The Grand Canyon, Bryce & Zion National Parks

DAY 1
Arrive Phoenix, Arizona
Destination: Phoenix
Afternoon: Travel to Phoenix today, with your arrival time depending on your departure city. Transfer to your hotel and meet your Program Director and fellow travelers, including those who chose our New Mexico’s Albuquerque & Santa Fe pre-trip extension.

Dinner: On your own—ask your Program Director for restaurant recommendations.

Evening: Enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure.

DAY 2
Overland to Tusayan
Destination: Tusayan
Meals included: B D

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: Join your fellow travelers for a Welcome Briefing this morning, in which your Program Director will offer a preview of the discoveries that are in store for you over the coming days.

Then, check out of your hotel and begin your overland transfer to Tusayan, your gateway to the Grand Canyon. Along the way, you’ll stop in the desert town of Sedona for lunch and some time to stretch your legs or explore independently.

Lunch: On your own in Sedona. Your Program Director can recommend a café or restaurant.

Afternoon: You’ll have a little time in Sedona after lunch to spend as you please. You may wish to browse for a quirky souvenir among the local shops; Sedona is rumored by some to be a powerful nexus of healing energy, and the town is popular among new-age believers looking to offer spiritual goods and services. Or, you can simply admire the red-rock scenery of the desert that surrounds you.

Then, continue your drive to Tusayan, where you’ll arrive and check in to your hotel before dinner.

Dinner: Gather with your fellow travelers for an included Welcome Dinner this evening.

Evening: You have the freedom to spend the rest of your evening as you wish—ask your Program Director for recommendations.

DAY 3
Discover the Grand Canyon
Destination: Tusayan
Meals included: B L

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: Enjoy a full-day tour of the Grand Canyon today, one of our country's most iconic natural wonders—which Teddy Roosevelt described as “the one great sight which every American should see.” Our lodgings in Tusayan were chosen for their proximity to the Grand Canyon, which will allow us to make the most of our time here.

You’ll drive with your Program Director to the south rim, the Grand Canyon’s most popular vantage point, where you’ll begin your tour. Mother Nature spent around 6 million years carving this natural wonder into the Earth, and we’ll see the fruits of her labor as we travel between several viewpoints along the rim, taking in as much of this 277-mile long canyon as we can. Enjoy unforgettable views of sheer sandstone cliffs plunging into the Colorado River below as it winds its way through the canyon walls, carving out a landscape that draws visitors from all around the world.

Lunch: Enjoy an included lunch in Grand Canyon Village this afternoon.

Afternoon: Continue exploring the Grand Canyon with your Program Director, taking note of how the red-orange landscape changes color with the passage of the sun, creating a panorama that truly never ceases to impress.

You’ll return to your hotel late this afternoon, where you’ll have the rest of the day free to rest or explore independently.

Dinner: On your own in Tusayan. Your Program Director can offer suggestions.

Evening: You have the freedom to spend the rest of your evening as you wish—ask your Program Director for recommendations.

DAY 4
Overland to Page
Destination: Page
Meals included: B D
Accommodations: Courtyard by Marriott or similar

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: Check out of your hotel this morning and drive to Page, arriving at the hotel in time for lunch.

Lunch: On your own in Page. Your Program Director can offer suggestions.

Afternoon: Explore Page independently this afternoon. Ask your Program Director for recommended activities.

Dinner: Dinner is included in Page tonight.

Evening: You have the freedom to spend the rest of your evening as you wish—ask your Program Director for recommendations.

DAY 5
Cruise Lake Powell • Optional Antelope Slot Canyon tour • Red Heritage indigenous cultural performance
Destination: Page
Meals included: B L
Accommodations: Courtyard by Marriott or similar

Activity Note: Due to the popularity of Antelope Slot Canyon, the optional tour is subject to availability. If available, the tour can start as early as 6am.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: Head to Lake Powell after breakfast, cruising through the lovely scenery featuring dramatic rock formations soaring out of the water. Formed in 1963 with the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam, Lake Powell is 187 miles long, with almost 100 major side canyons, and a shoreline of more than 1,900 miles.

Lunch: Included at a marina at Lake Powell.

Afternoon: Return to the hotel for an afternoon on your own.

Or, discover another local natural wonder when you join us on an optional tour of Antelope Slot Canyon. You’ll approach the canyon aboard a nimble 4x4 vehicle, then step off to explore the narrow canyon on foot, walking through a whimsical landscape of sandstone walls carved by wind and water over eons. Admire the dreamlike pattern of the walls as the sun sneaks in through the narrow gap above our heads, lighting our path through the fantastic scenery.

