through CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK and Escalante is one of the most spectacular, yet unknown, scenic drives in the USA. The majesty of Capitol Reef will intrigue you with its twisting canyons, massive domes, monoliths, and spires of sandstone. Next, travel along GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT to BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK, where slow erosion over the ages has created fantastically sculpted rock formations resembling castle towers and cathedral spires. The natural amphitheatres and canyons glow with different lights throughout the day.

6 BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK-ZION NATIONAL PARK-PAGE.
Today, descend into 800-metre (half-mile) deep ZION NATIONAL PARK. "Zion" means a place of peace and refuge. Enjoy the colourful sandstone walls that rise hundreds of metres above the lush greenery of the canyon floor. Afterward, head east into Page and CRUISE the waters of America's second-largest man-made reservoir.

7 PAGE-WUPATKI NATIONAL MONUMENT-WILLIAMS.
First stop this morning is the WUPATKI NATIONAL MONUMENT, one of several sites preserving pueblos (villages) of ancient peoples. Take time to imagine the past before visiting one of the five largest prehistoric pueblos, the Wupatki Pueblo. Afterward, Sunset Crater Volcano! Roughly 900 years ago, the eruption of this volcano reshaped the surrounding landscape, forever changing the lives of people, plants, and animals. Our journey continues to Williams, a picturesque mountain town with Route 66 as the Main Street and the gateway to the Grand Canyon. Enjoy one of the best preserved stretches of the Mother Road in America. Walk Main Street and you'll find vintage neon on buildings that are preserved to their original character, and restaurants that have the character of the Route 66 heyday. (CB)

8 WILLIAMS. EXCURSION INTO GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK.
Today, experience one of the Natural Wonders of the World and see the beauty and splendour of GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK. The day is free to enjoy the park at your leisure. Wander along the canyon rim for breathtaking views. For a once-in-a-lifetime thrill, take an optional helicopter flightseeing trip over the Grand Canyon.

9 WILLIAMS-MONUMENT VALLEY-KAYENTA.
To experience the American West immortalised on the silver screen, journey across the Navajo Nation to MONUMENT VALLEY. Situated on the Arizona/Utah border, the valley's scenic desert vistas and iconic buttes have appeared in countless classic Western films. See the massive formations on a memorable 4-WHEEL DRIVE TOUR. Then, on to Kayenta or join the optional Navajo cookout for dinner and Navajo entertainment surrounded by red-rock canyons.

10 KAYENTA-FOUR CORNERS-MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK-DURANGO.
Today, continue through Utah to the "FOUR CORNERS" region, where Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico converge, and you can stand in four states at the same time. Next, wondrous MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where you walk in the footsteps of Ancestral Puebloans and see their mysterious, centuries-old cliff dwellings. Afterward, head to Durango in the Animas River Valley, surrounded by the San Juan Mountains. Tonight, maybe explore the historic downtown.

11 DURANGO. EXCURSION ON THE DURANGO & SILVERTON NARROW-GAUGE RAILROAD.
Board the DURANGO & SILVERTON NARROW-GAUGE RAILROAD this morning for a scenic ride through San Juan National Forest. Experience the adventure of travelling by a coal-fired, steam-powered locomotive on the same tracks that miners, cowboys, and settlers of the Old West took more than a century ago. This historic train has been in continuous operation for more than 125 years, and the locomotives used to pull today's train are 1923-1925 vintage. The train hugs steep canyon walls as it winds its way through the Rio de las Animas Canyon, with vistas of snowcapped peaks. Free time in Silverton, once a major mining town that owes its name to the bragging statement by an early miner, "We have no gold, but silver by the ton!"

12 DURANGO-OURAY-MONTROSE-BLACK CANYON OF THE GUNNISON NATIONAL PARK-GUNNISON.
Travel north through the San Juan Mountains, stopping in Ouray, a small community nestled in some of the Rockies' most rugged and towering peaks. This afternoon, visit one of America's newest national parks: BLACK CANYON OF THE GUNNISON NATIONAL PARK. The unique and spectacular landscape was formed slowly by the action of water and rock scouring. No other canyon in North America combines the narrow opening, sheer walls, and startling depths that you will see here.

13 GUNNISON-BUENA VISTA-COLORADO SPRINGS.
Our journey continues through beautiful Buena Vista, a picture-perfect town that has retained a Wild West charm and is nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Continue to Colorado Springs, where the view from the top of nearby Pikes Peak inspired Katharine Lee Bates to compose America the Beautiful more than 100 years ago. Visit the GARDEN OF THE GODS, a city park that is a garden of towering red rock formations. (CB)

14 COLORADO SPRINGS-PIKES PEAK COG RAILWAY-DENVER.
Conclude your journey with a fabulous train ride on the PIKE'S PEAK COG RAILWAY, the world's highest cog railroad. Travel along Ruxton Creek in Englemann Canyon, then over Four Mile Switch for your first glimpse of Pikes Peak. At about the 8-kilometre (5-mile) point, the grade gets steep as you climb above the timberline and reach the 4,300-metre (14,110-foot) summit of Pikes Peak. Return to Denver in the late afternoon for an evening at leisure.

15 DENVER.
The trip ends today with guests departing on individual schedules. Transfers to Denver International Airport are included. (B)