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Insight - America's Magnificent National Parks - end Denver, Small Group (05/2023 - 09/2023) (SAAMCDAN18)

15 Days From Phoenix (AZ) to Denver (CO) 
Tour Style: Western USA
Insight Brochure Price from $8,159.00
Brochures: IV USA and Canada 2023, V1 USA and Canada 2024
Visits: United States

Explore America's top national parks on this 15-Day guided tour. After an evening in Scottsdale, start your journey in bohemian Sedona, where spiritual seekers and nature lovers alike will revel in its red-hued mountainous landscape. Take a short jaunt to the Grand Canyon, where a Local Expert will show you the wonders of America’s most famed natural beauty. In Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Make Travel Matter and board all-terrain vehicles and ride through the desert with your Navajo guide. Glide through Zion National Park on a private shuttle, watching as the red mountains give way to the neon lights of Las Vegas, where you can take in a show or try your luck at poker. Finally, scale the 563-foot-tall Crazy Horse Memorial and stand face-to-face with the stone carving of the Lakota warrior.
Choice Highlights
  • Choose between two carefully selected activities
  • Zion National Park: Join your Travel Director on a hike with your Travel Director to the Emerald Pools for beautiful scenery of the canyon, waterfalls and green pools surrounded by red sandstone.
  • Zion National Park: Visit the Zion Nature Center at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center - The most well known of Zion’s Earth friendly endeavor. Learn about how the Center was built on a previously disturbed site & utilized outdoor exhibits to take advantage of Zion’s climate or alternatively, take a hike to the Emerald Pools led by your Travel Director.
  • Choose between two carefully selected activities
  • UCross: Live the American frontier dream and begin your day with a scenic country horseback ride.
  • UCross: Take a leisurely fishing outing and enjoy the serene surroundings.

Well-being
  • : Our Well-Being Directors take a proactive approach to your welfare ensuring all well-being regulations are met (available on tours with 21 or more guests).
  • : Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
  • : Experience enhanced hygiene protocols to align with the latest guidance following COVID-19. All Travel Directors, Well-Being Directors and Drivers have completed training in enhanced well-being and hygiene protocols.
  • : Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.
  • : We only work with establishments we are confident will consistently adhere to our high well-being standards, which include hotels, restaurants and sight-seeing venues.

Travel Director
  • : "It’s magical to see how a group of guests come together over the course of our trip. I can always tell when that’s happening because they start planning their own ‘post-arrival’ activities before the travel day has finished."

Authentic Dining
  • Scottsdale: Mingle over a delightful Welcome Dinner at your resort's renowned Zuzu Restaurant, named for the beloved matriarch of the family that owns the property.
  • Clearmont: Start off your evening with cocktails in the historic Ranch House bar. After your All-American ranch style dinner, head to the fire pit for some s'mores and live music.
  • Custer (SD): Toast to the finale of your trip at your Celebration Dinner served at your lodge within Custer State Park.
  • Zion National Park: Join your new friends for a Highlight Dinner within Zion National Park at the lodge's Red Rock Grill with large windows overlooking the floor of the canyon and soaring stone walls.
  • Salt Lake City: At 18:00, join your Travel Director for dinner where you'll have the chance to mingle with fellow guests.
  • Dining Summary: 6 Dinner with Wine (DW), 15 Breakfast (B), and 1 Lunch (L)

