AMERICAN PARKS TRAIL TOUR

Welcome to Utah’s capital, Salt Lake City. On arrival at Salt Lake City International Airport, board your transfer to your hotel. Lying between Wasatch Range and the Great Salt Lake, this mountainous city is perfect for outdoorsy types, with a strong focus on skiing and fishing. It is also the headquarters of the Mormon faith. At 18:00, join your Travel Director for a Welcome Dinner with wine, where you will meet your fellow guests.

Hotel: Little America Hotel, Salt Lake City

Meals: Dinner with Wine

As you move on from Salt Lake City, take in iconic Temple Square and the State Capitol building, before heading north across the Oregon Trail to historic Jackson. Have your cameras ready for the famous elk antlers that adorn the central square, and for eager shoppers there are a number of charming traditional boutiques to browse. In the evening, relax at Jackson Lake Lodge, where you’ll be presented with the stunning peaks of Grand Teton National Park. Staying in the park itself, you’ll have the opportunity to explore the grounds after hours.

Hotel: Jackson Lake Lodge

Meals: Breakfast

Wake up to a mountainous view like no other and witness the striking Grand Tetons thrust skyward 6,562 feet (2,000 metres) from the valley floor. In keeping with today’s rustic country charm, you’ll enter Yellowstone, the world’s first National Park. Known for its unique geothermal activity, spectacular landscapes and abundant wildlife, you’ll experience Wyoming in all its glory. Keep an eye out for black bears or wolves. Tonight you’ll stay in the National Park Lodges, allowing you to experience the park after hours, in its natural glory.

Hotel: National Park Lodges, Yellowstone.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Savour the surreal surroundings of Yellowstone with a relaxed start. Walk among the rainbow tinted hot springs and watch the erupting geysers as you take in the history of the park on an informative stroll with your Travel Director. Catch the renowned colourful bubbling mud pots and observe Old Faithful geyser shooting water over 120 feet (37 metres) into the air. You’ll behold the powerful roar of Lower Yellowstone Falls, before heading back to your Park Lodge rooms. The National Park is also famous for its wildlife, so keep an eye out for the Yellowstone ram, wolves, bears and elk.

Hotel: National Park Lodges, Yellowstone.

Meals: Breakfast

Set off on your travels through the stark Shoshone Canyon and Absaroka Rocky Mountains to the Wild West Town of Cody. Channel your inner showman and learn more about America’s great Western legends at the Buffalo Bill Centre. End the day in Clearmont, Wyoming where you’ll check in to your abode for the night. Here you’ll enjoy a ranch style Highlight Dinner with wine.

Hotel: Ranch at UCross, Clearmont.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Live the American frontier dream and begin your day with a scenic country horseback ride (waiver required). If playing cowboy isn’t your thing, perhaps go fishing or merely relax and take in your beautiful surroundings, the choice is yours. Make your way to Devils Tower, an astounding geological feature that protrudes out of the surrounding the Black Hills. This symbolic landmark is considered sacred to the Lakota and other tribes. Experience Spearfish Canyon, a favoured spot among wildlife enthusiasts and one famous for its elvish woodland beauty. The limestone palisades of this creek-carved gorge are more ancient than the Grand Canyon.

Hotel: Spearfish Canyon Lodge

Meals: Breakfast

A day for those looking to explore the wild west, try to spot pronghorn antelope as you cross the great high plains to the Black Hills of South Dakota. Once in Deadwood, you’ll also get to speak to members of the Lakota tribe as they share a fascinating live narrative of the Great Sioux Nation. You’ll have the opportunity to join Kevin Costner’s Original Deadwood Tour, while a Local Expert will talk about the days of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, who made this once lawless town famous during the Gold Rush of the 1870s. Continue on to Custer State Park, renowned for its beautiful landscape and abundant wildlife.

Hotel: The State Game Lodge, Custer State Park

Meals: Breakfast

What better way to spend your last full day than delving further into the history of this fascinating country? You’ll start by viewing Crazy Horse Memorial which is dedicated to all Native Americans, before moving on to the iconic Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Here, carvings of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt dominate the Black Hills. The rest of the day is yours to explore in Custer State Park. Join your Travel Director and newfound friends for a Celebration Dinner with wine, as you reflect on your adventure across the wide open spaces of America’s national parks.

Hotel: The State Game Lodge, Custer State Park.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Travel south from Custer State Park where your tour ends on arrival in Denver. A transfer is available to Denver International Airport.
Airport arrival in Denver will be at 16:30.

Meals: Breakfast