Ultimate Canyons & Southwest Tour

Las Vegas

Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas! Guests who book their air through YMT will be greeted by a YMT representative and transferred to their hotel. The night is yours to enjoy this city. Just outside your hotel’s doorstep await neon lights, the famed Fremont Street Experience, gambling, or glamorous shows. The choice is yours!

The Grand Canyon

Start your tour with the grandest of all parks in the West—the Grand Canyon! Travel via I-40, crossing historic Route 66 before you enter the spectacular Grand Canyon, and end your day by the South Rim. The park shuttle system makes it easy to take it all in at your own pace. The evening and the sunset, which lights the canyon in many hues of red and purple, is yours to enjoy!

Page/Lake Powell

Wake up to a spectacular sunrise over the canyon this morning! For an unforgettable experience, join us for an optional Grand Canyon Sunrise Breakfast at El Tovar Hotel (additional cost). Continue to Lake Powell. Supported by the Glen Canyon Dam, Lake Powell is a beautifully situated water reservoir on the Colorado River, surrounded by red rocks.

Zion National Park via Horseshoe Bend

This morning, we see Horseshoe Bend, a u-shaped area of the Grand Canyon along the Colorado River near Page, Arizona. Marvel at the view of this stunning rock from 1,000 feet above—be sure to bring your camera for a spectacular shot! Our drive then continues as we head to Zion National Park. The half-mile deep park floor is lush with foliage, as well as mule deer, wild turkeys, gray foxes, and the occasional porcupine. (B)

Bryce Canyon

Today we visit Bryce Canyon. Despite its name, Bryce is not a canyon but a collection of giant natural amphitheaters. Its distinctive geological structures, called hoodoos, were formed by frost weathering and stream erosion from the river. (B)

Capitol Reef National Park

Discover Capitol Reef National Park. The area boasts a diverse landscape unlike anywhere else in Utah—stunning red rock formations and canyons, pristine meadows, alpine forests, and lush green valleys. Also throughout the park, you’ll find the Capitol Reef Petroglyphs, impressive rock art figures created by ancient Native Americans. Continue to your hotel in Moab this evening. (B)

Arches National Park

A stunning highlight awaits! For the past 150 million years, the more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches of Arches National Park have been sculpted by the natural erosion of wind, water, sun, and frost—creating an unmistakably unique landscape. See Balanced Rock, one of the park’s most iconic features; the impressive 52-foot tall Delicate Arch; and the Windows Section, a unique area with many arches that is considered the beating heart of the park. (B)

Canyonlands National Park

Explore Canyonlands National Park, a magical outdoor wonderland of enchanting vistas! The colorful park is divided into four districts—Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze, and the combined Green and Colorado Rivers, which carved two large canyons into the Colorado Plateau. Marvel at the wild beauty and drama of this spectacular landscape unlike anywhere else in the world. This evening, we make our way to our hotel in Grand Junction, the hub of Colorado’s wine country. (B)

Grand Junction to Denver

Take in the beautiful Rocky Mountains today on our drive through Colorado. Enjoy a change of scenery as you travel through Arapaho National Forest, which straddles the Continental Divide in the Front Range west of Denver. Stop for lunch on your own in the resort town of Vail, a popular getaway at the base of Vail Mountain. This evening we arrive for an overnight stay in Denver, one of the most up-and-coming cities in the U.S. The Mile High City is Colorado’s buzzing capital, where urban sophistication meets outdoor adventure! (B)

Denver

See Denver on your own today. You’ll be transferred into the city for a full day to explore. Included is your city pass and free entrance to 3 of the city’s top attractions! (B)

Alamosa via Colorado Springs

Tour at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. It features towering red sandstone formations jutting hundreds of feet in the air against the snow-capped backdrop of Pike’s Peak. The Garden of the Gods is one of Colorado’s most photographed sites, and you will have plenty of time to appreciate and document these spectacular views.

Next, enjoy a fun stop at the Colorado Springs Ghost Town Museum, an indoor collection of historic structures and everyday artifacts from over a century ago. Housed in a stone building used by the Colorado Midland Railroad, the Ghost Town Museum takes you all the way back to Colorado’s Wild West. You’re invited to man a pan at the museum’s gold trough (weather permitting)!

This afternoon visit to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, where North America’s tallest dunes rise over 750 feet high against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve spans over 30 miles, and contains over 5 billion cubic meters of sand to create the largest sandbox in North America. Check into your hotel in Alamosa and enjoy the evening at your leisure. (B)

Durango via Pagosa Springs

Visit Pagosa Springs, found at the base of the Continental Divide, known for its amazing natural hot springs, plentiful sunshine, and small-town charm. Arrive in Durango, in time for lunch on your own.

Step into the past and experience the lives of one of America’s oldest cultures, the Pueblo people, on your visit to the cliffside dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park. The park includes more than 4,000 archeological sites dating back to A.D. 550, including cliff dwellings and mesa top sites from the Ancestral Pueblo peoples who lived here for more than 700 years. (B)

Durango

Take an unforgettable train ride from Durango to Silverton on the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, in the open air Gondola carriage, which has been in continuous operation between Durango and Silverton since 1882. Enjoy panoramic vistas and an authentic experience on this line built to haul silver and gold ore.

Your next stop is historic Silverton, where you will enjoy time in this National Historic Landmark founded in 1874 in the San Juan Mountains. After the railroad reached the town in 1882, the surrounding region experienced a mining boom that lasted until the 1910s.

This afternoon, you have an opportunity to visit 4 states at one time! The Four Corners Monument marks the quadripoint in the Southwestern United States where the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. It is the only point in the United States shared by four states. (B)

Taos

This morning you will visit Aztec Ruins National Monument, where you will see preserved structures constructed by the Pueblo Indians. Archaeological evidence puts the construction of the ruins in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Drive to Taos, enjoy time to for lunch on your own before visiting the Spanish Colonial-style adobe San Francisco de Asisi Mission Church. The church is one of Taos’ most iconic structures and was the subject of several paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe and photographs by Ansel Adams.

Continue to Santa Fe for an evening at leisure. (B)

Santa Fe via Los Alamos

This morning enjoy a panoramic walking tour of Santa Fe, including Loretto Chapel and Central Plaza. After lunch on your own, you will visit Palace of the Governors, an adobe structure that has served as the seat of government for the state of New Mexico for centuries. Continue to Albuquerque for an evening at leisure. (B)

Your final stop of the trip will be Albuquerque. Visit the one-of-a-kind Albuquerque Balloon Museum. The mission of the museum is to inspire a spirit of exploration, discovery, and achievement through experiences that engage visitors in the history, science, sport, and art of ballooning. Spend your final evening on tour enjoying the charming city of Albuquerque at your own pace. (B)

Depart for Home (B)