Top Rated Highlights
  • Sedona: With its red stone formations that create a haunting skyline found nowhere else in the world. This is where Arizona keeps the Old West. And this is where a New West has evolved, as a haven for creatives, a centre of spiritual health and enlightenment, and an epic playground for outdoor enthusiasts.
  • Grand Canyon National Park: Join your Local Expert, Canyon Tim, for an informative talk about the wonders of the Grand Canyon. With over seven years of experience in geology, you'll learn about the origins of the five-million-year-old canyon, its rock formation and its current impact. You'll also discover the local flora and fauna, and find out where you might be able to spot elk, mule deer, coyotes, grey foxes, bobcats and mountain lions.
  • Sedona Red Rock Country: Experience the essence of the great American road trip, as you travel through the Red Rock Scenic Byway. Along your journey you will be immersed in the stunning, natural peaks and rock formations of the Red Country, that look as though they could have been shaped by the countless artists they have inspired.
  • Grand Canyon: Early risers will take advantage of the lodge location, close to the Grand Canyon South Rim, to witness one of Mother Nature's grandest shows on earth: a sunrise over the majestic Grand Canyon.
  • Monument Valley: Meet your Navajo Local Experts and board all-terrain vehicles (waiver required) with open sides for a private, off-the-beaten path exploration of this magical valley. Learn about Navajo history, culture and heritage from your expert as you travel deeper in the natural wonders of this unique landscape.
  • Bryce Canyon: Travel through Bryce Canyon Country on a portion of the Scenic Highway 89, recognized by National Geographic as the number 1 Driver's Drive in the world.
  • Bryce Canyon National Park: Head to the sandstone cliffs of Bryce Canyon National Park in Southern Utah. Here you will be met by pine trees and red rock pillars. Take a leisurely walk along Sunset Point while you view the great amphitheatres of the odd-shaped monoliths, known as hoodoos.
  • Zion National Park: Travel through more amazing scenery on your way to Zion National Park. Cut through the Checkerboard Mesa and meander down to Zion Canyon while taking in many of its famous landmarks.
  • Jackson (WY): Historic Jackson, where the majestic peaks of the Teton Range act as your constant backdrop. Feel like you’ve stepped back in time as you walk through the town's famous landmark arch of tangled elk antlers. Spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the town’s boutiques and stores, which blend the Old West and the modern West harmoniously.
  • Grand Teton National Park: Travel through a mountainous landscape like no other. Witness the striking Grand Tetons thrust skyward 6,562 feet (2,000 meters) from the valley floor and keenly watch for exciting wildlife that call these mountains home. Including the grizzly bear, bald eagles, moose, bison, and elk.
  • Yellowstone National Park: The world’s first National Park, Yellowstone spans 2,219,789 acres and even has its own Grand Canyon. The park is home to half of the world’s hydrothermal features, more than 10,000, of which over 300 are geysers. Yellowstone is also a wildlife paradise. Some 1,700 species of plants and 400 species of birds, fish and mammals live in the park, including bison, wolves, bears, elk and moose.
  • Grand Teton National Park: Travel through a mountainous landscape like no other. Witness the striking Grand Tetons thrust skyward 6,562 feet (2,000 meters) from the valley floor and keenly watch for exciting wildlife that call these mountains home. Including the grizzly bear, bald eagles, moose, bison, and elk.
  • Yellowstone National Park: Catch the renowned colourful bubbling mud pots and observe Old Faithful geyser shooting water over 120 feet (37 metres) into the air. The Upper Geyser Basin boasts the highest concentration of spouting geysers, hot springs and steaming fumaroles in the world.
  • Cody: Explore the award-winning Buffalo Bill Center of the West, known for its excellent Western art collection and natural history.
  • Yellowstone National Park: Travel out of Yellowstone NP through Shoshone Canyon and Absaroka Rocky Mountains to the Wild West Town of Cody.
  • Black Hills: View the awe-inspiring Devils Tower, a butte that protrudes from the landscape and is considered sacred by the Lakota and other tribes.
  • Custer State Park: Continue venturing through the Black Hills to arrive at Custer State Park. Renowned for its beautiful landscape and abundance of wildlife. Home to a famous herd of 1,500 free roaming bison, accompanied by elk, mule deer, white tailed deer, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, mountain lions and feral burros.
  • Badlands National Park: Steep yourself in all that is the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Preserved here are 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires, blended with the largest protected mixed grass prairie in America. The unique beauty of this landscape is like no other. Sightseers as well as scholarly scientists are attracted to the area for its astounding beauty and the opportunity to gaze into an ancient world.
  • Black Hills: View iconic Mount Rushmore National Memorial where carvings of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt overlook the landscape.
  • Zion National Park: See the grandeur and natural features of the canyon in total comfort while traveling via private open-air tram with live on-board commentary.
  • Zion National Park: See the grandeur and natural features of the canyon in total comfort while traveling via private open-air tram with live on-board commentary.

