American Southwest

Fly to St. George, transfer to Zion National Park and check in to our hotel, set amid Zion’s majestic cliffs at the edge of the Virgin River. Relax at the inn or walk to the nearby Zion Canyon Visitor Center, crossing a bridge over the river en route. Tonight gather with fellow travelers for a welcome reception and private dinner at a popular local restaurant.

More than 240 million years of sedimentation, uplift and erosion have carved out the extraordinary canyon known as Zion National Park. Let the visual spectacle—the distinctive pink-and-orange canyon walls, the hillsides dotted with green desert brush, the ponderosa pines—awe you. Rise early and hike in the long shadows as we ascend to the Lower and Middle Emerald Pools. Return to the lodge for a dinner at leisure.

After breakfast at the hotel head towards our next destination, Grand Canyon National Park. Stop along the way to take in scenic views and for some incredible photo opportunities. Pass through the small town of Mt. Carmel, then continue south through Kanab, Utah into Arizona. Arrive at the lodge, take in views of the North Rim, and head out on a short hike before dinner. Enjoy regional dishes from the 1930s tonight at the lodge.

This morning after breakfast we set out on our adventure in the Grand Canyon. After a scenic drive to the trail head, hike the Cape Final Trail, a hiking trail on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Enjoy a picnic lunch with a 180 degree vistas of the canyon. After lunch, continue our drive from the Grand Canyon to Tropic, Utah and relax at our inn for the night.

Our morning begins at the rim of Bryce Canyon, gazing out over the iconic orange pillars. We hike the Queens Garden Loop, along a trail of wildflowers and hoodoos (rock formations) that opens onto an expansive horizon; join a four-, a six- or an eight-mile hike and stop at the striking vistas along the way. After we finish, return to our inn for a relaxing evening and special dinner on the backside of Bryce Canyon.

Today we visit Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, known for its multicolored petrified wood and fossils that date back to the Jurassic era. Hike Petrified Forest trail then hike the Sleeping Rainbows trail. After our hike head to the Pioneer Museum in Escalante, a small museum with artifacts and photographs from the late 1800s.

Today we drive to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. At more than one million acres, it’s one of America’s largest national monuments. Take in sweeping vistas of the monument’s rugged landscape, a geologist’s paradise with its graduated “staircase” sandstone cliffs, fossil-rich plateau and narrow, twisting slot canyons. Enjoy the lower Calf Creek Falls trailhead, a hike with easy terrain. Drive to Torrey, Utah with a stop in the Singing Canyon, a spot known for amazing acoustics in a beautiful slot canyon. Arrive at the stunning Red River Ranch where you’ll spend the next two nights immersed in Old West charm, with bison right outside your window.

Today journey into Capitol Reef National Park, a 242,000-acre, red rock wonderland of cliffs, canyons, domes and natural bridges known for its brilliant colors and magnificent landscape. The park’s Waterpocket Fold, which we explore through three short hikes, is an exposed wrinkle in the Earth’s crust that was created 65 million years ago. Explore different hike options and visit the historic town of Fruita to learn about the unique history of the area. After a break to clean up, head to the ranch for dinner.

Head out on a scenic drive to Glenn Canyon National Recreation Area and visit the Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah’s first National Monument established in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt. Hike the Sipapu Bridge to Kachina Bridge Loop and visit Horsecollar ruin, one of the best-preserved ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings in the area. After our day of hiking, enjoy dinner at our lodge.

Today we will visit the Moon House archeological site, a special site that has limited access to 20 people each day.  Our group has a special permit allowing only us to explore this large cliff dwelling and multiple sites all on our own today. Spend the day exploring the site, one of the largest prehistoric dwellings on Cedar Mesa in Bears Ears National Monument.

Today visit Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument, then proceed to Canyonlands National Park for a hike. Depending on our route, we may hike up to 6.5 miles, and stops along the way may include ancestral Puebloan rock art, archaeological remains of granaries and dwellings, or dinosaur tracks. Afterward stroll around the town of Moab and enjoy a dinner overlooking downtown as the sun sets.

A high point of our adventure is Arches National Park, home to the world’s largest concentration of natural stone arches (more than 2,000!) and hundreds of towering pinnacles, massive sandstone fins and gravity-defying stacked rocks. Rise early to beat the crowds into the park and be the first to hike unperturbed on the Devils Garden Loop Trail, which features six named arches, including Landscape, one of the world’s longest natural arches. This evening we enjoy our farewell reception together and then have dinner at leisure.

After breakfast, depart Moab and travel to Dead Horse Point State Park to view one of the most famous and dramatic bends of the Colorado River, a sharp U-turn surrounded by towering canyon walls. Gaze out at the immense mesas, buttes, sandstone fins, spires and canyons carved by the Colorado River, the Green River and their tributaries. Savor lunch at Ray’s Tavern, a local favorite of river runners since 1943, on our scenic drive to the airport at Salt Lake City for flights home.