Dinner: On your own. Your Program Director can recommend a local restaurant.

Evening: This evening, we’ll learn about traditional Navajo culture at the Red Heritage Indigenous Entertainment Hall. The venue is owned and operated by members of the local Navajo community, who will treat us to an evening of traditional Native American performing arts, such as powwow dancing, flute playing, and live drum music.

Antelope Slot Canyon - $115/person

Discover one of the region’s most-photographed natural wonders on a walking tour of Antelope Slot Canyon. Approach the canyon aboard a nimble 4x4 vehicle, then step off to explore its narrow confines on foot, walking through a whimsical landscape of sandstone walls carved by wind and water over eons. Admire the dreamlike pattern of the walls as the sun sneaks in through the narrow gap above our heads, lighting our path through the fantastic scenery.

DAY 6
Overland to Springdale, Utah • Discover Bryce Canyon National Park
Destination: Springdale
Meals included: B L

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: Check out of the hotel this morning, and begin your transfer to Springdale, Utah, crossing the state line this morning.

Along the way, we’ll stop in Bryce Canyon National Park, to explore another of America’s majestic natural wonders.

Lunch: A boxed lunch will be provided in Bryce Canyon.

Afternoon: Enjoy an afternoon exploring Bryce Canyon National Park, a collection of natural amphitheaters carved out of pink limestone and sandstone. The force of rivers, rain, frost, and erosion has sculpted myriad whimsical rock formations called hoodoos shaped in colorful spires, bridges, and arches that resemble a fairyland. Truly, it's a photographer's paradise.

The national park also contains majestic ponderosa pines and deep evergreen forests, and is named for a Mormon farmer, Ebenezer Bryce, who was one of the first settlers in the area. You will find it a spectacular place, and the park's high elevation gives it some of the best air quality in the country.

After our tour, you’ll drive to the town of Springdale and check in to your hotel.

Dinner: On your own. Your Program Director can recommend a restaurant.

Evening: You have the freedom to spend the rest of your evening as you wish—ask your Program Director for recommendations.

DAY 7
Explore Zion National Park
Destination: Spring
dale Meals included: B D

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: Drive to Zion National Park this morning, where you’ll spend a full day discovering its legendary scenery on a self-guided tour.

Zion National Park encompasses the crossroads of the Mojave Desert, Colorado Plateau, and Great Basin. See where red desert rocks mingle with crystal rivers, aspen forest, and lush green canyons at this truly unique intersection of life zones, and don't forget to keep an eye on the sky—Zion is home to golden eagles, peregrine falcons, and the rare endangered California condor.

Begin your discoveries with a short film at the Zion Visitor's Center before a panoramic tour of the park. During your full day of discovery, you may see some of the following attractions: the Court of the Patriarchs; natural hanging gardens with scenic views of Zion's most prominent mountain, the Great White Throne; and Weeping Rock, where water seeps down from the cliff and forms a veil of "tears" spanning the rock alcove.

Lunch: On your own in Zion National Park. Your Program Director can recommend options for today’s meal.

Afternoon: Continue exploring Zion National Park this afternoon. You’ll return to the hotel before dinner.

Dinner: Included at the hotel.

Evening: You have the freedom to spend the rest of your evening as you wish—ask your Program Director for recommendations.

DAY 8
Overland to Las Vegas, Nevada
Destination: Las Vegas
Meals included: B D

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: Check out of your hotel and begin your drive to Las Vegas this morning, to prepare for tomorrow’s flight home. We’ll be on the road for about four hours, with stops along the way to stretch our legs.

Lunch: On your own in Las Vegas. Your Program Director can recommend options.

Afternoon: You’ll have a free afternoon in Las Vegas to spend as you choose. Your Program Director can recommend activities.

Dinner: Gather with your fellow travelers for an included Farewell Dinner, to reminisce and toast to your discoveries.

Evening: The evening is yours to spend as you choose. Las Vegas’ nightlife is legendary—you may choose to try your luck at some games of chance, or stroll beneath the neon stars of the iconic Strip to witness the electric delights of Vegas at night.

DAY 9
Depart Las Vegas
Meals included: B
Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: Transfer to the airport for your flight home. Or begin your post-trip extension to Arches, Canyonlands & Mesa Verde National Parks.