Make Travel Matter
  • Grand Canyon: Trace the scenic South Rim of the Grand Canyon along Desert View Drive. See the historic Watchtower built by Mary Colter in the Puebloan style and track the Colorado River that leads you to the aptly named Painted Desert which extends towards Navajo and Hopi Indian lands. A Make Travel Matter experience that supports the Grand Canyon Conservancy and donates to the Desert View Inter-Tribal Heritage Centre. Fulfilling the UN’s Global goals of reducing inequality and creating sustainable communities.
  • Monument Valley: Deepen your knowledge and connection with the first nations of this land as we travel to Monument Valley by way of off-road vehicles to the cookout site. Here you’ll enjoy an authentically delicious BBQ lunch with members of the Navajo Nation, where traditional Navajo tacos and fry-bread will be served while you are immersed in traditional dance and songs of this great ancient culture.
  • Page: Navajo owned and operated; Red Heritage, a Native American Performing Arts Theater, showcases awe inspiring local talent, featuring powwow dancers, flute playing, and live drum music. A MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience, helping preserve Navajo Culture and dance. Embrace these beautiful and ancient arts while contributing to the UN's Global goal of reducing inequalities.

Insight Choice
  • UCross: Live the American frontier dream and begin your day with a scenic country horseback ride.
  • UCross: Take a leisurely fishing outing and enjoy the serene surroundings.
  • Zion National Park: Join your Travel Director on a hike with your Travel Director to the Emerald Pools for beautiful scenery of the canyon, waterfalls and green pools surrounded by red sandstone.
  • Zion National Park: Visit the Zion Nature Center at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center - The most well known of Zion’s Earth friendly endeavor. Learn about how the Center was built on a previously disturbed site & utilized outdoor exhibits to take advantage of Zion’s climate or alternatively, take a hike to the Emerald Pools led by your Travel Director.
  • Zion National Park: Visit the Zion Nature Center at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center - The most well known of Zion’s Earth friendly endeavor. Learn about how the Center was built on a previously disturbed site & utilized outdoor exhibits to take advantage of Zion’s climate or alternatively, take a hike to the Emerald Pools led by your Travel Director.
  • Zion National Park: Join your Travel Director on a hike with your Travel Director to the Emerald Pools for beautiful scenery of the canyon, waterfalls and green pools surrounded by red sandstone.
  • Zion National Park: Visit the Zion Nature Center at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center - The most well known of Zion’s Earth friendly endeavor. Learn about how the Center was built on a previously disturbed site & utilized outdoor exhibits to take advantage of Zion’s climate or alternatively, take a hike to the Emerald Pools led by your Travel Director.

Insight Experiences
  • Black Hills: Visit Crazy Horse Memorial, which is dedicated to protecting and preserving the culture, tradition and living heritage of the North American Indians. A special Insight Experience awaits as you are taken up to stand face-to-face with this impressive sculpture. Measuring 641 feet (195 metres) long and 563 feet (172 metres) high, the piece takes the record as the world’s largest mountain carving.

