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2011 Itinerary
8 DAYS FROM $2560 per person
single supplement available
Day 1 - Relax in Phoenix
Your Zion, Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon tour begins at 5:30 PM at JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa. A transfer is included from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa. Meet your travel companions at the welcome reception and dinner tonight at your luxury desert resort nestled in the Arizona mountains.
Meals: Dinner
Lodging: JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, Phoenix, AZ
Day 2 - From Sedona's Red Rocks to the Grand Canyon
Kick off your Southwest and Grand Canyon tour with a visit to Sedona - home to famous red-rock formations with whimiscal names like the Mittens and the Rabbit Ears, and the backdrop for many western movies and TV shows - for a guided walking tour that takes a look at the early settlers, cowboys, artists and Hollywood celebrities who shaped this intriguing town. Wind through Oak Creek Canyon and Flagstaff en route to Grand Canyon National Park. Arrive at your inside-the-park lodge on the South Rim of the amazing Grand Canyon, carved over millions of years by the Colorado River, and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tonight, enjoy dinner at your choice of restaurants on the canyon's rim at El Tovar, the Arizona Room or Bright Angel Café.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Kachina Lodge, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
Day 3 - Compelling images of the American Southwest
You just might want to take advantage of your lodge's ideal location on the South Rim by waking early enough to catch one of nature's grandest shows - a Grand Canyon sunrise! Learn about the geology and wildlife of the region from geology expert Canyon Dave in a perfect location, right on the rim. And no Grand Canyon tour would be complete without exploring the canyon rim and Canyon Village as you please, witnessing the rugged landscape's vast grandeur and changing colors as the sun climbs in the sky. Travel through the Navajo Reservation en route to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Lake Powell, one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, for a two-night stay. A lecture on water's role in ecology is followed by a private dinner tonight.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas, Page, AZ
Day 4 - Perspectives on Lake Powell
See remote corners of 186-mile-long Lake Powell - created from the Colorado River by the Glen Canyon Dam in the 1960s - from a variety of perspectives. First take an included early morning, 30-minute flight* to see the unusual red-rock formations reflecting in the lake; view Rainbow Bridge, the world's largest natural arch. Back on land, choose either a Lake Powell boat trip*, or a four-wheel-drive adventure* to hidden Antelope Canyon, whose sandstone walls seem to change color. You have an option (at an additional cost of $195) to take a four-hour excursion to Monument Valley* in the Navajo Nation, made famous as a setting of many westerns by director John Ford; combine aerial sightseeing with a land tour by a Navajo guide through rock buttes and spires - ask at time of booking.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas, Page, AZ
Day 5 - Rafting on the Colorado River and on to Bryce Canyon
Led by a river adventure guide, take a float trip* down the Colorado River, admiring Glen Canyon's sandstone walls before setting off for Utah's Bryce Canyon National Park. Have lunch en route as you travel across quintessential western landscapes as seen on both the big and small screens. Arrive in Bryce Canyon National Park, where you'll immediately be awed by towering rock pinnacles, strangely sculptured hoodoos and immense semi-circular rock amphitheatres. Keep an eye out for elk, coyotes, marmots, and prairie dogs while driving the canyon rim road. Overnight at a classic national park lodge listed on the National Historic Register.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: The Lodge at Bryce Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
Day 6 - Explore Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks
During your free morning, perhaps rise early to watch the sun rise over the hoodoos, or hike on Bryce Canyon's trails to seek out more dramatic views of the park's remarkable features, wildflowers, birds and wildlife. America's Canyonlands began with a Grand Canyon tour, followed by Bryce Canyon - and continues next to Zion National Park, boasting steep canyon walls, odd geologic formations, and a complex ecological system ranging from desert plants to lush greenery on the canyon floor. You'll spend the night in historic Zion Lodge, the only accommodation within the national park itself.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Zion Lodge, Zion National Park, UT
Day 7 - From mountain majesty to glitz
Spend the morning exploring the color-splashed canyons, waterfalls and pools of Zion National Park at your leisure. Then depart Utah and traverse the northeastern Mojave Desert to the glamour and glittering lights of Las Vegas, Nevada, highlighted by themed casinos, headline entertainers, and a host of other attractions. Wrapping up your Zion, Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon tour with a farewell reception and dinner at Caesars Palace Las Vegas - where your rooms are in the deluxe Forum Tower - gives you one last chance to share travel memories with new friends.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
Day 8 - Journey home
Tauck's comprehensive Zion, Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon tour ends in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from Caesars Palace Las Vegas to Las Vegas McCarran International Airport. Checkout time at Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas is 11:00 a.m.; allow a minimum of two hours for flight check-in.
Meals: Breakfast
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