1 Arrive Phoenix – Scottsdale
Howdy folks! Saddle up for a ride from Phoenix to Scottsdale, spending the afternoon at leisure before your journey kicks off with an evening shindig to meet your new travel pardners. (KP) Stay: The Saguaro
2 Scottsdale – Sedona – Williams
Your trek through America's frontier history begins in the Sonoran Desert. Stampede through the luminous orange and red landscapes of Sedona for your choice sightseeing, traversing Red Rock Country by jeep or Red Rock Magic Trolley. Then, it's on through Oak Creek Canyon to the historic railroad town of Williams, where we'll 'Connect with Locals' and enjoy a 'Be My Guest' dinner hosted by the mayor, John Moore. (B/BMG) Stay: Grand Canyon Railway Hotel
3 Williams – Grand Canyon Railway – Grand Canyon National Park
Cut dirt and board your train to the Grand Canyon for some 'Family Fun', passing the vanilla-scented Ponderosa Pines and through the Kaibab National Forest. Tales of Old West legends are brought back to life as they travel with you along the rugged landscapes. We arrive at the UNESCO-listed Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Walk the rim and learn from a Local Specialist how this extraordinary feat of nature developed over the past 40 million years. (B) Stay: National Park Lodges
4 Grand Canyon National Park – Monument Valley – Lake Powell (2 Nights)
Start your historic passage to Navajo country with a mesmerising sunrise over the Grand Canyon. Trace the Desert View Drive route toward Cameron Trading Post in search of traditional Native American crafts and the taste of traditional fry bread. We board our open-air vehicle, bouncing past the imposing mesas and buttes rising up from Monument Valley's red valley floor toward a lakeside resort tucked into the red rock at the scenic family holiday hotspot of Lake Powell. (B) Stay: Lake Powell Resort and Marinas (Lake View or Marina rooms)
5 Lake Powell Free Time
Even cowboys need a day off now and then, but if you're at a loose end, choose to take an optional float down the Colorado River, cruise on Lake Power to Antelope Canyon, or spend the day learning how to wakeboard, kayak or zip around Lake Powell on a ski tube. (B/D)
6 Lake Powell – Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks (2 Nights)
Polish those chaps for a ride toward Zion Canyon, tracing yet another great natural triumph by park shuttle or on foot. Bundle up your brood for a quick hike to the Emerald Pools - the lush landscape a veritable oasis for pioneers traversing the desert just days before. Drive the scenic Mount Carmel Highway admiring the sweeping views of waterfalls and slick rocks, watching out for more spectacular formations like the Great Arch of Zion and the distinctive Checkerboard Mesa. The red-orange-pink hued hoodoos of Bryce Canyon are your final stop for today. (B) Stay: BW Plus Ruby's Inn
7 Bryce Canyon National Park Sightseeing
Take your seat in an amphitheatre of tall sandstone spires-the same vantage point Paiute Indians used to admire the colourful carvings of Mother Nature by day, by night, winter and summer centuries ago. Explore the rim of Bryce Canyon, before spending the afternoon at leisure to blaze your own trail. Our adventure through the Old West almost at its end, we get gussied up for a Western Farewell hoedown filled with good food and fun. (B/FD)
8 Bryce Canyon National Park – Depart Las Vegas
Hoodoos to our back and high-living ahead, we depart on the last leg of our journey to Las Vegas, through the scenic Virgin River Gorge. A transfer will take you to Las Vegas International Airport, or if you're extending you stay, to the Tropicana Las Vegas. Y'all come back now, y'hear? (B)