Insight Tour Itinerary

Day 1Arrive in Phoenix and Travel to Scottsdale
Welcome to Arizona, famous for its scenic road trips, towering Monument Valley, and of course the awe-inspiring Grand Canyon. Why not head out and explore Old Scottsdale, a vibrant and unique urban downtown area that introduces you the best of the state? Here, you’ll be surrounded by retro wooden buildings, rodeo inspired artwork and a selection of local stores, all radiating a classic Southwestern flair. At 18:00, join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a Welcome Dinner at Zuzu, where you will have the opportunity to mingle and get to know one another.
Visits: Phoenix, Scottsdale
Meals: Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: Hotel Valley Ho, Scottsdale
Day 2Sedona and the Wonders of the Mighty Grand Canyon
Travel through world-renowned Red Country along the Red Rock Scenic Byway, one of only 20 designated All-American Roads nationwide. Explore bohemian Sedona with its shops and galleries, or simply take in the exceptional beauty of Red Rock Country before you make your way to the Grand Canyon. Follow Oak Creek Canyon Scenic Byway through Coconino National Forest, a breathtaking stretch of road recognized by Rand McNally as one of the Top Five Most Scenic Drives in America. On arrival, you can take an optional flightseeing tour over the Grand Canyon. Whether you prefer a helicopter or a fixed-wing plane, you'll enjoy magnificent scenery with aerial views from above. Meet your Local Expert, Tim at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon to discover its wonders. You'll learn all about the origins of the five-million-year-old canyon, its rock formations and the human impact on this natural masterpiece. He'll also talk to you about the local flora and fauna, and where you might be able to spot them.
Visits: Scottsdale, Sedona, Grand Canyon National Park
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Grand Canyon National Park Lodge
Day 3Monument Valley and Lake Powell
Early risers will take advantage of the lodge location to witness one of Mother Nature's grandest shows on earth: a sunrise over the Grand Canyon. Travel along the South Rim Desert View Drive, skirting the South Rim of the canyon. We will stop at Desert View Point to see the historic Watchtower built by Mary Colter in the Puebloan style, the Colorado River turning north and the Painted Desert extending towards Navajo and Hopi Indian lands. Make Travel Matter as we will be supporting the Grand Canyon Conservancy and making a donation to support the development of the Desert View Inter-tribal Heritage Center. Head to the Cameron Trading Post, on of the oldest and most historic general stores in Arizona. Enter Monument Valley Tribal Park, where you'll join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience as you meet your Navajo Local Experts and board all-terrain vehicles with open sides for a private, off-the-beaten path exploration of this magical valley. Learn about Navajo history, culture and heritage from your expert as you travel deeper into the natural wonders of this unique landscape. Enjoy a Navajo cookout amid the giant buttes and mesas of this unique landscape. Spend the rest of the day relaxing at your lakefront resort.
Visits: Grand Canyon National Park, Monument Valley, Lake Powell
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 4Leisurely Lake Powell Relaxed Start
Today is entirely yours to do as you please. Partake in one of our popular optional experiences, explore on your own, or simply relax by the resort swimming pool with views of Lake Powell. As an optional activity this morning, let yourself be tempted by a gentle float trip down the Colorado River. Calmly float down the Colorado, past some of the most awe-inspiring sites, like the iconic Horseshoe Bend and Petroglyph Beach. In the evening, enjoy dinner with wine at the Red Heritage as you get the opportunity to watch local dancers talented in colorful powwow dancing, flute playing, and live drum music and enjoy a traditional dinner at this Navajo owned Native American Performing Arts Theater.
Visits: Lake Powell
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas
Day 5Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks
After a leisurely breakfast and a Relaxed Start, we will tour the canyon aboard a privately chartered open-air vehicle, with live commentary from a Local Expert to show you the many scenic highlights of the canyon such as the weeping rock, the hanging garden and the fauna and flora of the park.Then choose between a Travel Director guided hike to the Emerald Pools for beautiful scenery of the canyon, waterfalls and green pools surrounded by red sandstone or visit the Zion Nature Center at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. The afternoon is free after that. In the evening enjoy a Celebration Dinner hosted at the lodge, and a last chance to share travel memories with your new friends.
Visits: Lake Powell, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Zion National Park Lodge
Day 6Zion National Park Relaxed Start
After a leisurely breakfast and a Relaxed Start, we will tour the canyon aboard a privately chartered open-air vehicle, with live commentary from a Local Expert to show you the many scenic highlights of the canyon such as the weeping rock, the hanging garden and the fauna and flora of the park. Then choose between a Travel Director guided hike to the Emerald Pools for beautiful scenery of the canyon, waterfalls and green pools surrounded by red sandstone or visit the Zion Nature Center at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. The afternoon is free after that. In the evening enjoy a Celebration Dinner hosted at the lodge, and a last chance to share travel memories with your new friends.
