9 DAYS TREKKING THROUGH US NATIONAL PARKS - WITH FINE LODGING OPTION

Fly to Prescott. Upon arrival, transfer for 2.5 hours, approx. 180km to Grand Canyon. 

Take a well-deserved rest after the long flight.

Grand Canyon National Park Private Guided Tour (Full Day)

This vast gorge measures 16km wide and 1.7m deep. Meet your private guide this morning for a tour and hikes around the Canyon rim with stops at viewpoints to admire the spectacular canyon. You will also get into the Canyon on trails little-used by other hikers. Your guide will explain the history, geology, flora and fauna of the Canyon.

In the afternoon, your guide will take you to the historic lodges and buildings on the Canyon rim, including the studio of photography pioneers Emery & Ellsworth Kolb, where you will have access to a floor of the studio not open to the public.

Colorado River Shared Rafting (Half Day)

After breakfast, check out and meet your private driver in the lobby for a 3-hour transfer to Page, AZ. Upon arrival, meet your guide for a shared raft trip down the Colorado River.

You will begin your float trip with a drive down the two-mile Glen Canyon Dam access tunnel. With the dam soring 700 feet above, you will board a motorized pontoon raft at the base of the dam. Your float trip will take you through the upper Colorado River through Glen Canyon, which is just above the Grand Canyon. You will float on the gentle waters of this stretch of river beneath sheer 1,000-foot red rock canyon walls.

Enjoy a stop along the way to view ancient petroglyphs left by an Ancestral Pueblo nation. Enjoy a picnic lunch in a beautiful setting along the shoreline. You will then motor back upstream to your starting point.

You will be met by your driver who will take you to check-in at your hotel.

Big Water Visitor Center and Paleontology  Private Guided Tour (Half Day)

This morning, you will be met by your private guide for a tour of the Big Water Visitors Center. Learn the story of local paleontologist Merle Graffam who discovered the fossilized skeleton of a dinosaur never before seen in North America. Merle may even be working at the Visitors Center this day as the park ranger on duty and will tell you his amazing story of discovery.

Visit a nearby 90-million-year-old marine fossil bed. These fossils are so prevalent that you will literally be walking on them like tiles on a floor.

Horseshoe Bend Slot Canyon and Overlook Private Tour (Half Day)

In the afternoon, your driver will transfer you to Page to meet your private guide for a slot canyon and Horseshoe Bend excursion. You will drive deep into the canyons surrounding Lake Powell.

During this 3.5 hour excursion, you will hike into a sunset-hued, 60-foot deep slot canyon and admire the beautiful and unique natural features created from millions of years of erosion. Your guide will provide photography guidance over the course of the ½ mile walk through the canyon on flat, sandy terrain.

Unlike Antelope Canyon, you will be able to enjoy to solace of this slot canyon with just your group and guide, allowing for peaceful reflection and the opportunity to photograph the canyon without the crowds.

This morning, you can choose from one of the three options below for a hike through some of Southwest’s most spectacular landscapes:

Option 1: Monument Valley Tribal Park Private Tour (3-hour tour; transfer 3 hours per way)

Embark on a tour of Monument Valley Trible Park, almost completely undeveloped and remains much the same as it did a thousand years ago. Your private Navajo guide will bring you to sites open exclusively to the Navajo and their guests.

Traverse the desert landscape visiting Elephant Butte, the Three Sisters Spires, Big Chief Monument, and Sleeping Dragon Rock. Further into the restricted area venture underneath Sun’s Eye Arch, the valley’s second largest arch, as well as find some of the valley’s oldest Anasazi ruins, petroglyphs, and pictographs.

Optional Upgrade: Private Plane to Access Monument Valley

Access the Monument Valley by Private Plane to save you time of 3-hour ground transfers per way.

Option 2:  Secret Canyon via Off-Road Drive by Hummer

Secret Canyon is one of the colorful slot canyons that dot the vast desert landscape. You’ll have a chance to hike through the slot canyon located on private Navajo land, with interpretation by your guide as you go.

Option 3: Antelope Canyon Discovery

Enjoy 1-hour tour to discover the mysterious and haunting beauty of Antelope Canyon. Come see nature’s surprising masterpiece of colours with 100-feet sandstone walls around you while you listen to local history. For Option 3, You will return to hotel before lunch and the rest of the day is yours to relax.

Bryce Canyon National Park Trail Private Tour (Full Day)

 After breakfast and checkout from your hotel, you will be met by your private driver guide who will escort you for 2.5 hours to Bryce Canyon National Park. The pinnacles, spires and hoodoos glowing in mysterious pink, orange and white sandstone hues.

After learning its geology at the Visitor Centre, take a short walk among them on the Bryce Amphitheater trail and see how the forces of wind and water created these masterpieces. You will stop for lunch at the historic Bryce Canyon Lodge.

Continue 4 hours to Salt Lake City Airport to board a short flight to Jackson, Wyoming. Arrive at the Jackson Airport, you will be met by a private driver who will escort you 30 minutes to your hotel.

Wildlife Adventure And Grand Teton National Park Private Tour (Half Day)

Meet your private guide at your hotel early this morning and travel the nearby Moose-Wilson Road to view moose, elk, beaver and black bears. Your wildlife adventure will continue to locations where you may have the chance to view buffalo and antelope herds along the Gros Ventre River and Antelope Flats. Sweet rolls, coffee and hot chocolate will be served en-route.

Your guide will orient you to Grand Teton National Park, where you can enjoy hiking and wildlife viewing at your own leisure. You will return to your hotel at about 11:00 AM.

Note: From November through April, some roads, all campgrounds, and most visitor facilities are closed or have reduced hours. Please check with your Travel Designer for travel during winter.

Jackson Orientation with National Museum of Wildlife Art Visit

In the afternoon, your private driver guide will return and escort you into Jackson to explore the town’s shops, restaurants and galleries. Your visit to Jackson will include a private tour of the National Museum of Wildlife Art. The museum overlooks the 25,000 acre National Elk Refuge, home to the largest elk herd in the world, with a population of more than 14,000. The museum collection features more than 550 artists and over 5,000 catalogued items, dating from 2500 BC to the present. Following your museum tour, you will be transferred back to the hotel.

Yellow Stone National Park Private Tour (Full Day)

Today you’ll have a full day with a private guide to explore Yellowstone, with stops at many of the park’s signature destinations, geothermal features, wildlife viewing sites and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. Your guide will lead you on short walks while interpreting the hot springs, fumaroles, mud pots and geysers.

Enjoy a picnic lunch at a beautiful area to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Continue your journey through the park. Return to your hotel late afternoon.

Note: Access to the interior of the park (e.g. Old Faithful, Canyon) is restricted to oversnow travel during winter, and many facilities are closed. Please check with your Travel Designer for more information on travel in winter.

You will be met by your driver for a private 30-minute transfer to the Jackson Airport. Board your outgoing flight home.