Highlights of the Canyonlands - 2022

Welcome to exciting Las Vegas, also known as “Sin City!” Your Tour Director is on hand late this afternoon to answer any questions.

Cross the desert and the old Mojave gold-strike country, passing through Williams on historic Route 66, and Kaibab National Forest, to arrive in the Grand Canyon by mid-afternoon. Marvel at one of the Natural Wonders of the World as you experience breathtaking views of Grand Canyon National Park. Accommodations this evening are inside the park.

If you miss the sunset over the canyon, sunrise is just as impressive! For a once-in-a lifetime experience, take our optional flightseeing excursion over the heart of the Grand Canyon for incomparable views of flame-colored walls plunging 6,093 feet into the Colorado River. Later today, Navajo National Monument. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the monument was established to preserve three cliff dwellings of villages built by prehistoric Ancestral Puebloans that date from 1250 to 1300 AD. At the visitor center, view artifacts and one or all three of the films available. This evening, join the optional Navajo cookout for dinner, surrounded by the red-rock canyons of Monument Valley.

To experience the American West immortalized 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 guided by a Navajo guide. Afterward, visit the Glen Canyon Dam, holding back the waters of the Colorado River in Lake Powell, the country’s second-largest man-made lake. This afternoon, consider an optional Antelope Canyon cruise, which takes you onto the lake and into the tight, winding canyons.

Our optional early morning flight provides another unique perspective of Lake Powell. This beautiful sightseeing flight also includes Glen Canyon Dam, Wahweap Marina, Tower Butte, and Rainbow Bridge, the largest natural arch on Earth. Then, travel into Utah along the Grand Staircase to Bryce Canyon National Park. Bryce is famous for its unique geology as erosion has created bizarre shapes, including slot canyons, windows, fins, and spires called “hoodoos.” Tinted with numerous colors, these rocks create a wondrous landscape.

“Zion” is an ancient Hebrew word meaning a place of refuge or sanctuary. Once a refuge for Mormon pioneers, Zion National Park’s striking landscapes of steep canyons and stone towers carved out by rushing streams over millions of years will mesmerize you. There is plenty of time to explore the park: take the park shuttle, see the Visitor Center and the museum, take a leisurely hike, bird watch, or join a park ranger to learn more about the animals, geology, plants, and human history. Upon arrival in St. George, enjoy an orientation tour of the most important Mormon community in southern Utah.

The journey continues to Snow Canyon State Park, featuring a canyon carved from the red and white Navajo sandstone in the Red Mountains of Utah. Then, a stop at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport for those with homebound flights. Please schedule flights after 3 pm. The trip ends at your Las Vegas hotel for those guests with extra nights.