National Parks Plus

Welcome to Vegas! We'll depart Nevada's party city this morning to somewhere decidedly more tranquil: Zion National Park in Utah. Our first National Park sets a high standard! Rolling into Zion today, we'll strap on our hiking boots and get ready to explore. Our experience here includes a stop at the comprehensive Visitor Centre as well as the fascinating Human History Museum along with some of the lower park trails.

Welcome to our home for the next 2 nights: Sleep Inn Hurricane, a short drive from Zion National Park. This is the ultimate way to stay close to Zion without losing our creature comforts - think comfy beds, in-room coffeemakers, hot breakfast, heated indoor pool, a hot tub and a sundeck. We'll settle in with an included dinner, ready for exploring the Zion Canyon tomorrow. (D) Stay: Sleep Inn Hurricane (or similar)

Driving out of Zion toward Page, Arizona, we'll stop in at Bryce Canyon National Park before leaving Utah behind. The sprawling Bryce Canyon National Park is made up of a series of otherworldly natural amphitheaters and crimson-colored hoodoos (towering spire-shaped rock formations). Heading into Bryce Canyon, we'll admire its unique organic earth bowls filled with red, orange and white spires and you'll have the chance to take to hike through the hoodoos.

Bye Utah! Here in Arizona, we'll head to our hotel for the next 2 nights in friendly Page. Don't be deceived - this small, homely town packs a big punch when it comes to natural wonders. (B) Stay: Country Inn & Suites Page (or similar)

After breakfast today we'll get a special introduction to Page with an included Navajo experience, on a private tour of one of Antelope Canyon's slot canyons and the nearby Horseshoe Bend. On this tour, we have the privilege of being allowed onto private Navajo land to be the ONLY people in the slot canyon - one that's longer and more colourful than the part of Antelope Canyon open to the public.

Our guide will also show us traditional hogons (male and female dwellings) and you'll get to take as many pics of Horseshoe Bend as your camera roll can handle. By midday we'll need to take shelter from the intense Utah sun, so you'll have some free time to explore the town of Page, grab some lunch or visit one of the local museums and info center's. This afternoon is your opportunity to tick off a bucket list item and take a scenic helicopter flight over the buttes and panoramic desert vistas. (B)

Saying goodbye to Page, today we travel to Salt Lake City: Utah's capital, and the religious centre of the Church of the Latter Day Saints - a.k.a the Mormons. Arriving in sparkling Salt Lake city with its dusty mountains and piercing skies, we'll be just in time for dinner and there's no shortage of places to eat. Make sure the Temple Square is on your sightseeing list, or even choose to take a Mormon-guided tour of the Temple.

Either way, we'll make the most of the evening with an included dinner at Squatter's Pub Brewery (fried cheese curds and peanut butter chocolate pie anyone? ) before we cross state lines to Jackson, Wyoming, tomorrow. (B/D) Stay: Tru by Hilton Salt Lake City Midvale (or similar)

On the road again today, with some great scenery to keep you entertained. A lunch stop in Garden City, a popular summer resort town near the shores of Bear Lake, marks the end of our time in Utah. Make sure you get a raspberry shake! And just like that we find ourselves in another new state, this time Wyoming.

We'll pull in at Jackson, our base for Yellowstone National Park for the next 3 nights. It's all about the cowboys here and you'll have the chance to opt for a Teton Village Trail Ride on horseback to get into the swing of things, then we'll absolutely be taking a seat in the saddle with a cold beer at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar downtown. Yeehaa! (B) Stay: Antler Inn (or similar)

We've got a full day exploring both Grand Tetons AND Yellowstone National Parks ahead of us. Can you believe it? Our first stop is the Grand Teton's Mountain Range, rising above a scene rich with abundant wildlife, pristine lakes, and spectacular mountain peaks.

Here you'll have the chance to witness Oxbow Bend, Jackson Lake Dam & Colter Bay while gazing up in awe at the surrounding landscape. We won't mess around ticking some of the Yellowstone bucket list boxes. Hiking = check. Beautiful mountain scenery = check. Midway Geyser Station (where you can see the Grand Prismatic Spring), Old Faithful Geyser = check. Bison, bears, moose, elk = check. And a little bit of Colter Bay while we're out.

After a full day in National Parks we'll head back to our accommodation for the night. Didn't get to see everything you wanted? No sweat, we'll be back again tomorrow. (B)