Visits: Zion National Park
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: Zion National Park Lodge
Day 7Salt Lake City
This morning you make your way out of Zion National Park and will transfer to Salt Lake City, the capital of Utah. Your hotel is a short walk away from Temple Square, which is the headquarters of the Mormon church. In the evening join for a dinner with wine at the hotel.
Visits: Zion National Park, Salt Lake City
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: Hilton Salt Lake City Center
Day 8Jackson and the Tetons
Before leaving Salt Lake City, take in the State Capitol building. Drive along the scenic Logan Canyon, over the Wasatch Mountain Range, and up to the Bear Lake Summit. Stop for lunch at Garden City, Utah while enjoying views of the beautiful turquoise waters of Bear Lake. You will then head north across the Oregon Trail to historic Jackson. Have your cameras ready for the famous elk antlers the central square, while eager shoppers will find a number of charming traditional boutique galleries to browse. Enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure, with your hotel located only a short walk away from Jackson's Town Square.
Visits: Salt Lake City, Jackson
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Elk Country Inn, Jackson Hole
Day 9Yellowstone National Park
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. This morning, you have the opportunity to partake in an optional scenic float down the Snake River (signed waiver required) inside Grand Teton National Park. 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 habitat.
Visits: Jackson (WY), Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Yellowstone National Park Lodge
Day 10Geysers and Colourful Mudpots Relaxed Start
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. In the afternoon, enjoy the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone as you take in stunning natural wonders. While driving through Hayden Valley, famous for its wildlife, keep an eye out for wolves, bears, elk and hundreds of bison. The rest of the evening is at leisure for you to relax.
Visits: Yellowstone National Park, Old Faithful Geyser of California
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Yellowstone National Park Lodge
Day 11The Ranch at Ucross Relaxed Start
Set off on your travels through the stark Shoshone Canyon and Absaroka Rocky Mountains, leading you 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, known for its Western art collection, firearms, and natural history. Travel through the Bighorn National Forest to the Ranch at UCross. Take in the rustic charm as you're hosted at a traditional Wyoming Family ranch. Start off the evening with a cocktail hour in the historic Ranch House bar. After a home-cooked dinner, enjoy a fire pit with live entertainment, including country, folk and bluegrass music.
Visits: Yellowstone National Park, Cody, UCross
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: Ranch at UCross, Clearmont
Day 12Devils Tower into the Black Hills
Live the American frontier dream and begin your day with a scenic country horseback ride (waiver required) accompanied by a Ranch Hand. 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 itself.
Visits: UCross, Devils Tower, Spearfish Canyon
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Spearfish Canyon Lodge, Spearfish Canyon
Day 13Custer and the Wild, Wild West
A day for those looking to explore the Wild West, try to spotting the fastest mammal in North America, the pronghorn antelope as you cross the great high plains to the Black Hills of South Dakota. We visit Badlands National Park in South Dakota, 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest protected mixed grass prairie in America. Without a doubt, a hidden gem in the national park system, the unique beauty of the Badlands landscape is like no other. Sightseers as well as scholarly scientists are attracted to the area for its astounding beauty and the opportunity to peek into an ancient world. Continue on to Custer State Park, renowned for its beautiful landscape and abundant wildlife.
Visits: Spearfish Canyon, Badlands National Park, Custer State Park
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: State Game Lodge, Custer State Park
Day 14Mountain Monuments of the Black Hills Relaxed Start
Travel to the iconic Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Here, carvings of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt overlook the landscape. Next, head  to Crazy Horse Memorial, which is dedicated to protecting and preserving the culture, tradition and living heritage of the North American Indians. An exclusive Insight Experience awaits as you are taken up to stand face-to-face with this impressive sculpture. At 641 feet (195 metres) long and 563 feet (172 metres) tall the piece takes the record for the world’s largest mountain carving.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.
Visits: Custer State Park, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: State Game Lodge, Custer State Park
Day 15Depart Denver
Travel south from Custer State Park where your trip ends on arrival in Denver. A transfer is available to Denver International Airport. Airport arrival in Denver will be at 16:30.
Visits: Denver
Meals: Breakfast


Available Room Types: Single, Triple, Twin, Twinshare
Child: ages 5 to 17

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